• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Buuck Farms Bakery

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • About
  • Shop

Chewy Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies

December 16, 2022 by Elizabeth Buuck Leave a Comment

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

These are the BEST cut out gingerbread cookies. They are soft and chewy, but hold their shape perfectly when baked, and have just the right amount of spice. Then they’re decorated with a “cheater” royal icing that’s so easy to make and doesn’t require meringue powder.

What Makes these Gingerbread Cookies the BEST?

  • Chewy, but hold their shape. The best kind of cut out cookie is one that doesn’t budge but is still soft, tender, and chewy. These definitely fit the bill.
  • Balanced Flavor. I don’t know about you, but if a cookie has too much spice, or even worse, too much molasses, I’m out. These gingerbread cookies are just right.
  • Super easy “cheater royal icing.” The icing used to decorate these cookies is so easy to make and just requires a regular mixing bowl and a whisk, and no meringue powder. You’ll still be able to color it with gel food coloring and it will harden just like royal icing.

Ingredients

  • Molasses. Make sure to use unsulphered molasses and NOT blackstrap molasses which will leave your cookies tasting dry, salty, and bitter.
  • Salted Butter. I reach for the salted butter in most recipes because sweet things need salt! Kerrygold is my favorite.
  • Light Corn Syrup. You’ll need a bit of this for the icing. It’s not much, and it’s what will give the icing the shine and help it harden.
  • Spices. These chewy gingerbread cut out cookies call for a blend of cinnamon, ginger and cloves.

How to Make Chewy Cut Out Gingerbread Men

Make the Gingerbread Dough.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and dark brown sugar for 3 minutes, until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes until the mixture is light and glossy. Add the molasses and mix until well combined. 

Add in the flour, spices, and salt. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl. Do a final mix with a rubber spatula to make sure that all of the flour is incorporated and none has settled at the bottom of the bowl. Form the dough into a ball and then wrap it in plastic and chill for 1 hour.

When ready to baker, preheat the oven to 375 and line 2 sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough in half and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to about ½” thickness. Cut out gingerbread men shapes (or whatever shape you prefer) and place cookies onto prepared pans. They won’t need much room in between because they won’t spread in the oven.

Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Freezing the dough for just a few minutes before baking ensures that the cookies hold their shape. Let cool on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing. 

Make the Icing.

Add all ingredients except the food coloring to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. The icing should be a “15 second icing” which means that when you pick it up with your whisk and let it fall back into the bowl, it should take about 15 seconds to disappear back into the remaining icing. If it’s too thin, add extra powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little more water. 

Separate the icing into smaller bowls and color with the gel coloring. I used white, black, blush pink, and dark green. Put icing into piping bags (or ziplock bags with a small hole cut out) and decorate. Icing will take about 10-15 minutes to set once piped, then the cookies can be stacked for serving and transporting.

Tools & Equipment

  • Piping Bags. My favorite are these tipless piping bags. They’re thin and allow you to pipe tiny details easily!
  • Gel Food Coloring. I recommend gel food coloring when coloring any type of icing. It’s thicker and won’t change the thickness, which is important with royal icing and this “cheater” royal icing. I like the Americolor Gels the best.
  • Cookie Cutters. I like to do a couple different sizes of gingerbread men, but totally up to you! This 3 pack from Amazon would work great!
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

Chewy Cut Out Gingerbread Men

  • Author: Elizabeth Buuck
  • Prep Time: 20
  • Cook Time: 8
  • Total Time: 28 minutes
  • Yield: 24 Cookies 1x
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Description

Chewy and perfectly spiced gingerbread cookies decorated with a super easy “cheater” royal icing.


Ingredients

Scale

For the Gingerbread Dough

  • 6 TBSP Salted Butter, at room temperature
  • ¾ C (160 g) Dark Brown Sugar
  • 1 Lg Egg, at room temperature
  • 2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract
  • ½ C (160g) Unsulphured Molasses
  • 3 C (375 g) AP Flour
  • 1 TBSP Cinnamon
  • 1 TBSP Ginger
  • ½ tsp Ground Cloves
  • ½ tsp Salt

 

For the Icing

  • 1 ½ C (175 g) Powdered Sugar
  • 1 tsp Clear Vanilla Flavoring
  • 1 tsp Light Corn Syrup
  • 2 TBSP Water
  • Pinch of Salt
  • Gel Food Coloring, optional

Instructions

For the Gingerbread Cookies

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and dark brown sugar for 3 minutes, until well combined. Add the egg and vanilla and mix for another 2 minutes until the mixture is light and glossy.
  • Add the molasses and mix until well combined. 
  • Add in the flour, spices, and salt. Mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Wrap the dough in plastic and chill for 1 hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 and line 2 sheets with parchment paper.
  • Cut the dough in half and roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to about ½” thickness. Cut out gingerbread men shapes (or whatever shape you prefer) and place cookies onto prepared pans. They won’t need much room in between because they won’t spread in the oven.
  • Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 10 minutes, then bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Freezing the dough for just a few minutes before baking ensures that the cookies hold their shape.
  • Let cool on the cookie sheet for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing. 

 

For the Icing

  • Add all ingredients except the food coloring to a small mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. The icing should be a “15 second icing” which means that when you pick it up with your whisk and let it fall back into the bowl, it should take about 15 seconds to disappear back into the remaining icing. If it’s too thin, add extra powdered sugar. If it’s too thick, add a little more water. 
  • Separate the icing into smaller bowls and color with the gel coloring. I used white, black, blush pink, and dark green.
  • Put icing into piping bags (or ziplock bags with a small hole cut out) and decorate. Icing will take about 10-15 minutes to set once piped, then the cookies can be stacked for serving and transporting.

Keywords: gingerbread cut out cookies, chewy gingerbread men cookies, soft gingerbread cookies

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @buuckfarmsbakery on Instagram and hashtag it #buuckfarmsbakery

If you loved this recipe for my Chewy Gingerbread Cut Out Cookies be sure to leave a star rating and review below and tag @buuckfarmsbakery on Tiktok and Instagram. To save this recipe for later, click on the Pinterest icon on the recipe card above or on any of the images throughout this post.

More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love

  • White Chocolate Peppermint Cupcakes
  • Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies
  • Chocolate Peppermint Macarons

Filed Under: Cookies, In Season, Recipes Tagged With: chewy gingerbread cookies, cut out gingerbread cookies, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread men cookies, soft gingerbread cookies

Previous Post: « Double Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies
Next Post: Triple Chocolate Brownies »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hey y’all. I’m Liz. I’m here to satisfy that sweet tooth, and teach you all the tips and tricks to make your desserts next-level drool-worthy.

Here, you’ll find comforting, decadent desserts, and the occasional savory recipe with humble Midwest roots.

Oh and baby hands grabbing cookies. You’ll also find lots of that.

Click here to read more about Liz & Buuck Farms Bakery.

Archives

  • Nutella Muffins May 1, 2023
  • Salted Caramel Carrot Snack Cake April 7, 2023
  • Soft and Chewy Scotcharoos April 5, 2023
  • St. Patty’s Day Vanilla Shamrock Cake March 16, 2023
  • Bailey’s and Coffee Cupcakes March 14, 2023
  • Classic Coffee Cake March 1, 2023
  • Bakery Style Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies February 21, 2023
  • Valentines Meringue Cookies February 13, 2023
  • Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies February 6, 2023
  • Blackberry Mascarpone Cheesecake Bars January 26, 2023
  • Toasted Graham Fluffernutter Cupcakes January 22, 2023
  • Caramelized White Chocolate Pistachio Blondies January 16, 2023

buuckfarmsbakery

buuckfarmsbakery
Currently in a massive creative funk with no end i Currently in a massive creative funk with no end in sight. 🤷🏼‍♀️ I’ll be back ofc, but in the meantime enjoy these gooey AF Nutella Stuffed CCCs. Recipe is for my email list only- head to the link in my profile to sign up 🤗
.
#nutellacookies #nutellarecipes #cookierecipes #stuffedcookies #chocchipcookies #explorepage #dessertrecipe #cookiephotography
Trust me when I say mom prefers chocolate to flowe Trust me when I say mom prefers chocolate to flowers. These triple chocolate brownies are THE BEST and easy enough for even the most baking challenged husband to nail it. 🫶🏻
.
Recipe is on my website!
.
#chocolaterecipes #triplechocolate #brownies #brownierecipe #mothersdaydessert #chocolatefrosting #mothersdaygifts #fudgybrownies #kitchn #food52 #dessertphotography #dessertrecipe #dessertblog
Can we get a little commotion for these Gluten Fre Can we get a little commotion for these Gluten Free CCCs.  Recipe makes 6 XL Bakery Style cookies and I’d bet my left arm you won’t even know they’re gf. Full recipe is up on my site. 
.
#glutenfree #glutenfreecookies #glutenfreebaking #chocchips #cookierecipes #bakingrecipes #explorepage #food52community #dessertblogger
I always need a PB CCC. #cookierecipe #peanutbutte I always need a PB CCC. #cookierecipe #peanutbuttercookie #cookievideo #bakingvideo #stuffedcookies
These Nutella Muffins hit the blog today and they’re 🔥🔥🔥 
.
#nutellamuffins #muffinrecipe #muffinstagram #chocchips #chocolatechipmuffins #chocolatemuffin
Can’t get enough lemon. #lemondessert #donuts #d Can’t get enough lemon. #lemondessert #donuts #donutrecipe #lemoncurd #lemonfrosting #explorepage
This was the Monday-est of Mondays so I’m attemp This was the Monday-est of Mondays so I’m attempting to brighten the mood with some rainbow sprinkles. It’s working because there’s not much a sprinkle topped cupcake can’t fix. 🥰
.
#cupcakes #glutenfreecupcakes #gfrecipes #sprinklecupcakes #explorepage #vanillabuttercream #minicupcakes #cupcakephotography
The glow up to end all glow ups. ✨ I’ve been w The glow up to end all glow ups. ✨
I’ve been wanting to reshoot these donuts pretty much since I posted them back in 2019. Someone plz explain the sprinkle choice on the lemon curd donuts. 🫣 OOOF! The new photos (and updated recipe) are live on my site and now these donuts look like something you might actually want to make 😂👌🏻
.
#lemondonuts #lemondessert #donutrecipe #homemadedonuts #explorepage #lemoncurd #lemonfrosting #lemonzest #dessertphoto
Nutella Chocolate Chip Muffins 👌🏻 #nutellamu Nutella Chocolate Chip Muffins 👌🏻 #nutellamuffins #nutellarecipes #muffinrecipe #dessertvideo #explorepage #recipevideos
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Footer

  • Hey Bakers!
  • Portfolio
  • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
  • Shop
  • Work With Me

Copyright © 2023 Buuck Farms Bakery on the Foodie Pro Theme