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These soft Gingerbread Cookies are thick, chewy, and packed with warm molasses and spice, then loaded with cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips for a fun holiday twist. I bake a big batch every December and they fill the whole house with that cozy gingerbread smell. They are an easy drop cookie, like our gingerbread bars.
Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves give these soft cookies that classic gingerbread flavor in every chewy bite.
Gingerbread Cookies Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 25 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 17 cookies
- ⚡ Calories: 337kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Warm, spiced, sweet, and molasses-rich
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, a simple drop cookie, like our Christmas blossom cookies
Quick Answer
To make soft gingerbread cookies, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt. In a stand mixer, beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cold cubed butter until sandy, then mix in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix just until combined, then stir in the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips. Scoop quarter-cup dough balls, chill them for 30 minutes, then bake at a low 300 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes until puffed and just set. Slide them onto a cold counter to keep them soft and thick.
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Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- Soft and thick. Baking low and slow at 300 degrees keeps these cookies tall, soft, and chewy instead of flat and crisp.
- Real molasses flavor. A good pour of molasses with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves gives that unmistakable gingerbread taste.
- Cold butter trick. Starting with cold cubed butter helps the cookies hold their shape and bake up thick.
- Fun chip add-ins. Cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips add sweet, melty pockets in every bite.
- No rolling or cutting. These are easy drop cookies, so there is no chilling-and-rolling dough or cookie cutters required.
- Perfect for the holidays. They fill the kitchen with cozy spice and look beautiful on any Christmas cookie tray.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They are soft, thick, and chewy with bold molasses and warm spice in every bite.
- Cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips make them a fun twist on classic gingerbread.
- They are an easy holiday drop cookie, like our Christmas blossom cookies.
Key Ingredients
Pantry baking staples and warm spices come together for these soft holiday cookies.
- Molasses: The key to deep, classic gingerbread flavor and a soft, chewy texture.
- Warm spices: Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves give these cookies their cozy gingerbread spice.
- Cold cubed butter: Starting with cold butter helps the cookies bake up thick and soft instead of spreading thin.
- Brown and granulated sugar: Brown sugar adds moisture and molasses depth, while white sugar keeps them sweet.
- Cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips: A fun, sweet twist that adds melty pockets throughout each cookie.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
Make these gingerbread cookies your own with a few easy twists.
- Keep them classic: Leave out the chips for a plain, traditional soft gingerbread cookie.
- Swap the chips: Use all white chocolate, dark chocolate, or butterscotch chips instead.
- Roll in sugar: Roll the dough balls in coarse or granulated sugar before baking for a sparkly finish.
- Add orange: Mix in a little orange zest for a bright, festive flavor.
- Make them gift-ready: Stack them on a tray with our Christmas shortbread bites for a holiday cookie box.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt, then set aside.
- In a stand mixer, beat the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cold cubed butter on low until combined and sandy with some lumps.
- Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the flour mixture just until no streaks remain, then stir in the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips.
- Roll quarter-cup portions of dough into balls, place them on parchment-lined trays, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
- Bake at 300 degrees for 22 to 25 minutes until puffed and just browning at the edges, then slide them onto a cold counter and press in a few extra chips.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Use cold butter straight from the fridge so the cookies stay thick and do not spread too much.
- Do not overmix the dough once the flour goes in, or the cookies can turn out tough.
- Chill the dough balls for the full 30 minutes so the cookies bake up tall and soft.
- Bake low and slow at 300 degrees, which keeps the centers soft and chewy instead of crisp.
- Slide them onto a cold counter right out of the oven, not a wire rack, to stop the cooking and keep them soft.
- Press chips on top right after baking for a pretty, bakery-style finish, like we do on our blossom cookies.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These soft gingerbread cookies are made for the holidays. Pile them on a Christmas cookie tray alongside our chocolate Christmas shortbread bites and Christmas tree cookies for a festive spread everyone will love.
They are perfect with a cold glass of milk, a warm mug of cocoa, or coffee on a chilly afternoon. Set them out for Santa, bring them to a cookie exchange, or wrap a stack in cellophane for an easy homemade gift.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze the baked cookies or dough balls for up to 3 months. For more holiday baking, try our spiced gooey butter cookies next.
Gingerbread Cookies FAQs
The most common reasons are overbaking or baking at too high a temperature. These cookies are baked low and slow at 300 degrees and pulled when they are just puffed and barely browned at the edges, which keeps the centers soft. Sliding them onto a cold counter instead of a wire rack right out of the oven also stops the cooking and locks in that soft, chewy texture.
Yes, chilling the rolled dough balls for 30 minutes is important. It firms up the cold butter so the cookies bake up thick and soft instead of spreading thin and flat. If your kitchen is very warm, you can chill them a little longer. Do not skip this step, as it is key to getting bakery-style, puffed cookies.
Absolutely. You can leave out the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips for a plain, classic soft gingerbread cookie, and the recipe works perfectly without them. You can also swap in dark chocolate, butterscotch, or all white chocolate chips. The spiced molasses dough is delicious on its own or with whatever mix-ins you love.
Yes, this dough freezes wonderfully. Roll the dough into balls, freeze them on a tray until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Bake them straight from frozen, adding a couple of extra minutes to the bake time. You can also freeze the baked cookies and thaw them at room temperature when you are ready to serve.
Cinnamon chips are small baking chips made with cinnamon and a sweet, creamy base, similar in size to chocolate chips. They add bursts of warm cinnamon flavor to these cookies. You can usually find them in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips, especially around the holidays, or online. If you cannot find them, simply use extra white chocolate chips.
Store cooled gingerbread cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. To keep them extra soft, tuck a slice of sandwich bread into the container, which helps maintain moisture. For longer storage, freeze the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature before serving.
Building a holiday cookie tray? Try our gingerbread bars with cream cheese frosting next for another cozy spiced treat.
Love a homemade gift? Our turtle candy is perfect for cookie tins.
Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup cold salted butter cubed
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup cinnamon chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Line sheet trays with parchment paper, and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt, and set aside.2 & 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Add the brown sugar, white sugar, and cubed butter in the body of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer. Mix on low speed until just combined; there will be lumps, and it will look like a sandy consistency.1/2 cup dark brown sugar, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1 cup cold salted butter
- Add the eggs, molasses, and vanilla and mix until combined.2 large eggs, 1/4 cup molasses, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour mixture and mix until there are no streaks of flour left, but make sure to now overmix. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Stir in the cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips until just combined.1 cup cinnamon chips, 1 cup white chocolate chips
- Roll ¼ cup portions of the dough between your hands to form a ball. I use a cookie scoop to help with this. Place on the prepared sheet trays.
- Place the dough balls into the fridge for 30 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 300°F.
- Place the cookie balls about 3 inches apart on the sheet tray. Bake for 22-25 minutes until puffed and starting to brown along the edges.
- Immediately place the cookies onto a cold countertop (not a wire rack), and use the parchment paper to help slide them off the sheet tray.
- Press in more cinnamon chips and white chocolate chips on top for a pretty presentation if desired.
- Allow to cool slightly and serve warm or cool completely before storing.
Notes
- Scoop It Right: Using a cookie scoop can help you get uniformly sized cookies every time.
- Stay Warm: These cookies taste the best when eaten warm. Pop them in the microwave for a few seconds if you’re having a leftover cookie.
- Presentation Matters: Add more chips on top right after baking. It’s not just yummy but looks great too!
- Avoid Overmixing: Overmixing the dough can make your cookies tough. Mix just until the dry ingredients are combined.
- Space Out: Give your cookies some space on the cookie sheet. They’ll spread out a bit while baking.
- Check Your Oven’s Temperature: Sometimes, ovens run hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer can help you ensure the temperature is just right for perfect cookies.
Nutrition
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