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Our Iced Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie! Every fudgy bite is loaded with sweet and spicy gingerbread flavor.
The Best Iced Gingerbread Cookies
I have a new favorite cookie recipe for the holidays: our Iced Gingerbread Cookies! They are very easy to make and are loaded with gingerbread flavor – and I can’t get enough of them!
In addition to the sweet and spicy molasses flavor, these very easy gingerbread cookies bake up into the most perfect soft, chewy, fudgy texture.
There’s a little bit of a sugary crunch in every bite too – thanks to rolling the cookie dough in sugar before baking. And a simple powdered sugar and milk glaze adds more sweetness plus a pretty contrasting design.
Why you’ll love Iced Gingerbread Cookies
- They have loads of gingerbread flavor from molasses, sugar, and spices – a taste that lingers after every bite and has you craving more.
- These cookies are soft and chewy with a super moist, fudge-like interior.
- You can make these cookies in advance – and properly stored – they will stay fresh for several days. (Perfect when you have lots of holiday cooking to do!)
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Spices – Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon, freshly-grated Nutmeg, and ground cloves.
- Unsalted Butter
- Brown Sugar
- Molasses – We used your basic Grandma’s brand molasses
- Egg
- Demerara, Turbinado, or Sparkling Sugar – The cookies are rolled in this before baking to add a little crunch in every bite. You could also just use granulated sugar but the texture won’t be the same.
- For the Icing – Powdered Sugar and Milk
Special Tools Needed
- Kitchen Scale or a 2-Ounce Scoop – This is used to portion the cookie dough into equal balls before baking. Weighing with a kitchen scale will give you the most accurate and even portions.
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment – Note that a hand mixer can also be used but the dough is somewhat dense, so a more powerful mixer will make things easier.
- Two Medium Bowls
- Various Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Whisk
- Firm Rubber Spatula
- Small Bowl – To roll cookie balls in the sugar
- Two Cookie Sheets lined with Parchment Paper
- Cooling Racks
How do I make Iced Gingerbread Cookies?
- Whisk dry ingredients in a bowl.
- Beat butter and sugar in mixing bowl. Add molasses and egg and beat again.
- Add dry ingredients to the mixing bowl with the butter mixture and mix again to combine.
- Weigh or scoop out two-ounce portions of the cookie dough.
- Roll into balls, then roll in the Demerara sugar.
- Place cookies on the prepared cookie sheets.
- Press down slightly to flatten, then bake.
- Cool completely on a rack.
- Mix icing and drizzle over the cooled cookies.
Tips & Tricks
We found that pressing the cookie dough balls to about an inch thick yielded a cookie with the perfect thickness and texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make Iced Gingerbread Cookies ahead of time? Yes!
- How do I store these cookies? Store cookies at room temperature for up to four days in an air-tight container.
- Can I freeze? Yes, these cookies freeze well. If you prefer, you can freeze them without icing, then thaw and ice just before serving.
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Iced Gingerbread Cookies
Our Iced Gingerbread Cookies are the perfect holiday cookie! Every fudgy bite is loaded with sweet and spicy gingerbread flavor.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (measured by spooning the flour into your measuring cup, then leveling. Do not pack the flour as you measure)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon dry ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
10 tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup molasses
1 whole egg
1 cup Demerara sugar (Raw sugar)
Icing
2 cups powdered sugar
3–4 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter for two minutes until creamy and pale.
- Add brown sugar and beat for another minute. Scrape the bowl and beat again.
- Add molasses and beat. Scrape the bowl and beat again.
- Add the egg and beat to combine.
- With mixer running on low, add the flour mixture. Beat on low just to combine. Scrape the bowl and beat once to combine.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Either using a kitchen scale or a 2-ounce scoop, scoop out 18 portions by making each portion slightly shy of 2-ounces. At the end, divide whatever is left so you have 18 portions. Roll each portion into a ball.
- Pour Demerara sugar in a small bowl and roll each ball in the sugar. Place evenly spaced on the two cookie sheets as you roll.
- Once all the cookies are on the cookie sheets, gently press each ball to one-inch-thick discs using the bottom of a cup measurer or a glass.
- Bake one pan at a time for 12-14 minutes. Ovens vary so break one open to check if you are not sure. The center should be cooked but a little chewy.
- Cool on wire racks by slipping the parchment right onto the rack.
- To make the icing, measure out the powdered sugar and add three tablespoons of milk. Whisk vigorously until all lumps are whisked out. Add part or all of the last tablespoon of milk until the icing is creamy and smooth but still slightly thick.
- Line all the cooled cookies up on one rack with a cookie sheet lined with parchment under.
- Use the whisk to drizzle icing over each cookie into some sort of attractive pattern.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container with parchment or wax paper between the layers.
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