Molasses, brown sugar, and warming spices flavor these soft gingerbread cookies. Top them with icing or enjoy plain for a holiday treat everyone will love!
In a large mixing bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or using a handheld mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add the brown sugar and mix for another 1 to 2 minutes or until well combined.
Mix in the molasses, egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until fully combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add half of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed, then mix in the remaining half of the dry ingredients until just combined.
Divide the dough in half. Place half of the dough onto a large piece of parchment paper sprinkled with flour. Flatten the dough slightly with the palm of your hand, sprinkle the top with more flour, then place another large piece of parchment paper on top. The dough will be a little sticky, so don’t be afraid to use a little extra flour if needed. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough to ¼-inch thick, between the parchment paper.
Repeat with the remaining half of the cookie dough between two more pieces of parchment paper. Place both sheets of cookie dough on a baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two to three large baking sheets with parchment paper.
Remove the cookie dough from the fridge, then remove the top layer of the parchment paper and cut into shapes (I used a gingerbread cookie cutter that was 3.5 inches long and 2.75 inches across). Place 2 inches apart on the parchment-lined baking sheets. If you're having trouble getting the cut out cookies onto your baking sheet, lightly flour a thin spatula, slide it under the cut out cookies, and carefully transfer onto your baking sheets. Re-roll any scrap pieces of cookie dough to cut out more cookies, flouring the surface and top of the dough as needed. Repeat with the other half of the cookie dough.
Bake cookies for 8 to 12 minutes or until the tops of the cookies are set. Baking time will vary depending on the size of your cookies. I typically bake mine for 9 minutes for a softer cookie.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate with easy sugar cookie icing, if desired.
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Notes
Storage Instructions: Cookies may be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.Freezing Instructions: Divide the cookie dough in two, flatten into two discs, wrap each disc tightly with plastic wrap, and freeze for up to 3 months. To thaw the dough, place it in the refrigerator overnight. If it's too hard to roll out, let it sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Once you roll out the dough, refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours before cutting out the cookies.Baked cookies will also freeze well for 2 to 3 months. Thaw to room temperature before serving.