Joy of Cooking Gingerbread Cookies are one of my favorite treats to bake when the holidays come around, dear. These spiced beauties fill your kitchen with the most wonderful aroma, and I just love sharing them with everyone I care about.
What makes these cookies truly special is the way the molasses and brown sugar create such a rich, deep flavor that’s perfectly complemented by the warm spices like cloves and ginger. The trick is not to overbake them — you want them soft and chewy in the middle, which is exactly what you’ll get when you follow my instructions carefully.
I remember baking these with my children when they were little, and now they make them for their own families. There’s something so heartwarming about wrapping a batch of these in pretty paper and giving them as gifts to neighbors and friends during the season.
Please scroll down and leave a star rating in the recipe card below — it helps other home cooks find Gran’s recipes, and it means the world to me!
Joy of Cooking Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 0.25 cup Butter
- 0.5 cup Brown Sugar
- 0.5 cup Molasses
- 3.5 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 0.25 teaspoon Cloves
- 0.5 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon Ginger
- 0.5 teaspoon Salt
- 0.25 cup Water
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350.
- Beat softened butter and sugar until creamy.
- Beat in molasses.
- Combine the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture in three parts, alternating with the water.
- On a floured surface, roll the dough to your preferred thickness (recipe makes 8-16 cookies).
- Use cookie cutters to shape the cookies.
- Place on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on thickness.
- If desired, mix 1/4 cup powdered sugar with a few drops of water and food colouring to make icing, and decorate when cool.
