These easy gingerbread cutout cookies are soft, chewy, and does not have to chill before baking. From start to finish, this recipe for Christmas gingerbread men cookies takes just 40 minutes! Not only are they filled with warm spices and molasses, but they are decorated with my simple vanilla icing.
Why You'll Love These Cookies
- Soft texture. These cookies are both soft and chewy; not dry or hard.
- Simple to make. All it takes is 40 minutes to make about 40 gingerbread men. The best part? As soon as you make the dough, you can roll it out, cut, and bake.
- The best gingerbread flavor. The combination of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg gives these cookies the best festive flavor. Just like with these baked gingerbread donuts and gingerbread mini cheesecakes.
- Use your favorite cookie cutters. You can use any Christmas cookie cutters you have on hand.
Along with these cookies, I also love to bake peppermint blossom cookies and these easy chocolate crinkle cookies every holiday season.
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I've always loved decorating gingerbread houses and making cookies during the Christmas season! I really wanted a cookie recipe that didn't involve chilling in the refrigerator for hours before being able to bake.
These no chill gingerbread cookies are the absolute best and perfect cookies. They're perfect for any home baker whether you are a beginner or pro!
Ingredients For Easy Gingerbread Cookies
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour.
- Corn Starch: Helps the cookies to be soft and tender.
- Spices: A combination of cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg are used.
- Butter: Make sure to use unsalted butter and that it's room temperature.
- Brown Sugar: Feel free to use dark brown sugar or light brown sugar.
- Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses, as it contains no preservatives or artificial flavors. I like to use Grandma’s molasses as it is pure molasses.
- Corn Syrup: Adds shininess to the icing and a touch of sweetness.
See the recipe card for the full ingredients list and the exact amounts.
How To Make The Best Gingerbread Cookies
Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on high speed until light and creamy.
Step 2: Reduce the speed to medium and mix in the molasses and egg until combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed.
Step 3: Reduce to low speed and mix in the flour mixture just until combined.
Step 4: On a lightly floured work surface using a rolling pin, roll out the cookie dough to ¼ inch thickness. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the dough.
Re-roll the dough scraps until all the dough is shaped.
Step 5: Place the gingerbread men onto the prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes.
Allow them to cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them over to a cooling rack.
Step 6: In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract with a fork.
The frosting consistency should drizzle off the fork and back into the bowl, holding its shape for several seconds.
Decorating Traditional Gingerbread Cookies
The fun thing about this gingerbread recipe is you can decorate them however you'd like.
I placed the icing in a piping bag and used a small piping tip to decorate each cookie.
You could also use food coloring to dye the icing to any color you'd like, along with using fun and festive holiday sprinkles.
Be creative and have fun! I hope you make some very merry Christmas memories while baking these cookies.
Storage Tips
Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 7 days.
You could also place these cookies on a cookie platter and use plastic wrap to keep them fresh.
Professional Home Baking Tips
- Baking Sheet: I recommend this specific baking sheet. Line each pan with parchment paper.
- Measuring Flour: To help ensure you don’t add extra flour, follow these three simple steps: 1) Fluff up the flour using a fork. 2) Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. 3) Scrape a knife across the top of the measuring cup to level out the flour.
- Cookie Dough: Roll the cookie dough out on a lightly floured surface to about ¼-inch in thickness. That way the cookies will more evenly bake. Also, be sure to lightly flour your rolling pin.
- Bake Time: This all depends on the size of your cookie cutters. If you use smaller cutters like I did, the cookies should take about 7-10 minutes to bake. If you use larger cutters, they might take about 12 minutes to bake.
Recipe FAQs
I definitely prefer soft gingerbread cookies. I love the light and soft texture.
Most definitely! You could decorate these cookies with royal icing, buttercream, or even melted chocolate.
📖 Recipe
Easy Gingerbread Cutout Cookies (No Chill)
Equipment
- Parchment paper
- Baking Sheets
- Electric Stand Mixer
- Rolling Pin
- Cookie Cutters
Ingredients:
Gingerbread Cookies
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon corn starch
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Simple Vanilla Icing
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk plus extra if needed
- 1 tablespoon corn syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Gingerbread Cookies
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, corn starch, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground nutmeg until combined. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar on high speed until light and creamy (2-3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Reduce the speed to medium and add in the molasses and egg. Mix for about 30 seconds. Then, reduce the speed to low and slowly start adding the flour mixture. Mix just until combined and remove the bowl from the stand and use a rubber spatula to carefully fold in any loose dry ingredients.
- On a lightly floured surface, divide the gingerbread dough in half and gently roll half of the dough together into a ball shape. Roll that dough out with a rolling pin until ¼ inch thick. Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out the dough. Re-roll dough scraps until all the dough is shaped. Repeat with the other half of dough.
- Place the gingerbread cookie dough cutouts onto the prepared baking sheets and bake for 7-10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them over to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Simple Vanilla Icing
- In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the powdered sugar, milk, corn syrup, and vanilla extract with a fork. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk, about a teaspoon at a time (I need to add 3 teaspoons of extra milk). The frosting consistency should drizzle off the fork and back into the bowl, holding its shape for several seconds.
- Transfer the icing into a piping bag or a ziploc bag. Cut a small piece of the corner off and begin piping onto the cookies. Allow the frosting to harden on the cookies for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- Keep any leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
It's so hard to find a great gingerbread cookie, but these ones are perfect!! They're thick, chewy, and you don't have to chill the dough before baking, which was super important to me!