Soft Gingerbread Cookies for Christmas: Chewy, Spiced, Easy

Gingerbread cookies are the smell of Christmas in cookie form: dark molasses, warm ginger, cinnamon and a hint of clove. This version bakes up soft and chewy in the middle with lightly crisp edges, so it works for cutting into stars and gingerbread men, or just for rolling into simple rounds. The dough is made ahead, which makes it ideal now, several weeks before the holiday baking rush.

Why this recipe works

Molasses is what gives gingerbread its deep colour and chew. It is a dark, slightly bitter syrup left over from sugar refining; look for plain “unsulphured” molasses in the baking aisle (not blackstrap, which is too bitter here). If you cannot find it, dark treacle, golden syrup mixed with a spoon of dark brown sugar, or dark maple syrup will work, though the flavour will be milder.

Brown sugar keeps the cookies moist, and chilling the dough for at least two hours makes it firm enough to roll and keeps the shapes sharp in the oven.

Tips for the best cookies

• Do not over-bake. Pull the cookies when the edges are set but the centres still look slightly soft. They firm up as they cool.
• Roll between parchment sheets. This avoids adding extra flour, which dries the dough.
• Cut thick for chewy, thin for crisp. About 6 mm (1/4 inch) gives a soft cookie; 3 mm gives a snap suitable for hanging on the tree.
• Chill the cut shapes for 10 minutes on the tray before baking so they do not spread.
• Measure flour by weight if you can. Too much flour is the most common reason for dry gingerbread.

Variations

• Extra spicy: add 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or a pinch of cardamom.
• Orange gingerbread: add the zest of one orange to the butter and sugar.
• Simple icing: whisk 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar with 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk or lemon juice until thick, then pipe or drizzle over cooled cookies.
• Sandwich cookies: fill two round cookies with cream cheese frosting.

Serving ideas

Stack a few in a tin with parchment between the layers for a gift, set out a plate with hot chocolate or spiced tea, or let the kids decorate them with icing and sprinkles as a Christmas afternoon activity. Crumbled gingerbread is also lovely over vanilla ice cream or stirred into yogurt.

Storage

Keep undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; a slice of bread in the tin helps them stay soft. The dough keeps in the fridge for 3 days, or freeze it wrapped for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge. Baked, cooled cookies also freeze well for up to 2 months.

Note: these cookies contain wheat, egg and dairy. If you are baking for guests with allergies, label the tin.