These Chewy Gingerbread Cookies are going to be your new favorite Christmas cookie! They are thick and chewy, with the perfect amount of ginger flavor! Coated in a cinnamon vanilla glaze, these cookies are ready for their holiday party!
Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are such a classic cookie to serve around the holidays! However, I remember when I was younger and all the gingerbread cookies I had were hard and crunchy. While I appreciate a good crunchy cookie for dunking into milk, I felt like gingerbread cookies had the perfect soft cookie potential.
This recipe for Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies is my dream come true. This cookies are half an inch thick and have the perfect texture. They're soft, chewy, and full of gingerbread flavor! These cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove to create a warm and spicy cookie.
How to Make Soft Gingerbread
You won't find this gingerbread creating houses this year! This soft and chewy gingerbread is reserved just for eating!
In order to create really soft and chewy cookies, I added to special ingredients that I don't typically use in my baked goods.
- Shortening. I'm typically a butter or oil girlie in my baked goods, but shortening is also a great ingredient to used in baked goods. Not only is it perfect for dairy-free recipes, but it's a great ingredient in keeping baked good really soft and chewy. Shortening has a different melting point than butter does, which mean it creates cookies that are softer in texture and rise a bit more. At the end of the day, baking is just really delicious science!
- Cornstarch. Cornstarch is a really great ingredient for making sure cookies hold their shapes. If I'm making any cookie that I don't want to spread, I'm going to add cornstarch to the recipe! It's also another great ingredient for keeping cookies light and chewy.
The combination of both of these ingredients with the molasses and brown sugar creates a soft and chewy cookie that is absolutely addicting!
Other Holiday Recipes to Love
Pecan Pie Cookies - These Pecan Pie Cookies are filled with everything you know and love about pecan pie without dealing with pie dough! They are soft and delicious with an addicting brown sugar and pecan filling! These cookies are an absolute must in my household!
Pumpkin Cake - This Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting is the perfect holiday dessert if you’re craving a little bit of festivity without the hassle of pie crust! They are chewy and fudgy, topped with the perfect cream cheese frosting! I like to add a little drizzle of caramel, because it’s the holidays! Why not add more sugar and deliciousness!?
Easy Brie Appetizer - Warm, melty cheese with crunchy pecans and a drizzle of honey make this Easy Brie Appetizer a total crowd pleaser! It’s easy to make in under 20 minutes and full of all the best flavors of the season. It’s my go-to holiday appetizer for good reason!
Ingredient List:
- Flour
- Cornstarch
- Shortening
- Molasses
- Eggs
- Brown Sugar
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Clove
- Nutmeg
- Salt
- Vanilla
- Butter
- Heavy Cream
- Powdered Sugar
I love all the different spices in this recipe! It creates such a warm and flavorful cookie that is perfect for a chilly winter night!
These Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies will definitely be a new tradition in my kitchen!
Cheers!
-Holly Michelle
Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups Flour ¼ cup set aside
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 8 tablespoons Shortening
- ⅓ cup Molasses
- 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
- ⅔ cup Brown Sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon Ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Clove
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze:
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 2 tablespoons Heavy Cream
- 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine shortening, brown sugar, and molasses. Use a mixer on medium speed to mix until combined.8 tablespoons Shortening, ⅓ cup Molasses, ⅔ cup Brown Sugar
- Then add in 1 egg plus 1 egg yolk and the vanilla. Mix together.1 egg plus 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Then add in flour, cornstarch, ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salt.3 cups Flour, 2 tablespoons Cornstarch, 1 ½ teaspoon Ginger, 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon Clove, ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- Mix everything together until a soft dough forms. If the dough is still too sticky, you can add more flour a tablespoon at a time.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge to chill for an hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Spread a little extra flour* on a board and begin to roll out dough to about half an inch in thickness. Use a cookie cutter to cut out your gingerbread people.
- Place the gingerbread people on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes**.
- While the cookies bake, assemble the glaze.
Cinnamon Vanilla Glaze:
- Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl for about 30 seconds until melted.2 tablespoons Butter
- Add in powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and heavy cream.2 tablespoons Heavy Cream, 1 ½ cups Powdered Sugar, ½ teaspoon Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon Vanilla
- Whisk everything together until smooth.
- When the cookies come out of the oven, let them cool for about a minute before adding the glaze to the top!
- Let the glaze harden before serving! Enjoy!
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