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Deeply spiced molasses cookies with edges that snap and centers that yield, rolled and cut into shapes that have graced American holiday tables since the colonial era. This is the gingerbread your great-grandmother made.
Gingerbread arrived in America with the earliest European settlers, but we made it our own. By the time of the Revolution, these spiced cookies had become fixtures at church fairs and holiday gatherings from Massachusetts to Virginia. George Washington's mother served them to guests at Ferry Farm. The recipe has survived three centuries because it works.
The soul of proper gingerbread lives in the molasses. Not the pale, timid stuff labeled "mild." You want robust or dark molasses, the kind with backbone and depth. It should smell like something. When you open the jar, you should catch notes of caramel, a hint of bitterness, and that particular darkness that belongs to no other ingredient in your pantry.
The spice blend matters nearly as much. Ground ginger provides the heat that gives these cookies their name, but cinnamon rounds the edges, cloves add complexity, and a whisper of nutmeg ties everything together. This isn't a single-note cookie. It's a chord.
I've watched generations of children cut these into gingerbread men, stars, and Christmas trees. The dough forgives small hands and imprecise rolling. It rewards patience with cookies that look like they belong on a vintage tin. Make them plain for dunking in coffee, or decorate them with royal icing for the gift boxes that define American holiday generosity.
Quantity
3 cups (360g)
Quantity
1 tablespoon
Quantity
1 1/2 teaspoons
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
1/4 teaspoon
Quantity
1 teaspoon
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
Quantity
3/4 cup (170g)
Quantity
3/4 cup (150g)
packed
Quantity
1
Quantity
2/3 cup (160ml)
Quantity
1 teaspoon
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| all-purpose flour | 3 cups (360g) |
| ground ginger | 1 tablespoon |
| ground cinnamon | 1 1/2 teaspoons |
| ground cloves | 1/2 teaspoon |
| freshly grated nutmeg | 1/4 teaspoon |
| baking soda | 1 teaspoon |
| fine sea salt | 1/2 teaspoon |
| unsalted butter, at room temperature | 3/4 cup (170g) |
| dark brown sugarpacked | 3/4 cup (150g) |
| large egg, at room temperature | 1 |
| robust or dark molasses | 2/3 cup (160ml) |
| pure vanilla extract | 1 teaspoon |
Whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Do this thoroughly. You want the spices distributed evenly so every cookie carries the same warmth. The mixture should smell inviting already, a preview of what's coming.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. This takes three to four minutes. Don't rush it. The mixture should become noticeably paler and increase in volume. Scrape down the sides of the bowl halfway through.
Beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Add the molasses and vanilla, then mix on low speed until combined. The batter will look curdled and strange at this point. That's normal. Molasses doesn't emulsify prettily with butter. Don't let it worry you.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three additions, mixing on low speed after each until just combined. Stop the moment you no longer see dry flour. Overmixing develops gluten, which makes cookies tough instead of tender. The dough will be soft and sticky. This is correct.
Divide the dough in half and shape each portion into a flat disk about an inch thick. Wrap tightly in plastic and refrigerate for at least two hours, or overnight. Cold dough rolls cleanly and holds its shape when cut. Warm dough sticks to everything and produces cookies that spread into unrecognizable blobs.
When ready to bake, position racks in the upper and lower thirds of your oven and heat to 350°F (175°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. Let it sit for five minutes to lose its refrigerator chill, just enough to roll without cracking.
Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll the dough to about 1/4-inch thickness, rotating it a quarter turn after every few passes to maintain an even shape and prevent sticking. Add more flour sparingly if the dough clings. You want the thinnest possible flour coating that still allows clean release.
Cut shapes using your favorite cookie cutters, pressing straight down and lifting cleanly without twisting. Twisting seals the edges and prevents proper rise. Transfer cutouts to prepared baking sheets, spacing them one inch apart. Gingerbread doesn't spread much. Gather scraps gently, re-roll once, and cut again. After two re-rolls, the dough toughens.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. The cookies are done when edges are firm and set but centers still look slightly soft. They'll continue cooking on the hot sheet. For crisper cookies throughout, bake an additional minute or two. For chewier centers, err on the shorter side.
Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They're fragile when hot. Once fully cooled, they'll achieve that perfect snap at the edges while the centers retain a gentle give. Store undecorated cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.
1 serving (about 34g)
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