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Home » Recipes » Cookies

Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

December 7, 2021 by brooke 9 Comments

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These soft gingerbread cookies with a cinnamon icing are a tender and chewy cookie, full of all the holiday spices.

soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing on a cookie sheet

SOFT GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH CINNAMON ICING

It's no secret that I love a good ginger cookie, but they need to be soft for me. I don't love those crunchy ones you can buy in bags and boxes at the store. About 10 years ago a friend of mine, Stacy, brought me these gingerbread men for a Christmas treat and I knew instantly I needed the recipe. Since then I have continued to make these every single year, with only a few minor tweaks to her recipe. And I can promise you that these will become a holiday season favorite for you too!

soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing being cut out

WHY YOU WILL LOVE THESE COOKIES

FLAVORFUL COOKIE- These cookies have melted butter, molasses and so many spices in them, and you can taste it all with every bite.

CINNAMON ICING- It's such a simple icing, but adds so much extra flavor to these cookies, not to mention its so much easier than frosting.

FUN TO MAKE FOR THE HOLIDAYS- My kids always look forward to helping cut-out the cookies and feeling like they made them themselves.

QUICK & EASY- This recipe can be made without a mixer, and doesn't require any chilling time. The dough is so easy to work with.

close up of cookies before baking

INGREDIENTS

  • Butter, melted & cooled
  • Sugar
  • Eggs, room temp
  • Molasses
  • Flour
  • Baking Powder
  • Baking Soda
  • Ginger
  • Cinnamon
  • Cloves
  • Salt
  • Powdered Sugar
  • Vanilla
  • Milk
all ingredients to make soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix melted butter and sugar together. Add eggs and molasses and mix until combined.

Add dry ingredients and mix until completely combined.

wet ingredients mixed together
dry ingredients added
cookie dough

Flour a large surface or baking mat. Roll dough until desired thickness. I like mine to be about ½ inch thick. Cut out cookies and continue to re-roll dough and cut until all dough is used.

dough ready to roll out
cookies cut out and placed on cookie sheet

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges.

cookies freshly baked

Add all icing to a bowl and mix together. Dip cooled cookies into the icing, or you can frost them with an off set spatula if you prefer. Allow icing to set.

dipping candy cane cookie in icing
allowing icing to drip off cookie
soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing on cookie sheet

COOKIE TIPS

Make sure that your butter is completely cooled before beginning, or the dough will be too soft, and hard to manage. If you're feeling like it's hard to create a shape, allow it to rest for a bit, or place it in the fridge for about 15 minutes.

I like to dip my cookies in the icing and then let some drip off before setting back down. your hands might get a little sticky, but it's worth it.

These cookies will store perfectly in an airtight container for 4-5 days on the counter, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

I like to double the batch of these and take to friends and neighbors around the holiday time. Everyone always loves them!

soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing on baking sheet

OTHER COOKIE RECIPES TO TRY:

Salted Brown Sugar Cookies

Cut-Out Sugar Cookies

Salted Chocolate Chunk Cookies

For more yummy treats follow me on instagram @thesaltedsweets. And be sure to tag me and comment below if you make them and love them as much as I do.

soft gingerbread cookies with cinnamon icing on baking sheet.

Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Cinnamon Icing

brooke
These soft gingerbread cookies with a cinnamon icing are a tender and chewy cookie, full of all the holiday spices.
5 from 12 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 25 mins
Cook Time 8 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 30
Calories 192 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup melted butter, cooled
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs room temp
  • ⅔ cup molasses
  • 4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tablespoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon cloves
  • 1½ teaspoon salt

Cinnamon Icing

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoon milk
  • sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  • In a large mixing bowl, mix melted butter and sugar together. Add eggs and molasses and mix until combined.
  • Add dry ingredients and mix until completely combined.
  • Flour a large surface or baking mat. Roll dough until desired thickness. I like mine to be about ½ inch thick. Cut out cookies and continue to re-roll dough and cut until all dough is used.
  • Bake for 8-10 minutes or until a light golden brown around the edges.
  • Add all icing to a bowl and mix together. Dip cooled cookies into the icing, or you can frost them with an off set spatula if you prefer. Allow icing to set.

Notes

These cookies can be stored in an air tight container for 4-5 days on the counter, or in the freezer for 3 months. 
30 servings is an estimate. The amount of cookies and nutrition facts will vary slightly based on size of cookie cutters used.
The amount of cookies will vary depending on the thickness and size of cookie cutter.
I have given both cups and grams as measurements. Grams will be more precise, especially when measuring flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, no problem! Just lightly spoon flour into your measuring cup to insure its not packed in there. Light and fluffy is the key.

Nutrition

Calories: 192kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 2gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 282mgPotassium: 140mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 209IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 71mgIron: 1mg
Keyword gingerbread cookies, gingerbread men, molasses
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Barbara Christensen

    December 08, 2021 at 8:31 am

    5 stars
    These cookies are incredibly easy to make AND are soft and delicious!! My kids thought they were the bomb. Someone even asked me where I bought them because they look so profesh! I used an ice cream scooper because I don’t have a 3 TBSP cookie scooper. Brooke has taught me than an ice cream scooper is equivalent to a 4 TBSP cookie scooper - so I only put 6 cookies on my pan to prevent them from squishing into each other. And they were perfect!! 🙌🏻

    Reply
  2. Allison Watson

    December 12, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    These are so, so good. That cinnamon icing takes them to the next level! My 9 year old son told me I was the best cookie maker ever. So overall, I'll give 5 stars all day long. Yummmm!!

    Reply
  3. Maggy

    December 13, 2021 at 9:25 pm

    5 stars
    These gingerbread cookies are a 10 out of 10! I made a half batch for my husband and I, and they were almost gone in a day! I'll definitely make a full batch next time! The texture is perfectly soft, and I love the cinnamon icing! I will be making these all month long!

    Reply
    • brooke

      December 14, 2021 at 10:24 am

      Thank you so much!!! I love knowing other people love them as much as I do!

      Reply
    • Amy

      December 30, 2022 at 12:32 pm

      5 stars
      I actually only used your cinnamon glaze because I was looking for an easy frosting other than something to pipe on my gingerbread cookies. This cinnamon was PERFECT! I made snowman and Christmas tree shaped GB cutouts. I separated the glaze into 4 different bowls to have red, blue, green, and white. It was very easy to spread with just a butter knife. I will 100% use this glaze in the future.

      Reply
  4. Kinzie

    December 22, 2021 at 2:33 pm

    5 stars
    Oh. My. Word. Made these, soft and scrumptious cookies for a Christmas party. They are perfect.

    Reply
  5. Cece

    December 18, 2022 at 9:46 pm

    Your recipes never fail!! These were such a hit in our cookie boxes this year. Thank you for sharing your recipes with us. Merry Christmas 🥰

    Reply
  6. Sarah C.

    December 19, 2022 at 10:53 pm

    5 stars
    These cookies were perfect. It was a great balance of sweetness and holiday spice, all in a soft cookie that holds its shape even with my little ones decorating them. Love!! And they stayed so fresh even after 1.5 weeks in a container. You have to make these.

    Reply
  7. Catalina

    January 05, 2023 at 11:07 pm

    These turned out wonderful! So soft and so addicting! I think next time I would chill the dough, so it is easier to cut out the gingerbread! I made it work, but I noticed it was a little flimsy. Thank you for sharing your recipes!

    Reply

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