Gingerbread Cutout Cookies are a classic & traditional Christmas holiday cookie to make every year, this recipe also has ground nutmeg and pure vanilla extract to take the flavor over the top! You can bake them to be crisper or chewier, depending on how you like them. These fun cutout cookies are perfect for decorating with classic, sweet & crisp Royal Icing!

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Hi Everyone, no Holiday is complete without these Gingerbread Cutout Cookies!

These Gingerbread Cutout Cookies are the perfect pair with my Royal Icing recipe.

Be sure to check that recipe post out for a great icing recipe to decorate these cookies with!

The dough for Gingerbread Cutout Cookies can be made ahead the day before, allowing the dough to firm up overnight in the refrigerator. 

What makes my Gingerbread Cutout Cookies recipe different from others?

This is a classic Gingerbread Cutout Cookies recipe and my version has a little pinch of ground nutmeg in it and pure vanilla extract to give it a little something extra.

Try my How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract tutorial here on the blog if you want to make your own homemade vanilla extract.

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Recipe Attribution

This recipe is inspired by Gingerbread Cutout Cookies from Taste of Home.

If you make this Gingerbread Cutout Cookie recipe and like it, please give it a rating in the recipe card below and let us know in the comments at the end of the post. 

Thank you for reading and following along!

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Yield: 60 cookies

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 8 minutes

Chilling & Cooling Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 58 minutes

Gingerbread Cutout Cookies are a classic & traditional Christmas holiday cookie to make every year, this recipe also has ground nutmeg and pure vanilla extract to take the flavor over the top! You can bake them to be crisper or chewier, depending on how you like them. These fun cutout cookies are perfect for decorating with classic, sweet & crisp Royal Icing!

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Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon *see notes
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 recipe Royal Icing

Instructions

1. In the bowl of your stand mixer, add brown sugar and unsalted butter and combine on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until fully creamed together. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. In a large mixing bowl, add all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, kosher salt, and ground nutmeg. Form the cookie dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic or seal it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 hours or overnight.
2. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Farenheight. Prepare 2 (or more) rimmed baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper. On a lightly floured pastry mat or another surface, cut the dough in half with a dough scraper. Work with one half at a time. Place the other piece of dough in an airtight container while you work with the first piece. Roll the dough out as thin as 1/8 inch or as thick as 1/4 inch. The thickness of the cookie recipe will affect the yield of the cookies you make. I find the thickness somewhere in between the 2 measurements easier to work with. Use cookie cutters (2 1/2 inch size) to cut out the cookies and place them on the prepared baking sheets (not greased), spaced about 1 inch apart. Repeat with the other piece of cookie dough.
3. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Bake them longer to make them crisper or shorter for more soft and chewy cookies. Cook the cookies in batches to ensure even baking. When they are done, let them cool on the baking rack for 5 minutes, then transfer them to wire cooling racks to cool completely before decorating with Royal Icing or enjoy them plain.

Notes

• Check out our homemade Brown Sugar Recipe
• Check out our How to Make Homemade Vanilla Extract tutorial
• Saigon cinnamon is more fragrant cinnamon.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 60 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 0gSugar: 6gProtein: 1g

Please note that the Calculated Nutrition is an estimate at best.

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Sara Maniez

Owner at Life's Little Sweets

Sara is an architectural designer turned work-at-home Mom. She lives in New Jersey by way of New England and New York, with her husband and 3 kids under 8. She loves design, being creative, and spending time with family and friends. She loves checking out local businesses and eats and being apart of the local farm to table community.

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