Gingerbread Cookies

These tender gingerbread cookies sit somewhere in the delightful space between crispy ginger snap and chewy molasses cookies. They’re a perfect holiday baking project. The full recipe can be made in a single afternoon, but breaking it up over a couple of days is easiest.

Consider day one your prep time: Bring the cookie dough together in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it in disks. The next day, grab your rolling pin and cookie cutters—classic gingerbread men or any shape you like. You’ll roll out the dough between two sheets of wax paper (parchment works too) so that you don’t incorporate too much flour. After cutting out the cookies, they’ll need to chill so they hold their shape in the oven. Now comes the part that requires patience: Using a thin metal spatula, carefully transfer each cookie to a cookie sheet—no liner needed. Baking each tray separately in a preheated oven helps the hot air circulate, resulting in evenly baked cookies. 

While they finish cooling on a wire rack, make your icing. You can keep your decorations simple or break out the sanding sugar, dragées, and sprinkles. The finished cookies will hold in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Need more holiday or Christmas cookie ideas? Try lime squiggles, sugar cookies with royal icing, sparkly red velvet cookies that come together in just one mixing bowl, and lots more.