These gingerbread cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious. They are filled with warm spices and can be made vegan friendly and gluten-free by using the provided ingredient alternatives.
When it comes to cookies, are you team crispy or chewy? I have to admit that while I love both, I tend to lean towards the soft and chewy cookies, especially when it comes to gingerbread!
I used to not like gingerbread. It’s probably because the only gingerbread I had tasted was the cardboard-like gingerbread which framed the little houses that my siblings and I would decorate each Christmas. It would sit out for days, weeks even, and when my mom wasn’t looking, we’d pinch off a piece of the hard and stale house, mostly for the candy, which was “superglued” to every inch of the gingerbread with royal icing. 😝
These cookies were inspired by a recipe I found on Taste of Home. I’ve made the recipe as is before, but found them a little too sweet for my liking, especially with the crunchy sugar coating, so I reduce the sugar in this recipe. The sugar coating isn’t necessary, but I think adds a nice sparkle to the otherwise plain, brown cookie. However, you can just omit it to keep these cookies naturally sweetened. I also include a gluten-free and vegan option!
I hope you give these a try! They’re soft, chewy, delicious, and full of flavor! The recipe makes a couple dozen cookies, so there’s plenty to keep for yourself and enough to give away as well! Enjoy, my friends! 🙂
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Total Time: 8 mins
- Yield: 2 1/2 dozen 1x
Description
These gingerbread cookies are soft, chewy, and delicious. They are filled with warm spices and can be made vegan friendly and gluten-free by using the provided ingredient alternatives.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or gluten-free measure for measure flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour)
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup regular or dairy-free butter, softened
- 2/3 cup pure cane sugar or coconut sugar
- 1 flax egg (1 tablespoon ground flaxseed mixed with 3 tablespoons water) or 1 regular egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 3–4 tablespoons turbinado sugar or pure cane sugar, for sprinkling (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, and baking soda.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, beat softened butter until creamy. Add sugar, flax egg, molasses, and vanilla, beating together until well blended.
- Slowly mix in the flour, beating just until incorporated.
- Scoop cookie dough by the heaping tablespoons and roll into a balls. Place balls onto cookie sheet, a few inches apart, and flatten slightly with the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass*. Sprinkle the top of the cookie dough with a little turbinado sugar. (optional)
- Place cookie sheets into the preheated oven and bake 8-10 minutes. The lesser time will work for thinner cookies, the latter time for thicker cookies.
- Remove pans from the oven and let cool several minutes before transferring to cooling racks to cool completely. They’re very fragile when they are hot, but firm as they cool. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies.
- These cookies where inspired by a recipe on Taste of Home
Notes
*To get the crackle-y look, I only slightly pressed the balls of dough prior to baking and then pressed them again as soon as they came out of the oven. You can also sprinkle on a little more sugar after pressing, if you’d like.
- Cook Time: 8 mins
- Category: Dessert, Cookies, Gluten Free, Vegan
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