Our best ،bread cookie recipe! These festive treats are soft and warmly ،ed, with a rich mol،es flavor. Perfect for spreading ،liday cheer!
What could be more festive than ،bread cookies?! With Christmas just a few weeks away, I’m ready to turn up the ،liday cheer around here, and making this ،bread cookie recipe seems like a great place to s،. For one, it makes the ،use smell amazing, filling it with the comforting aroma of cinnamon, ،, and cloves. It’s also a blast to make–rolling out the dough, cutting out ،bread people, baking them, and decorating them once they cool.
But more important than all of that, these ،bread cookies are delicious! They’re soft, warmly ،ed, and richly flavored with mol،es and brown sugar. To me, they’re the perfect ،liday treat, especially with a mug of ،t c،colate to drink. I ،pe you love them too.
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this ،bread cookie recipe:
- All-purpose flour – S، and level it to avoid packing too much into your measuring cup.
- Unsalted ،er – Allow it to come to room temperature before you s، to bake.
- Brown sugar and mol،es – They sweeten the cookies and add rich mol،es flavor. We’ve had success baking these cookies with W،lesome and Brer Rabbit blackstrap mol،es.
- An egg yolk – It makes the cookies extra-soft and chewy.
- Baking soda – It helps the cookies rise.
- Ground ،, cinnamon, and cloves – They give these ،bread cookies their signature ،e.
- Vanilla extract – For warm depth of flavor.
- Almond milk – For moisture. Any other milk, such as cow’s milk or oat milk, would work here too.
- And sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
Once you’ve ،embled your ingredients (is your ،er at room temperature?), this ،bread cookie recipe is simple to make:
First, make the dough. Using an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the ،er and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Mix in the mol،es, egg yolk, and vanilla.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients–the flour, ،es, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing after each addition. Finally, mix in the almond milk.
Then, chill the dough. Divide it into two equal disks, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 2 ،urs. Chilling the dough allows it to firm up, making it easier to roll out.
Next, roll out the dough. Use a rolling pin to roll out the first disk on a lightly floured surface until it’s 1/4-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out your desired shapes (I always do ،bread men and snowflakes!). Re-roll and cut out the dough s،s as necessary. Repeat with the remaining dough disk.
Finally, bake the cookies. Arrange the cut-outs on parchment-lined baking sheets, and bake in a 350°F oven until the edges are just set but the middles are still soft. I like to bake one sheet at time on the center oven rack so that the cookies bake evenly. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely.
Decorate, or enjoy as they are!
Gingerbread Cookies Recipe Tips
- Don’t skimp on the chilling time. I’m usually all for not chilling cookie dough (you get to eat the cookies faster that way!), but in this recipe, it’s 100% necessary. The dough is soft and sticky when you first mix it together. Chilling it for at least 2 ،urs gives it a chance to firm up so that you can easily roll it out. The cut-outs also ،ld their shape better when baked.
- The timing will depend on your cookie cutters. Differently sized and shaped cookies bake at different rates! For a perfect soft texture, I typically bake a 3-inch ،bread man for 8 minutes. If you have smaller cut-outs, you’ll likely need to bake your cookies less. If you have larger cut-outs, you might need to go a bit longer.
- Decorating is half the fun. As delicious as these soft ،bread cookies are plain, they’re even tastier (and more festive!) with icing on top. For detailed lines and patterns like the ones in these pictures, use the royal icing recipe from this post. For a simpler glaze, stir together 1 cup powdered sugar and 2 tables،s almond milk, adding more milk as needed to reach your desired consistency. Sprinkles, gumdrops, and other candies are fun decorations too!
Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions
Make-ahead option 1: Make the ،bread cookie dough ahead of time! Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 2 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow frozen dough to thaw overnight in the fridge before rolling it out.
Make-ahead option 2: Make the cookies ahead! Gingerbread cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. (I actually like them best on day 2 or 3! They become even softer and chewier, and their ،ed flavor deepens.)
These cookies also freeze well. Sealed in a freezer bag or container, they keep for up to 3 months. They thaw perfectly at room temperature.
More Favorite Christmas Cookies
If you love these ،bread cookies, try one of these festive cookie recipes next:
Gingerbread Cookies
Prep Time: 22 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Chilling Time: 2 ،urs
Total Time: 2 ،urs 30 minutes
Serves 24
Our BEST ،bread cookie recipe! These festive treats are soft, warmly ،ed, and full of delicious mol،es flavor. Decorate with icing (see the tips in the post above for recipes), or enjoy plain.
- ½ cup unsalted ،er, at room temperature
- ⅔ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsulphured blackstrap mol،es, we like the W،lesome ،nd
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teas، vanilla extract
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, s،ed and leveled
- 2 teas،s cinnamon
- 2 teas،s ground ،
- 1 teas، baking soda
- ½ teas، fine sea salt
- ¼ teas، ground cloves
- 1 tables، almond milk, or any milk
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In the bowl of a stand mixer, or using an electric mixer, cream the ،er and brown sugar. Add the mol،es, egg yolk, and vanilla and mix a،n.
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In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ،, baking soda, salt, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Mix in the almond milk.
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Form the dough into a ball, divide the ball in half, and flatten each half into a 1-inch-thick disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 2 ،urs.
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
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Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until about ¼-inch thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out desired shapes, then transfer the cut-outs to the prepared baking sheets, re-rolling the dough s،s as necessary.
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Bake, one sheet at a time, for 7 to 9 minutes, or until the edges of the cookies are just set but the middles are still soft. The cookies might seem underdone, but taking them out at this point will ensure that they stay soft once they cool. I typically use a 3-inch cookie cutter and bake my cookies for 8 minutes. The exact timing will depend on your oven, the size of your cookie cutters, and ،w soft or crunchy you like your ،bread cookies.
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Let cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Decorate as desired.
منبع: https://www.loveandlemons.com/،bread-cookies-recipe/