Gingerbread Cookies that Don’t Spread in the Oven
Making gingerbread cookies this holiday? This is the recipe for you! These cookies have a wonderfully traditional molasses and spice flavor, a tender texture that’s not too hard, and the dough is a dream to work with. No spreading in the oven! Keep your cute shapes and neat edges.
*This post originally published on November 28, 2015. I thought it was due for an update, so I’ve tweaked the recipe slightly. Now I love the taste even more! I’ve also added some tips for success, and an easy video tutorial in the recipe card. I hope you love these gingerbread cookies just as much as my family and I do!*
It’s about time I’m posting this recipe! I’ve got THE best vanilla and chocolate cutout cookie recipes on this site, but an equally good gingerbread cookie recipe has been glaringly absent for far too long.
Honestly, I hadn’t found one that I really loved. Sure, I put this up last year, but that was more about the decoration than the cookie recipe itself. The cookie recipe itself? It’s not bad. But I like this one much better!
GINGERBREAD COOKIE RECIPE
I based these gingerbread cookies off of this recipe, which I also mentioned above. The dough is so easy to work with- not the least bit crumbly or messy. You don’t have to sprinkle your work surface with flour, which also cuts down on mess, but more importantly, it keeps the cookies tender. And best of all? They hold their shape like a boss.
Look at that! It’s exactly the same coming out of the oven as it was going in. There’s nothing more disappointing than spending all kinds of time and taking all sorts of care to roll out cookie dough, cut out all the prettiest shapes, and bake them, just to have them spread out in the oven and completely lose their shape. I made gingerbread boys and girls here, but I have some other cookie cutters that have sharper angles and more intricate shapes. This recipe bakes up with just as sharp and neat of an edge as you could ever want.
TIPS FOR BAKING GINGERBREAD COOKIES
- Leave Out the Leavening: Now, you may notice that these gingerbread cookies contain no leavening of any kind. If you think about the purpose of baking powder in a recipe, it’s to help things puff up and spread out (hello!?), and be light and fluffy. Light and fluffy is great in a muffin or a pancake, but we are talking cookies, here, people. They are meant to have a little bite to them. Perhaps they are a little bit heavier, but in this instance, you kinda want that. Odds are, you are either shipping your cookies or delivering them by car, and if they are too light and delicate, they’re more likely to break. So, this is going to give you a more durable cookie, and I promise you, they are still every bit as delicious.
- The Magic Ingredient: Cornstarch. Cornstarch in cookies is pure witchcraft. It makes the dough SUCH a pleasure to work with! It is NOT sticky at all, nor is it crumbly. It just stays right where you want it. And those edges! SO clean and perfect! It’s like magic!
- Make Parchment Your Bestie: Definitely try rolling your dough between two layers of parchment paper. It is absolutely no-muss no-fuss! Between the silky, UNcrumbly texture of this dough, and the parchment thing, you barely even need to wipe your countertops after making these cookies! **No bench flour!** (Which, by the way, can also make a tougher, less tender cookie.) I also line my baking sheets with it, and besides keeping things from sticking, it keeps the pans cleaner too! Bake the cookies on parchment, then lay them on the same sheets to dry after decorating, so each sheet gets double duty. Here are the baking sheets I use, and here is where I order my parchment.
- Crank Up the Oven Temperature: Finally, you may notice that I recommend baking the cookies at a higher temperature, for a shorter time. This allows the cookie to “set up” more quickly, and hold it’s shape during baking.
WHAT DO THESE GINGERBREAD COOKIES TASTE LIKE?
The flavor of these gingerbread cookies is really warm and deep. The brown sugar and molasses are noticeable, but not overpowering. And they’re loaded with traditional holiday spice. Cinnamon, clove, and of course ginger! But the texture is really what I love most. I’ve bitten into some gingerbread cookies that are so hard you could break a tooth. These aren’t like that. They aren’t exactly soft (if you want soft, try these soft ginger cookies), but they’re not hard either. There’s a little bit of crunch but it’s really tender, almost like shortbread.
No more gingerbread puddles! Try this easy gingerbread cookie recipe- you’ll love the deep molasses flavor, warm holiday spice, and tender texture. They’re perfect for decorating, and taste even better when topped with royal icing. I think you’ll love them, and I hope they become a yearly tradition!
Frequently asked questions:
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Can this dough be made ahead?
You can make this dough ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or so, but if you do, you may want to add less flour because the dough will become drier as it sits. If you find your dough has become too dry and crumbly to work with, it can be moistened back up with a few drops of heavy cream.
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How long will these cookies last?
The shelf life on these cookies is about the same as any other homemade cookie recipe. If you keep them tightly wrapped so they don’t dry out or become stale, they should last for at least a week or two at room temperature.
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Can the cookies be frozen?
Again, wrap the cookies tightly so they don’t become dry. They should last in the freezer for several months. I would recommend freezing them un-iced, as the freeze/thaw process could cause your icing colors to run.
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Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, (2 sticks), softened slightly but still cool
- 1 cup (220 g) dark brown sugar, (tightly packed)
- 2/3 cup (168.5 ml) molasses
- 2 eggs,, large
- 1/3 cup (42.67 g) cornstarch
- 2 1/2 teaspoons (2.5 teaspoons) ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon ) kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon (0.13 teaspoon) ground cloves
- 4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour, (you may need as much as 5 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F, and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl, and cream together until smooth.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a silicone spatula, add the molasses, and mix until combined.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Add the cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and cloves, and mix on medium-low speed until combined.
- Add about 2/3 of the flour, then mix on low speed until incorporated (the dough will look very dry and crumbly at first, but will come together after a minute or so).
- Add in the remaining flour, a little at a time, until the dough forms a ball and comes cleanly away from the sides of the bowl. (If the dough still seems sticky, add up to an additional 1 cup of flour, until it is smooth and easier to handle.)
- Roll out the dough to a thickness of 3/8-inch (rolling pin rings help to achieve an even and exact thickness) between 2 sheets of parchment paper, and cut shapes with cookie cutters.
- Transfer shapes to the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the cookies are set around the edges and just a little softer towards the centers.
Made these instead of another recipe I use every year.They were perfect!The shape stayed after baking and the dough was a dream to work with!They had great flavor!Great recipe!Thanks so much,A keeper!
So happy you enjoyed it Patricia! Thank you for the awesome feedback!
Can’t wait to try some of the other recipes?
Hope you enjoy!
I never comment on recipes but after completely failing gingerbread cookies three times in a row…I was determined to get it right. This recipe was everything OneI was looking for and more…so easy and so delicious!! Thank-you!!!!!
My pleasure Alexandra! I’m so glad you were pleased. Thank you so much for the 5-star review!
Ok, late comment but, I am amazed, I made little mini gingerbread men and baked them for 9 minutes and they are PERFECT! When I was cutting them out I was debating whether or not to space them closely together or not because I wasn’t sure if they’d spread, in the end I trusted the recipe and put them closely together, much to my surprise they didn’t spread one bit! These are seriously so perfect that they look like I bought them from a shop! Thanks a million, I think I’ll bake these every Christmas for the rest of my life xxx
Aw, that is so wonderful to hear! I”m so glad you were happy with the recipe. Your mini gingerbread men sound adorable. Thank you for the 5-star review!
Hi, can I substitute the molasses with golden syrup?
I believe you probably could, but you would not have quite the same traditional gingerbread flavor. Hope that’s helpful!
Hi Ellie,
I am really looking forward to making these – I love the idea of adding cornstarch to get non-spreading cookies!
I’m currently living in Belgium, and you can’t get molasses anywhere! Wondering if I could substitute for something else? Maple syrup?
Appreciate any guidance!
Imogen x
Hi there! If you are outside the US, I believe molasses goes by the name “treacle.” If you can’t find it or don’t want to use it, here I have googled for you “Molasses substitute” : https://www.google.com/search?q=molasses+substitute&rlz=1C1CHUH_enUS576US576&oq=molasses+substitute&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.4743j0j4&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8. Hope this is helpful!
These were truly fantastic. I cannot bake to save my life but this cookies came out perfect! They are a bit hard to describe: not crispy or crunchy but rather a dense cookie with a good bite. If a cookie can have mouthfeel than that’s what these have. And not too sweet but with the perfect level of spice for me. Also, as promised, they do not spread during baking!!! With Royal Icing they are the absolute perfect Christmas cookie IMHO. I can’t help but wonder though, can the cornstarch work for other cookies (maybe vanilla or chocolate cutout cookies?). If so, is it an even swap from baking powder to cornstarch? So, if a recipe calls for 1/3 cup baking powder you could just swap out for 1/3 cup cornstarch?
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback Lisa! I’m so glad you had such great success. To answer your question, I actually based this recipe off of my favorite vanilla cutout cookie recipe, so yes it can be done and if you liked these, then you’d probably really like the vanilla and chocolate recipes too. They are linked within this post, towards the top. Hope you’ll give them a try!
Hi, I’m looking for a ginger bread recipe to make a ginger bread house. These sound amazing and reading your blog has gotten me really excited to make your recipe but I was wondering if they would be stong/hard enough for a house? Thanks
Hey Lisa! I’m so glad you’re going to give this recipe a try. It works really well for gingerbread houses- in fact there is even a note within the recipe card that says it’s perfect for that type of use. Good luck and I hope you enjoy!
I loved this recipe. It was wonderful to work with and baked up perfect.
So happy to hear that Wendy! Thank you so much for the awesome review!
Made these earlier today and my goodness!…they’re delicious! Definitely a winner with the children. This recipe is a keeper – thank you!!
It’s my pleasure Julie! I’m so happy you and the kids enjoyed. Can’t thank you enough for the 5-star rating!
I was looking for a good gingerbread cookie recipe to make with my girls! Bingo! This one is great!
Ah! One more thing … I used half white sugar and half brown in your sugar cookie recipe which can only help the delicious flavors!!!
Wow that sounds wonderful!!
You are my new BFF! I was looking all over for the elusive sugar cookie recipe that STAYS PUT while it’s baking and finally found your incredible and delicious sugar cookie recipe with the Secret Ingredient!! What a difference!!! I love it!!!!! I also tried it with half the amount of CS and it’s amazing!! Thank you so much for sharing!!! On to making your gingerbread cookies!!
That’s so great to hear! I’m so glad you’re happy with the recipe. And I hope you like the gingerbread version too! I actually just re-did that recipe and it tastes even better now. Have fun baking!
These really are the most perfect little gingerbread men! It’s one of my favorite holiday cookies!
Thank you so much!!
Just perfect, Allie! My youngest always wanted gingerbread men for the holidays—I’m going to make him a batch of yours!
Can u replace baking powder with cornstarch in all the cookies u dont want to puff up. Also how much do I use?
I would need to see the recipe you’re talking about in order to answer that question. It varies with every recipe, and it would likely take some trial and error to get it right. Luckily all the cookie recipes here on this site have already been tested and perfected 😉
Dear Allie, One of the reviews on this recipe commented on the “2 Tablespoons of cinnamon + 2 Tablespoons ginger” being too much spices. Your reply was that those were the correct amounts. (that review was dated Nov 2015). The above recipe lists the spices at 2 teaspoons ginger and 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Is the recipe posted now with the corrected amounts of spices? Would like to make these cookies for my Christmas cookie gifts. Love your sugar cookie recipes. Thank you. Happy Holidays.
Hey Jeannie! Did you happen to notice the note at the top of the post, saying that the recipe has been updated? I actually re-did the whole recipe, so you can disregard any comments dated before 12/3.