Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
If you love gingerbread cookies that are soft in the center, thick and chewy, and packed with bold cozy spice, this recipe is for you.
These are bakery-style gingerbread cookies with tall, soft centers and lightly crisp edges — not thin, snappy gingerbread. The dough is easy to work with, bakes beautifully, and stays soft for days.
The keys to success here are a strong spice blend, less molasses for structure, and a proper chill so the cookies hold their shape while baking.
Each cookie is rolled in a ginger-cinnamon-clove sugar that melts into the surface as they bake, giving them that classic gingerbread look and deep, warm flavor.
Why You’ll Love These
- Soft, chewy centers that stay tender
- Thick cookies that don’t overspread
- Bold gingerbread flavor with real spice
- Simple dough, no fussy steps
- Perfect for holiday boxes, gifting, or cozy weekends at home
Ingredient Highlights
These gingerbread cookies are all about warm spice, softness, and chew, without being cakey or dry.
Here’s what makes them work:
- Molasses
This is the heart of gingerbread flavor. It gives depth, warmth, and that unmistakable cozy richness without making the cookies dense. - Brown sugar
Keeps the cookies moist and chewy and pairs perfectly with the molasses for a soft interior. - Ground ginger + cinnamon + cloves
Ginger leads, cinnamon rounds it out, and cloves add just enough bite so the flavor doesn’t fall flat. - Butter
Provides richness and structure while still allowing the cookies to spread just enough for a chewy center.
Step Overview
These gingerbread cookies are simple to make, but a few small details make all the difference.
Here’s the process at a glance:
- Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt thoroughly so the spices are evenly distributed. - Cream butter and sugars
Beat until smooth and fluffy to build structure and softness. - Add molasses and egg
This is where the flavor deepens and the dough comes together. - Combine wet and dry ingredients
Mix just until a soft dough forms — don’t overmix. - Chill the dough
Chilling is key for flavor development, controlled spread, and thick cookies. - Roll and bake
Roll dough balls (or scoop), bake until the edges are set but the centers still look soft. - Cool briefly
Cookies will finish setting as they cool, staying soft and chewy inside.
These soft and chewy gingerbread cookies are everything I want this time of year.
They’re warmly spiced, deeply flavorful, and perfectly tender — the kind of cookie that feels just as right on a holiday platter as it does with a quiet cup of coffee.
Whether you dress them up for gifting or keep them tucked away for cozy nights at home, these are the gingerbread cookies I come back to every year.
Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 350 g flour, 1 ¼ tsp baking powder, ½ tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt, 3 tsp ginger, 2 ½ tsp cinnamon, ¼ tsp nutmeg, ¼ tsp cloves, and ½ tsp allspice (if using) until evenly combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat 170 g softened butter, 150 g brown sugar, and 60 g granulated sugar for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Beat in 1 large egg and 1 egg yolk until smooth.
- Mix in 75 g molasses and 2 tsp vanilla, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
- The dough should be thick, soft, and scoopable.
- Scoop dough into 2½–3 Tbsp portions (about 55–60 g each) and roll into smooth balls.
- Place dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet or plate.
- Refrigerate the rolled dough balls for at least 2 hours (or up to 24 hours).
- If you don’t have room in your refrigerator, you may chill the entire bowl of dough for 2 hours, then scoop and roll just before baking.
- While the dough chills, whisk together 50 g granulated sugar, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¾ tsp cinnamon, a pinch of cloves, and a pinch of fine sea salt. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Roll each chilled dough ball generously in the rolling sugar.
- Place cookies 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 11–13 minutes, until edges are set and centers look soft and puffed.
- Do not overbake.
- Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Tips & Tricks
- Cookies should look slightly underbaked in the center when removed from the oven; they finish setting as they cool.
- Final thickness after cooling: approximately ¾–1 inch.
- Rolling sugar is essential for aroma, flavor, and classic gingerbread appearance.
Storage
- Store cookies airtight at room temperature for 3–4 days.
- For extra softness, add a slice of bread to the container.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 2 months; thaw at room temperature.
- Dough balls may be frozen for up to 2 months and baked from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes to bake time.
