Homemade gingerbread cookies, or galletas de jengibre, are spiced Christmas cookies made with flour, brown sugar, butter, honey, eggs, cinnamon, ginger, and clove, chilled, rolled, cut into festive shapes, baked, and decorated with a lemon icing. They take about 3 hours of preparation, mostly chilling, and 8 to 10 minutes in the oven, and serve 8.
They are a Christmas classic around the world and a basic recipe that lets you play with cookie cutters and family decorations.
How to Make Gingerbread Cookies?
These traditional cookies balance honey and spice. The flour is sifted with the spices, baking soda, and salt, the butter, honey, and sugar are beaten with the eggs, the dry ingredients are added to make a sticky dough, which is firmed with extra flour, chilled for three hours, rolled, cut, and baked.
Nutritional Information
Each serving of gingerbread cookies contains approximately 520 kcal, 6 g of protein, 25 g of fat (15 g of saturated fat), 90 mg of cholesterol, 66 g of carbohydrates, 34 g of sugars, and 250 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.
Homemade Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Preparation: 3 hours (including chilling)
Cooking: 8 to 10 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Cookies
- 400 g (3¼ cups) of all purpose flour
- 200 g (1 cup) of brown sugar
- 200 g (¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons) of butter, softened
- 85 g (¼ cup) of honey
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons of ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon of ground cloves
- 1 pinch of baking soda
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Icing
- ½ cup of powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
Instructions
- In a large bowl, sift the flour and add the spices, a pinch of baking soda, and the salt. Mix and set aside. In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter, honey, and brown sugar with a mixer, beat in the eggs one at a time, and gradually add the dry ingredients until you have a rather sticky dough.
- Turn the dough onto a clean, well floured surface and, with floured hands, knead in enough flour so it is no longer sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least three hours. Preheat the oven to 180°C (356°F) for at least 10 minutes.
- Take the dough out of the fridge and roll it on a lightly floured surface to about 5 mm thick. Cut with Christmas cookie cutters and place on a lightly greased or parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 8 minutes, let cool for 5 minutes on the tray, then move to a rack to cool completely.
- Mix the powdered sugar with the lemon juice, put it in a zip top bag, snip a small corner, and decorate the cookies. Serve the gingerbread cookies cold and store them in a jar.
Additional Tips
Chill the dough well
The dough is sticky after adding the honey and eggs. Three hours in the fridge firms it so it can be rolled and cut without losing shape.
Cool before icing
Decorate the cookies only once completely cold, or the icing will melt and run.
Store when dry
Keep the cookies in a tightly closed jar once the icing is fully dry, so they stay crisp and do not stick together.
| Original ingredient | Substitute | Ratio | Flavor note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Honey | Molasses | 1:1 | Darker, classic gingerbread |
| Brown sugar | White sugar | 1:1 | Lighter color |
| Lemon icing | Royal icing | To decorate | Harder, glossier |
| Ground ginger | Fresh grated ginger | 1 tablespoon | Spicier, fresher |
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Why chill gingerbread dough?
The dough is quite sticky after adding the honey and eggs. After kneading in flour and wrapping it, it needs at least three hours in the fridge to firm up so it can be rolled and cut.
About 5 mm. At that thickness they bake in 8 minutes at 180°C (356°F) and hold the shape of the cutters well.
3. How do I make the icing?
Mix half a cup of powdered sugar with a tablespoon of lemon juice into a paste, put it in a zip top bag, snip a small corner, and decorate the cooled cookies.
4. How should I store them?
Once cool and the icing is dry, store them in a tightly closed jar so they do not absorb moisture.
Benefits of Ginger
Ginger is a warming spice traditionally used to aid digestion, and it gives these cookies their characteristic spicy flavor. In baking it is usually combined with cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg.
Gingerbread at Christmas
Gingerbread cookies cut into men, stars, and trees are a Christmas tradition in Europe and the Americas, and in Chile they are often baked with children and given as gifts.
Did You Know?
Gingerbread was once simply called ginger bread, and one legend attributes its arrival in Europe to an Armenian monk, Gregory of Nicopolis, who is said to have brought it to France in 992.
How to adapt this recipe to a vegan or vegetarian version?
How to adapt this recipe to a gluten-free version?
How to adapt this recipe to a keto (ketogenic) version?
Recommended
- Chilean Christmas Cookies Recipe
- Chilean Pan de Pascua Recipe
- Easy Cookie Icing Recipe
- Chilean Butter Cookies Recipe
