Spiced Gingerbread Cookies with Spiced Glaze 

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We can’t remember a Christmas without gingerbread cookies in the oven. There’s something about the warm spices and molasses that makes the house feel like a cozy hug from Christmas past and present. It’s nostalgic, delicious fun!

These spiced gingerbread cookies have a strong punch of ginger and other warming spices like cinnamon and cardamom to give them that cozy holiday taste that you dram of in a gingerbread cookie. The key ingredient here is blackstrap molasses. It’s strong, rich flavor gives the cookies a deeper flavor. And each cookie is finished with a spiced powdered sugar glaze that adds the perfect, sweet finish.

These cookies aren’t too sweet and are perfect for snacking or as an after dinner treat throughout the holidays. They’re simple but feel extra special. Treat-yourself to a delicious homemade ginger bread for all the cozy, nostalgic vibes. Let’s dive into the details of these little guys!

Why You’ll Love These Cookies

• They’re simple! Cookies are an easy go-to when you’re wanting something simple to make. Gingerbread cookies are pretty sturdy cookies and aren’t very temperamental. The hardest part will be waiting for them to be out of the oven!
• Great for holiday cookie boxes! If you’re looking for something festive and cozy-tasting to put in your cookie box, gingerbread cookies are a classic. 
• They aren’t too sweet! The holidays are full of sweets, so if you’re craving something that isn’t as sugary, gingerbread cookies are a delicious option! And just because they aren’t as sweet, doesn’t mean they lack flavor.

How to Make Spiced Gingerbread Cookies, Step By Step

Step 1: Mixing Dry Ingredients and Spices.

In a separate medium bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and your spices – ground ginger, cinnamon and cardamom. The bowl will start to smell really good with all these delicious spices in the mix. 

Set the dry ingredients to the side for a bit while you mist together your dry ingredients.

Step 2: Combine Wet Ingredients with Dry Ingredients

You can either use a stand mixer or a hand held mixer for making the dough. 

Start by mixing together the wet ingredients – coconut oil, vanilla, milk, eggs and maple syrup. Whisk until combined before adding in the brown sugar and blackstrap molasses. Whisk together until smooth before adding in the dry ingredients. 

Pour in drying ingredients and mix until a dough comes together and all the flour bits are mixed in. Scrape the dough out of the mixing bowl onto a piece of plastic wrap. Form the dough into a disk and wrap tightly before chilling.

Step 3: Chill the dough.

Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Once the dough has chilled and is firm, you’re ready to roll out the dough.

Step 4: Roll, slice and bake.

Once the dough is chilled, remove from plastic wrapping and roll on a lightly floured surface until dough is 1/4-inch thick. 

Using gingerbread men cookie cutters or other festive shapes, cut shapes out of the dough.

Form any scraps into another dough ball, roll out again and cut more shapes. Continue this until you have used all of the dough. 

Place 6-8 cookies on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake in a preheated oven at 350ºF for 8-10 minutes until tops are firm.

Step 5. Cool, glaze and Enjoy!

Cool baked cookies on a cooling rack for about 10-15 minutes, or until all cookies are cooled completely. If you glaze your cookies when they are too warm, the glaze will melt and run off the cookies. 

In a bowl, whisk together your powdered sugar-spiced glaze. Dip the top of each cookie in the glaze and place back on cooling rack to set. 

Once the glaze has hardened on the cookies, you can enjoy!

Why do you have to chill gingerbread cookie dough?

Chilling the gingerbread cookie dough helps do several important things: 

• It firms fat in the dough and controls gluten development. In return, your cookies won’t spread too much while baking.
• Strengthen flavor. As the dough sits in the fridge it helps to meld the ingredients and strengthen the flavors.
• End result is a chewier cookie. While chilling, the flour hydrates the dough and results in a softer, chewier cookie.

Tips for making powdered sugar glaze:

Powdered sugar glaze is one of the easiest things to make, but if you run into some difficulty perfecting the consistency, use these tips: 

• Add 1 tbsp of milk at a time. It’s better to add less than you need ratherthan more. Text the thinness of the icing by adding a little milk at a time. 
• If you need to thin out the icing: Add a couple teaspoons of milk until you reach the desired consistency. 
• If you need to thicken the icing: Add more powdered sugar and whisk until you reach the desired consistency. 

You want the icing to be thin, but thick enough that it doesn’t run straight off the cookies. 

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