gingerbread sugar cookies

This cookie is the perfect marriage of gingerbread and sugar cookies. It’s warmly spiced, soft and chewy, holds its shape, and is amazing for decorating. It is the ideal holiday cut out cookie.

ingredients in gingerbread sugar cookies

• butter– I always use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can accurately tell you how much salt to add, but the truth is that when I’m just baking personally, I use salted butter and nothing is ever too salty. Use what you have, but make sure that it has come to room temperature, about 66-70 degrees. Butter straight out of the fridge will not cream as well, which will either require too much creaming (creating too aerated of a mixture) or the final dough will have little pebbles of butter that will melt in the oven, causing uneven cookies. Make sure the butter hasn’t softened too much and become melty or squishy.
• brown sugar– Since brown sugar naturally has molasses in it, it’s perfect for a gingerbread sugar cookie. It will also aid in moisture in this cookie, which will give the centers of the cookie a lovely chew. You can use light or dark, but I prefer dark.
• granulated sugar– I like to use a little granulated sugar in this cookie recipe. Although the main sugar in the recipe is brown sugar, a little granulated sugar will help keep the edges crisp.
• egg yolk– An egg yolk will give the cookie structure and tenderness as well as aid in pliability of the dough.
• molasses– Obviously quintessential to gingerbread, molasses adds flavor and a soft chewiness to this cookie. This recipe only uses a little bit, much less than a typical gingerbread cookie, so it is perfect for people who don’t love the strong molasses flavor of typical gingerbread.
• salt- Diamond Crystal kosher salt is the best for baking, so I recommend grabbing a box if you can. It will last you for a long time if you just use it for baking! If you don’t have this type of salt, swap for regular table salt and use half the amount called for.
• vanilla– Vanilla is for flavor in this recipe, and I recommend using vanilla bean paste instead of extract if you can. I love to use vanilla bean paste because the flavor is more intense, but vanilla extract is great as well. I love The Spice House, Heilala, and Nielsen-Massey. (Make sure to check your local Costco store for big jars of Nielsen-Massey at an amazing price!)
• flour– Flour provides the structure for this cookie, and this recipe has the perfect amount for the dough to both hold its shape, yet not be too floury and hard.
• milk powder– I saw @bakedbydan on Instagram recommend adding milk powder to gingerbread dough, so I tried it and loved it. It softens the cookie further and brings out some toasty dairy notes. It is optional, however, if you don’t have it.
• baking soda & baking powder– for leavening this cookie
• cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves– the spice mix for this cookie (I highly recommend The Spice House for these spices.)

*You can use my code EMILYLOGGANS for 10% off at The Spice House. I love to get my vanilla, almond, salt, and spices from there!

supplies needed to make gingerbread sugar cookies

• hand mixer or stand mixer– A stand mixer makes this process so incredibly easy, but a hand mixer works just fine, especially if you’re just making a single batch.
• spatula– A spatula is essential to scrape down the bowl throughout the process. Without scraping, you’ll end up with an unevenly mixed dough and cookies that are inconsistent. 
• scale– If there’s one thing I can convince you of, please let it be a kitchen scale. 🙏🏻Using a scale makes everything easier with baking, and it ensures you get the same results every time. Flour is so easy to over-add with volume measurements, and a scale solves that problem.
• parchment paper– I always roll my dough between two sheets of pre-cut parchment paper, which is by far the best way to roll out dough.
• guided rolling pin– Rolling dough evenly is tricky with a regular rolling pin, but with a guided rolling pin, dough comes out evenly every time. It’s such a time saver and one of my favorite kitchen tools.
• baking sheets– I use these cookie sheets for years, and they are amazing.
• Of course, you’ll need cookie cutters.

FAQs

• Why did my cookies spread? A little spread (about an eighth of an inch around) is normal. Too much spread that causes the cookies to be misshapen is frustrating and can ruin the process when you want to decorate. Spread can happen for a few reasons: 1) You used too little flour in the dough. Did you weigh it? 2) What size were your eggs? This recipe is formulated for large sized eggs. Extra large eggs add a lot of additional moisture. 3) You didn’t chill the dough for long enough. The initial chill time is important for the butter to chill enough and for the flour to hydrate. Baking them right away will definitely cause them to spread. Additionally, that mini chill time in the freezer before baking is very helpful for holding their shape.
• Why was my dough crumbly and dry? Did you weigh your flour? It is very easy to accidentally add too much flour when measuring with cups. Too much flour will make a dry, crumbly dough. Did you add enough sugar? Do you have the right amount of butter? What size are your eggs? This recipe is formulated for large sized eggs. Medium or small eggs will not provide enough moisture to the dough. *Keep in mind that this recipe will appear crumbly and dry at first. I promise it will work out.
• Can I use table salt instead of Diamond Crystal kosher salt? Absolutely! Just use half the amount called for since the flakes of diamond crystal are larger, which accounts for less volume in the measuring spoon. I do recommend purchasing a box of diamond crystal, especially if you’re a baker or like to cook. It’s truly the best and recommended by chefs.
• Is Morton kosher salt the same as Diamond Crystal kosher salt? No, and I don’t recommend you use Morton kosher salt in baking.
• Does my butter need to be room temperature or softened? Room temperature is ideal for this recipe. Cold butter will not mix properly, and softened butter will make a dough that is very soft and sticky. Do not use melted butter.
• What should I do if my butter is cold from the fridge? If your butter is cold right out of the fridge, but you want to bake right now, there are a few options. 1)Microwave the butter as whole sticks on defrost mode for a few seconds at a time until it becomes pliable. 2) Chop the butter into small pieces and set off to the side until you can indent the butter with your finger. 
• Why do my cookies have a shiny, see-through-like patch on the bottoms? That is the sign of an underdone (raw) cookie. It needs to bake more. (Unless that’s your thing.) Before pulling cookies out of the oven, check to make sure the tops are evenly “dull” and not shiny.
• How can I bake these to be thin and crisp? Roll the dough to ⅙″ or ⅛″ and bake at a lower temperature for a longer time. If you bake them at 375 F, it might be too hot and brown them way too quickly before they had a chance to dry out enough to become crisp. Thin and crisp cookies are usually baked at 325 F, but I would start with 350 F. 
• Do I really need a kitchen scale? Kinda, yeah? 🙃 They’re not very expensive, but it is a life changing kitchen investment. Here’s the one I use. Of course, you can make this recipe using the cups measurements if you like.
• Can I bake my cookies on silicone mats instead of parchment? You can, and I recommend perforated silicone mats if you have them. They make such nice bottoms to cookies. However, I still prefer to bake with parchment. It’s my preference, but your preference could be to use silicone mats. Just experiment and go with what you prefer based on experience and results. 🫶🏻
• Can I decorate these cookies with royal icing or buttercream? Yes! They are delicious with both. Here is my royal icing recipe.
• Is this the same recipe you used to sell on the old website? Yes! This recipe was originally sold as “Gingerbread Sugar Cookies” and was a customer favorite.

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