Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

While molasses cookies and gingersnaps are rolled into dough balls and then baked, gingerbread is rolled flat then use cookie cutters to cut your desired shape. This Gingerbread Cookie recipe is foolproof and SO easy to make.

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

If you prefer butter to shortening, recognize that a gingerbread boy cookie made with Crisco or shortening will be higher and lighter than a gingerbread boy cookie made with butter which will be flatter and crispier.

Are there any substitutes for molasses? It won't taste exactly the same, but maple syrup can work in a pinch.

Needing to be foiled, gingerbread loves whipped cream. But it also takes to tart winter fruits like a shortcake to strawberries. Poached or broiled pineapple sings alongside gingerbread, as do a few spoonfuls of pomelo curd, garnished with candied pomelo peel.

Bake 6-8 minutes. This will vary depending on the size of the cookie and your oven. The cookies are done when they puff slightly and start to crack, and when you touch them lightly with your finger the cookie springs back.

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

Comments for gingerbread for houses getting too soft

My suggestion would be to bake them again in a low temperature oven to dry them out. I would start at 250 or 275 F. for about 40 min. Remember, when it cools it hardens.

Cookies Made with Butter vs Shortening

The butter cookie provides better flavor and a crispier exterior with browning around edges and a chewy interior; the shortening cookie spreads less, holding its shape better while baking.

What makes gingerbread stronger? ›

A 1:4 ratio of butter to flour makes the gingerbread strong. Corn syrup keeps freshly baked gingerbread pliable and soft, so it's easy to cut while warm.

You've probably heard of Crisco, which is a well-known brand of shortening that has been around since 1911. Shortening and other solid fats are preferable to liquid oils in baking applications like cookies, pie crusts, and cakes to create a tender, flaky end product.

Gingerbread houses

The gingerbread for houses needs to be hard and dry so it keeps its shape well – it's unlikely you'll want to eat it on the day you make it after all your hard work! Gingerbread quantities for houses are quite large.

First, the texture of the cookie needs to be fairly crispy along the outside with a semi-soft, cake-like inside, and like all "perfect" cut-out cookies, they definitely need to keep their shape when baked. Secondly, they must taste sweet but notably spicy, and have a rich molasses flavour.

Bake 6-8 minutes. This will vary depending on the size of the cookie and your oven. The cookies are done when they puff slightly and start to crack, and when you touch them lightly with your finger the cookie springs back. Do not let the cookies brown on the bottom or they will be crunchy.

Fully cooked cookies should have a slightly crisp edge with a soft and chewy centre. If the cookie tastes raw or doughy, it needs more time in the oven. Flavour development: Cookies often develop more flavour as they cool down. If the taste is slightly lacking, allow them to cool entirely before finalising.