These festive Soft Gingerbread Cookies are perfect for the holidays. Made with brown sugar, molasses and warm spices they have the best holiday flavor and are so fun to decorate with the kids or family!
In a medium bowl whisk together all the dry ingredients
Mixing the Wet Ingredients
Cream the butter and brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 2 minutes on medium speed
Add the egg and molasses and beat on medium speed just until incorporated
Add the dry ingredients and mix together on low speed just until fully mixed
Separate the gingerbread cookie dough into 2 equal parts and shape into a disk. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour
Rolling, Cutting and Baking
Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
Set the gingerbread cookie dough on a lightly floured surface then lightly flour the rolling pin and begin rolling out the dough to about ⅛ inch thick or just slightly thicker
Cut out cookie shapes with cookie cutters. Use a metal spatula to lift the cookies and transfer to the baking sheet. Re-roll all the dough that is leftover and repeat the same process. Repeat this process until all dough is used up
Bake the cookies for 8 minutes, remove from the oven and let cool on the tray for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes remove the cookies from the tray and place on a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way
Making the Icing
Sift the powdered sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or a medium bowl with an electric hand mixer
Add the milk and vanilla then beat on low to medium speed until smooth. If icing is too thick add a small amount of milk. If it's too thin then add a small amount of powdered sugar until you reach desired consistency
Decorating the Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Using the icing decorate the cookies however you please. Feel free to use my photos as a guide! Holiday sprinkles and small candies in the baking section work well too!
Notes
The refrigeration step is important for gingerbread cookies to turn out.Do not overbake cookies. They will become dry and hard.