Gingerbread Cookies - easy and delcous gingerbread recipe (2024)

You’re in for a treat today! I’m sharing my Gingerbread Cookie recipe. This Gingerbread Cookie recipe makes a delicious holiday treat that can double as festive Christmas decor.

It’s hard to believe that after years of blogging and dozens and dozens of Christmas posts, I haven’t yet posted a recipe for Gingerbread Cookies. Well, the time has come! The gingerbread cookies are here.

As I mentioned above, this recipe makes super delicious cookies that can also serve as lovely decor if you let them sit out for a couple of days. Now you may be wondering…

Gingerbread Cookies Tips & Tricks:

If you’ve ever made cut-out sugar cookies, the process for these is similar. It’s the molasses and spices in gingerbread cookie dough that make them special.

As with any dough you’re using for cut-outs, you will want the dough to be cold when you’re working with it. Therefore, I recommend whipping up this dough the day before you plan to bake.

I also want to mention that this kind of dough can be a bit tricky for beginner cookie bakers. It does take a bit of experience to know how the dough should “feel” for the best results. Generally speaking, if the dough feels sticky, you need a tad more flour, and if the dough is crumbly, you need a little more liquid.

Let’s bake up a batch!

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies:

Once the dough is made (The ingredient list and instructions are in the printable recipe card below.), roll it out onto a floured surface and cut out the cookies.

You can use any cookie cutter you like. I have been picking up tree-shaped cookie cutters at antique shops for the past couple of months, so I opted for those.

If you intend to hang your cookies as decor (more on that below), I also recommend putting a hole in the top of each cookie before baking. This will give you a place to add twine or ribbon once the cookie is baked and decorated. I have found that the end of a straw creates the perfect-size hole.

Once the cookies are cut out, they are ready to bake. After they are cool, it’s time to decorate.

Icing for Gingerbread Cookies:

I like using royal icing for gingerbread cookies. It gives a classic look and is easy to work with. Also, in case you use these gingerbread cookies as decor, royal icing is perfect because it hardens beautifully. My recipe for royal icing is below.

You can spread the icing on with a knife, piping bag, or plastic bag with a corner snipped off. Here, I decided to use small plastic bottles. They made decorating the cookies very easy.

Now, you have two options for your cookies.

Here are the cookies I made. (I wish there was such a thing as smell-o-vision.). The first option is to simply enjoy them as a tasty holiday treat. Store them in an airtight container, and they’ll stay fresh for a week or two. The flavor is so good, and they’re a pretty addition to any cookie tray.

Want more of my favorite Christmas Cookie recipes, you’re in luck! I have an entire post dedicated to them here.

Gingerbread Cookie Decor:

The other option for these beauties is to use them around your home as decor.

You don’t have to worry about them totting or getting moldy; they will just dry up into a wonderfully fragrant decor accent. (I’d leave them on your counter for at least 24 hours before hanging to ensure they’re sufficiently dried out.)

Here are a few examples to help you imagine the possibilities!

Mantel Decor:

I added twine to the cookies to tie them into my mantel decor. It’s all in the details, and these make such a sweet addition.

Ornaments:

I also love the look of these gingerbread cookies on a tree. You can hang them with twine, ribbon, or even an ornament hook.

My gingerbread cookies actually inspired an entire Christmas tree design. I’ll share a peek of it here, but if you want to see more, check out the full tree HERE.

Gift Wrapping:

How about tying them on your packages? They look cute and festive with almost any wrapping paper. And if you’re feeling especially ambitious, you might even use contrasting royal icing to write the recipient’s name on the cookie.

Edible Garnish:

Finally use them as an edible garnish for things like cakes, cookie trays, and even holiday co*cktails.

Here I use a tiny cookie cutter to make little mini gingerbread men to decorate these amazing Gingerbread White Russians. So cute. So delicious!

These are just a few gingerbread cookie-inspired decorating ideas. As you can imagine, you’re only limited by your creativity.

You could also make a wreath (like I did HERE), create a little scene under a cloche, set cookies amid your Christmas village, etc.

In fact, I have an entire blog post filled with creative ways to decorate with gingerbread. I know you’re going to love it! You can find that HERE.

Happy Holiday Baking!

As you can see I’m kind of into making gingerbread cookies. I mean, not only are they delicious, but there are so many things you can do with them to create a really festive holiday.

I hope you’re feeling inspired! Now, grab your apron and rolling pin and start holiday baking!

Want more festive Christmas recipes and ideas?

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