Recipes
Gingerbread Cookies
2025-12-18
Gingerbread cookies are one of the defining smells of the holiday season — honey, cinnamon, and ginger fill the kitchen well before the cookies themselves make it to a plate, and the firm, spiced dough holds its shape nicely when cut into stars, trees, or gingerbread figures.
The key step is letting the dough rest in the fridge for at least an hour, ideally longer. That resting time lets the flour fully absorb the liquid, firms up the dough, and keeps cut shapes from spreading or losing their crisp edges in the oven.
Don’t worry if the cookies seem too soft right out of the oven — that’s normal, and they continue to firm up as they cool on the rack. Leaving them in longer to try to get a firmer bake straight away usually just dries them out and costs you that soft center.
Once baked, gingerbread cookies take well to a simple egg white and powdered sugar icing, which sets quickly and doesn’t crumble off, making these cookies easy to decorate for gifting or to hang on the tree.
Stored in an airtight container, they keep well for a week or more, and if anything, the spices come through even more strongly after a day or two.
Ingredients
- 350 g all-purpose flour
- 150 g butter
- 120 g dark honey or molasses
- 100 g sugar (brown sugar works well)
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- a pinch each of ground cloves and nutmeg
- a pinch of salt
Instructions
- Melt the butter together with the honey and sugar over low heat, stirring until smooth, without letting it boil; let it cool to warm.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
- Beat the egg into the butter-honey mixture, then gradually stir in the flour mixture until you have a smooth, slightly sticky dough.
- Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll out the dough to about 3-4 mm thick on a floured surface and cut out shapes with cookie cutters.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are just starting to darken — the cookies may feel soft straight out of the oven but firm up as they cool.
- Cool on a wire rack and, if you like, decorate with a simple powdered sugar and egg white icing.
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