Description
Homemade soft gingerbread cookies bring warmth from traditional German holiday baking traditions. Molasses, cinnamon, and nutmeg create a comforting spice blend you’ll savor with winter tea or coffee.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 0.5 cup (113 g) butter, softened
- 0.75 cup (170 g) brown sugar, packed
- 1.5 cups (375 ml) all-purpose flour
- 3 tbsps (45 ml) molasses
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 0.75 tsp ground ginger
- 0.5 tsp sea salt
- 0.25 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup (240 ml) powdered sugar
- 1 to 1.5 tbsps (15 to 22.5 ml) milk
Instructions
- Blend Dry Components: Whisk flour, baking soda, warm spices, and sea salt in a mixing bowl until perfectly integrated.
- Cream Butter Mixture: Whip butter and brown sugar in a stand mixer until light, fluffy, and pale, creating a smooth base.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: Fold molasses, egg, and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, blending until silky and uniform.
- Form Dough: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet components on low speed, creating a cohesive, tender dough with minimal mixing.
- Chill Preparation: Wrap dough tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour, allowing flavors to develop and texture to stabilize.
- Preheat and Prepare: Warm oven to 350°F and line baking sheet with parchment paper for even heat distribution.
- Shape and Arrange: Roll chilled dough into consistent spheres, placing them strategically on the prepared sheet with ample spacing.
- Bake to Perfection: Bake cookies until edges turn golden and tops appear set, approximately 9-11 minutes for optimal softness.
- Cool and Finish: Transfer cookies to a cooling rack, allowing them to set completely, then optionally drizzle with a delicate milk and powdered sugar glaze.
Notes
- Chill the Dough: Refrigeration is crucial for developing rich, complex flavors and preventing cookie spread during baking.
- Consistent Sizing Matters: Use a cookie scoop to ensure uniform cookies that bake evenly and look professionally made.
- Spice Blend Precision: Freshly ground spices intensify the warm, aromatic gingerbread profile, elevating the cookie’s overall taste.
- Cooling Technique: Let cookies rest briefly on the baking sheet to set their structure before transferring to a cooling rack for perfect texture.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 9-11 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 22
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 80 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg