Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Name: Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 cup light brown sugar; 1 large egg, lightly beaten; 1/3 cup molasses; 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger; 1 teaspoon cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/2 teaspoon salt; granulated sugar (for rolling); 1 cup unsalted butter, softened; 1 pound powdered sugar; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; milk (to thin)

by Stephanie December 17, 2015

Christmas is about a week away! How is this happening? I’m not ready. We have all been sick pretty much since Thanksgiving. All bad colds that turned into infections. Poor Maddie has an ear infection so needless to say, it has not been a restful couple of weeks for us. Instead of thinking about how much I still have left to to do before traveling next week, I’m going to lay on the couch and eat more Christmas cookies!

How do you guys like your cookies? Are you team soft and chewy or team crispy? I love them soft and chewy. I just don’t care much for really crispy cookies, which often ends up being the consistency of gingerbread cookies. And while I love gingerbread things, I don’t like super crispy cookies!

So, today, I’ve got a gingerbread cookie that is incredibly soft and chewy thanks to a good dose of butter and brown sugar. My other secret to big, soft cookies is to chill the dough before baking. I recommend at least three hours if you can stand the wait, but it’s so worth it! I kicked up the spices in this cookie recipe, so feel free to use less if you want. And then I decided to top these with some homemade cinnamon buttercream frosting. Yes, all of the butter. But, it’s the holidays so we’ll just have to work that butter off later, sound good? Oh, and don’t forget the sprinkles!

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Prep Time 40 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

For the gingerbread cookies:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
granulated sugar (for rolling)

For the cinnamon buttercream frosting:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 pound powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
milk (to thin)

Instructions

For the gingerbread cookies:

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and light brown sugar. Then mix in the egg and molasses.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and the salt. Slowly mix the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients until just-combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least three hours.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat. Pour about 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.
Use a cookie scoop to scoop out about 1 1/2-2 tbs. of the dough (I use a medium cookie scoop). Roll each ball into the granulated sugar and place onto the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes until lightly golden around the edges. Let cool completely before frosting.

For the cinnamon buttercream frosting:

Beat together the butter and powdered sugar until well-combined. Add in the cinnamon and vanilla extract. Add about 1 tablespoon milk at a time to thin icing out to your desired consistency (I typically add about 2 tablespoons).
Spread the icing on the cooled cookies. Decorate with sprinkles.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1 cookie with frosting
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 304Total Fat: 16gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 112mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 0gSugar: 30gProtein: 2g