Nothing says holidays like a tray of soft and chewy gingerbread cookies. Warm spice, deep molasses, and that cozy, pillowy bite. If you’ve ever ended up with cookies that were hard or dry, this recipe fixes that for good.
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These cookies bake up soft in the center, lightly crisp at the edges, perfectly spiced, and low on sugar so the molasses flavor shines. They’re easy to roll, cut, and decorate. The best gingerbread recipe to make (and gift!) all season.
Why These Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies Work
- Soft & chewy texture – Say goodbye forever to hard, brittle gingerbread.
- Warm holiday spices – A perfect balance of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and molasses.
- Lower sugar option – Sweet enough to be festive, but lightened up for a healthier twist – because cookies don’t need to be filled with sugar to taste great.
- Kid-friendly & giftable – Cut into fun shapes, decorate, and share as holiday gifts.
- Short bake = soft centers: Pull them as soon as the edges set so the centers stay chewy (the magic move that keeps them soft for days).
Ingredients for Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- unsalted butter
- brown sugar
- molasses
- salt
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- allspice
- egg
- baking powder
- baking soda
- flour
How to Make Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Melt butter and add spices and molasses – Molasses, butter, and spices.
- Beat Egg into Mixture – This step creates the soft, chewy base.
- Mix dry ingredients – baking powder, baking soda, flour, salt
- Combine & chill – Chilling helps the dough firm up for rolling.
- Roll & cut – Use cookie cutters for classic holiday shapes or roll into balls.
- Bake just until set – If you press the top gently and it springs back with a slight imprint, you’re done. This keeps the texture soft and chewy.
Tips for Perfect Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
- Thickness matters: Roll to ¼-inch for the best chewy center; thinner dough bakes drier and crisper.
- Don’t overbake – The key to chewiness is pulling them out while the centers are still soft.
- Chill your dough – Prevents spreading and keeps shapes defined. Don’t skip this step!
- Parchment-lined pans – Even baking, easy cleanup (always a win in my books!)
- Storage – Airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days; freeze for 3 months (or longer – I’ve had 9 month old ones and they were still delicious!).
Ingredient Swaps (Gluten-Free & Extra Spice)
My grandmother has celiac disease – so I’m always thoughtful of how to make most of my holiday baking recipes for her too. A few of my Greek cookie recipes (I’ll be adding soon!), can all be made gluten-free, as can these bad boys!
- Gluten-free – Swap in a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend.
- Decorating – Keep it light with a thin glaze, or use traditional royal icing.
- Extra spice – Add a pinch of black pepper for a bolder cookie if you’re into that!
Make-Ahead & Freezing Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Holiday baking gets busy, so these cookies for the holidays are make-ahead friendly! But it’s tough to actually find enough leftover to freeze – since everyone will just want to eat them immediately.
- Chill the dough – Up to 2 days in the fridge before baking. But honestly a few hours is more than enough time.
- Freeze baked cookies – Cool completely, then store in freezer-safe bags. Do not frost then freeze.
- Holiday gifting – Stack in parchment-lined tins or wrap in festive bags for neighbors and teachers.
FAQ: Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Molasses is the byproduct of processing sugar cane. The sugar cane gets crushed and the juice is extracted, from there the juice is boiled down until it forms sugar crystals, and the leftover juice is molasses.
Molasses is shown to contain some vitamins and minerals like manganese, magnesium, copper, vitamin B-6 and more. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318719#nutrition
Substitute with a 1:1 ratio for: Maple syrup, Honey, Dark corn syrup
Absolutely. Wrap tightly, freeze for up to 3 months, thaw in the fridge before rolling.
Melted butter, plenty of molasses, and a short bake time. Pull them when edges are set and centers are just done, this keeps them soft for days.
About ¼-inch. Thicker dough stays chewier in the center; thinner dough bakes crisper.
Serving Ideas
- Build a holiday cookie tray with Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies and my Greek Kourabiedes (White Butter Cookies)
- Pair with hot cocoa, mulled cider, or coffee.
- Wrap for gifting in cookie tins or festive bags.
While you’re in the kitchen baking, try out our Easy Soft Bread Recipe You’ll Want To Bake Every Week.
Final Thoughts
When you want cookies for the holidays that actually live up to the hype, these soft gingerbread cookies are the answer. Chewy, spiced, and perfectly festive, they’re everything you want on a holiday cookie tray – with a lightened-up twist so you can enjoy more than one.
Whether you’re baking with kids, preparing gifts for friends, or cozying up with cocoa, this is the gingerbread recipe you’ll come back to year after year.
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Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Medium Sauce Pan
- 2 Medium Bowls
- 1 Hand mixer or stand mixer
- 1 Wooden Spoon
- 1 Rolling Pin
- 2 Cookie Sheets
- 1-3 Cookie Cutters
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup Unsalted Butter will cook in pan
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar packed
- 3/4 cup Molasses
- 1 tsp Salt
- 2 tsp Cinnamon
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 2 tsp Allspice
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 3 1/4 cup Flour
Frosting
- 2 cups Powdered Sugar
- 1 tbsp Vanilla Extract
- 3-4 tbsp Milk
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat.
- Add brown sugar, molasses, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, and allspice. Stir mixture together until well incorporated. Remove from heat.
- Transfer mixture to a medium to large mixing bowl and add the egg and beat it in with the mixture.
- In a separate bowl, add baking powder, soda, and flour and whisk together.
- Add flour to the molasses mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon.
- Divide dough into two equal halves. Over a sheet of plastic wrap, shape dough into a thick large rectangle and wrap each tightly. Refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 350F and prep three-four cookie sheets with parchment paper
- On a floured surface, roll out 1st dough into 1/4 inch thick rectangle with a floured rolling pin
- Cut out shapes with cookie cutter of choice. Place at least an inch apart on cookie sheets.
- Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges are browned. Let cool on cookie sheets for a few minutes and then transfer to cooling racks.
- Once cooled, add frosting! Store in air-tight containers at room temperature or freeze.
