TheseSoft Gingerbread Cookiescookies are the most amazingly soft, sweet, and lightly spiced cookies. It’s the perfect gingerbread man cookie for shaping and decorating, and the dough is make-ahead friendly so you can spread out the holiday cookie baking!

You need this recipe and you need it stat! HUNDREDS of people have made and loved these cookies, justcheck out the comments below!This recipe comes from my chef sister-in-law, Beth, who went to culinary school with an emphasis on baking! Seriously, she’s amazing. And now she’s my neighbor, how lucky is that?

Everyone asks for this recipe after they try it – even if they weren’tgingerbreadcookie fans before. I’ve made this recipe at least 100 times and know that it’s perfect. Let me show you how to make the best gingerbread cookies in town. These are the stufffamily traditions and memoriesare made of.

Why You’ll Love These Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Blue Ribbon:I made these cookies for the county fair and they received a blue ribbon! I feel like stating that these areBlue Ribbon Cookiesmakes them pretty legit. Blue ribbon status is a big deal in my neck of the woods.🥳
Holiday Spice:The combination of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves creates a warm, aromatic profile that defines the holiday season, making each bite a special experience.
Make Ahead:The dough can berefrigerated for several days or frozen, allowing you to prepare in advance and bake fresh cookies whenever needed.
Cut & Decorate:This recipe holds its shape well, making it perfect for cutting into festive shapes and decorating with icing, sprinkles, or other creative toppings. I love to decorate them withroyal icing!

🎄 We bake and decorate a LOT ofgingerbread cookiesduring the holiday season — for events, just to eat, and even to give as gifts!

Recipe Ingredients

Butter– Use either salted or unsalted, but be sure to use the real stuff here, no margarine please! It gives it such a nice, chewy, soft texture and a richer flavor. Margarine just doesn’t cut it.
White sugar– This helps the cookies to hold their shape and have a nice texture. It also gives the sweetness to balance the spice of warming ginger, cinnamon, and cloves!
Egg
Molasses– Classic for gingerbread cookies’ color and deep flavor. If you prefer no molasses, try mygingerbread cookies without molasses.
White vinegar– Helps the cookies to rise and stay soft, and I promise it doesn’t give any vinegar flavor. It can be subbed with apple cider vinegar.
Flour– All-purpose white flour works the best for this recipe because it will rise well and creates a nice, soft texture. If you are looking to be gluten-free, try mygluten-free gingerbread cookies.
Spices– Ginger, cinnamon, and cloves

See the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and quantities

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

Step 1.Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy, then add the egg, molasses, and vinegar, mixing well.

Step 2.Add the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and mix until the dough forms.

Step 3.Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30-90 minutes.

Step 4.Roll out dough to desired thickness, cut into shapes, place on a lined baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for 9-11 minutes. Cool before decorating.

Recipe FAQs

Can I make the cookies ahead of time?

Yes! The cookies will last 2-3 day ahead of time stored in an air-tight container at room temperature. These are a great make-ahead cookie for parties!

What is your favorite way to decorate gingerbread cookies?

1. Royal icing to add pretty patterns, clothing and face details, and anything else your creativity sparks!2. Candies for buttons, noses, eyes, or other festive designs.3. Sprinkling sugars over top the icing to add some sparkle.4. Rubber stamps for some printed designs.5. Candy melts to top cookies with a chocolatey topping.6. Sprinkles because sprinkles are always good on any cookie!I wrote a huge post all about decorating these cookies if you want more specifics and details. You can find 6 Simple Ways to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies right here.

What kind of molasses do I use?

Use light, dark, or “fancy” molasses in this recipe. Do not use blackstrap or cooking molasses as your cookies will be bitter if you use the latter two. Here’s a post on how to make gingerbread without molasses.

How long does gingerbread dough last in the fridge?

You can make the dough ahead and keep it in the fridge for 2-3 days before baking it.

Expert Tips

Crispy vs Soft:If you like yourgingerbread on the crispy side, roll the dough to 1/4-inch thick and bake for 11-12 minutes. If you like it nice and soft (though still very sturdy), roll the dough 1/2-inch thick and bake for 10 minutes. If you play around with the thickness of the dough and the baking time, you’ll discover a cookie that meets your liking. I really like these thick and soft.
Real Butter:Usereal butterbecause it really makes thesoftest, richesttasting cookie. Please don’t substitute margarine in this recipe!
Fridge Time:Don’t forget theresting time in the fridge. The dough should betacky but not gloopylike glue when you put it in the fridge. When it comes back out of the fridge, it should be very firm. Resting time and chilling the dough let’s it set up so that it’s easier to work with and holds its shape better.
Not For Houses:This recipe isnot for making gingerbread houses. The dough is too soft. I lovemaking gingerbread housesbut they need a sturdy hard cookie that is good for construction.

Gingerbread cookies cut out like trees and decorated with green icing and sprinkles on white paper.

Tools For Making Gingerbread Cookies

For classic gingerbread man cookies, I created atemplatewith different sizes that I can print and trace.

If you are in need of acookie cutter set, I’ve had this one for almost 11 years and we use it all the time.

How to Serve and Store Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Pair these gingerbread cookies with a glass of milk,hot chocolate, or spiced tea for a cozy treat.

For holiday gatherings or gift giving, arrangedecorated gingerbread cookieson a platter along withChristmas magic cookie bars,Christmas peanut butter cookies, andGrandma Lucy’s Christmas sugar cookies.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

The baked cookies freeze very well. Just bake and cool but do not add icing. Store in a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 6 weeks.

You can pull the cookies out as needed when guests show up, or thaw the whole batch for decorating all at once. I froze bags and bags of these to prep for my neighbor goodie plates, and loved having the baking done ahead of time.