Gingerbread Cookies: The Perfect Food
Make large, soft gingerbread cookies following these directions! The key is to bake gingerbread cookies until their tummies are slightly puffy.
Servings Prep Time
18cookies 30minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25minutes 3hours
Servings Prep Time
18cookies 30minutes
Cook Time Passive Time
25minutes 3hours
Ingredients
Shortening, Sugar, Spices
Wet Ingredients
Final Flour
  • 7.5cups flourmix in first 5 cups with mixer, then continue by hand
Instructions
Mix Cookie Dough
  1. Gather ingredients for your cookies.
  2. Beat in molasses, eggs, and vinegar. Mix 2 minutes, making sure all ingredients are mixed in.
  3. Be careful with your mixer when adding flour. Unless it is a heavy duty bowl lift stand mixer, you will risk burning out the motor if not careful. If your mixer starts to smell at any point, turn it off and continue with a wooden spoon or strong spatula.
  4. Beat in 5 cups flour with mixer. Mix until very well combined, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  5. Mix in the last 2.5 cups flour – by hand is best, but if your mixer is strong, and the motor doesn’t smell at this point, use your mixer.
  6. Pour out dough onto clean counter or dough board.
  7. Divide dough into 3 sections. Shape each section into a medium sized flat disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and place in the fridge.
  8. Refrigerate dough at least 2 hours. The dough discs will keep several days (or up to a week) before rolling them out and baking.
Roll Out and Bake Cookies
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Roll dough 1/4″ thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Depending on how sticky your dough is, you may need to use some flour, but hopefully not much. I cut mine into large 4-inch gingerbread men.
  3. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper (paper is optional, but it keeps things clean and makes cookie transfer easy). Place cookies at least 1″ apart on cookie sheets. The size of the cookie cutters and thickness of the dough will change how they cook, so try to place similar size/thickness of cookies on sheets together. I can usually get 6 large cookies on one cookie sheet.
  4. Bake 6 to 8 minutes, or until cookies are done. Cookies are done when cookie tummies are slightly puffy and edges are slightly browner than the center. There will be tiny cracks near the tummies. If you don’t see cracks, keep them in 1-2 minutes longer.
  5. Allow cookies too cool flat in the cookie sheet – on a rack, on the stovetop, or on a hot pad on the counter – for a few minutes before removing the cookie sheet. Later, you can move them to a rack to cool. Treating your cookies well after they come out of the oven will help your cookies finish off beautiful!