Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (2024)

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (1)

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Sure, there are tons of different Christmas cookies you can make during the holiday season. There are all those sugar cookies to start, plus lingers, meringues, and more. But there's only one flavor of cookie that absolutely has to be on the dessert table each season: Gingerbread.

All too often, though, the gingerbread cookies are uninspired. It's the same plain dough, the same little-man cookie cutter, and the same white frosting over and over. This year, why not shake things up? We've put together more than three dozen of our favorite gingerbread and ginger-based cookie recipes from our site and around the web to help you whip up a new, more exciting gingerbread cookie. And any one of these is good enough to not only wow the family, but to become the go-to recipe for years to come.

Yes, there are classic gingerbread cookies on this list, but there are plenty of new gingerbread recipes featuring innovative flavors that you absolutely must try this year. The gingerbread Linzer cookies with dulce de leche centers, gingerbread cookie bars with white chocolate chips, and Nutella stuffed gingerbread cookies are some of the most incredible options on this roundup. There are also quite a few recipes featuring chocolate that everyone in your family will love—and probably polish right off. Some of our absolute favorites are the white chocolate gingerbread star cookies, chocolate chip gingerbread oatmeal cookies, and soft chocolate gingerbread cookies. Everyone will be feeling the holiday cheer when you're baking up batches of these beloved Christmas desserts.

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1

Christmas Light Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (3)

Arrange these sweet treats in a circle on a platter and they become a perfect centerpiece wreath!

Get the recipe.

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2

Hang-the-Stockings Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (5)

These iced gingerbread cookies — spiced with ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and molasses — are not only delicious, but do double duty as shimmering ornaments.

Get the recipe.

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3

Gingerbread Oatmeal Cream Pie

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (7)

There is only one word for this gingerbread cookie and oatmeal cream pie hybrid: Yes.

Get the recipe at Ambitious Kitchen.

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4

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (9)

It's a no-brainer that these chocolatey gingerbread cookies are a must-bake.

Get the recipe at Baker by Nature.

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5

Soft Gingerbread Cookies With Rum Glaze

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (11)

The rum glaze atop these ornate-looking gingerbread cookies is what the Christmas staple has been missing.

Get the recipe at The Cookie Rookie.

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6

Gingerbread Millionaire Bars

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (13)

Who knew millionaire bars could get any better? Ginger adds a whole new flavor that works perfectly in this dessert.

Get the recipe at Broma Bakery.

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7

Chocolate Gingerbread Sandwich Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (15)

Thick chocolate ganache is sandwiched between two gingerbread cookies.

Get the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction.

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8

Frosted Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (17)

Have your kids help out decorating these soft, chewy cookies. They'll especially love the tiny gingerbread men sprinkles.

Get the recipe at Baker by Nature.

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9

Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (19)

There's nothing like the classic version. This blogger writes that her recipe produces cookies that are crispy on the outside and soft in the inside, which is exactly how we like them.

Get the recipe at Sally's Baking Addiction.

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10

White Chocolate Gingerbread Star Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (21)

White chocolate adds a sweet note to the spiced flavors in this treat. Feel free to add as much or as little as you'd like.

Get the recipe at Cooking Classy.

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11

Gingerbread Linzer Cookies With Dulce de Leche Centers

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (23)

A homemade dulce de leche filling makes this dessert downright decadent. Each cookie is just oozing with ooey, gooey goodness.

Get the recipe at Broma Bakery.

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12

Soft Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (25)

Chocoholics will polish off a plate of these goodies in no time. The recipe is made with cocoa powder and each cookie is adorned with a chocolate star.

Get the recipe at SugarHero!.

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13

Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (27)

This classic, no-fail recipe will make perfect gingerbread cookies every single time.

Get the recipe at Gimme Some Oven.

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14

Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (29)

These addicting goodies have a secret savory ingredient: black pepper!

Get the recipe at Wholefully.

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15

Gingerbread Cookie Bars with White Chocolate Chips

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (31)

These blondie-like bars only take 30 minutes to make.

Get the recipe at Celebrating Sweets.

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16

Favorite Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (33)

A healthier holiday dessert that doesn't lack flavor? We'll be making these all December long.

Get the recipe at Kristine's Kitchen.

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17

Gingerbread Thumbprint Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (35)

Baking thumbprint cookies is a must at Christmastime—especially when they're filled with spiced white chocolate.

Get the recipe at Swanky Recipes.

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18

Brown Butter Gingerbread Men

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (37)

Kids will have a blast in the kitchen decorating these colorful edible characters.

Get the recipe at Baker by Nature.

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19

Nutella Stuffed Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (39)

Nothing makes a dessert melt in your mouth quite like a spoonful of Nutella in the middle.

Get the recipe at The Food Charlatan.

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20

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (41)

Use a variety of cookie cutters and decorations to customize this recipe to your family's festive likings.

Get the recipe at Bless This Mess.

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Reinvent Your Holiday Baking with These Gingerbread Cookie Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

#1 Iced Sugar Cookie

The Iced Sugar Cookie takes the top spot, stealing the show as the most favorite Christmas cookie with classic sweetness and festive decorations.

How long will homemade gingerbread keep? ›

How long does gingerbread last? Baked gingerbread will keep for 5 days in an airtight container. If it's humid or moisture is present, the gingerbread will soften. You can freeze gingerbread either raw or cooked.

Can ginger bread expire? ›

A: the actual gingerbread has a shelf life of 18 months and the icing is 12 months. The icing is the part that will become stiffer, will be harder to get through the decorating bag and won't hold as well. There should be a date on the box which is 5 digits long and is the date of the year the house was baked on.

Why is my gingerbread cookie dough so dry? ›

Not enough fat

If your cookie dough is too dry and crumbly, it might not have enough fat. This is a common problem with recipes that use all-purpose flour. To fix this, you can add more fat to the dough. This can be in the form of butter, shortening, or even olive oil.

What is the #1 cookie in the United States? ›

The chocolate chip cookie is far and away America's favorite cookie This should come as no surprise to anyone who enjoys the tasty treat. More than 53% of American adults prefer the cookies over the next most popular kind, peanut butter.

What is Santa Claus's favorite cookie? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

Is it okay to eat gingerbread in the house? ›

“Edible” is a loose term, apparently. A gingerbread house is about as edible as play-dough—you can eat it, but should you? These houses are usually left out for days (more on that later), drying out and crusting over.

Do I need to chill gingerbread before baking? ›

After the gingerbread is cut out, Lomas recommends putting it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to three days. Chilling the dough before it goes into a hot oven gives the butter a chance to firm up and reduces how much it spreads when baking.

How to stop gingerbread from going soft? ›

Comments for gingerbread for houses getting too soft

My suggestion would be to bake them again in a low temperature oven to dry them out. I would start at 250 or 275 F. for about 40 min. Remember, when it cools it hardens.

Do gingerbread houses attract bugs? ›

GingerBread House

The sweet smell of gingerbread and the warm shelter it provides can attract insects such as ants and co*ckroaches. Being careful where you store the gingerbread house can help prevent an infestation. Additionally, properly disposing of any leftovers by wrapping them in plastic wrap.

Can ginger cookies go bad? ›

Bakery or homemade cookies can be stored at room temperature two to three weeks or two months in the refrigerator. Cookies retain their quality when stored in the freezer for eight to 12 months.

Should gingerbread be refrigerated? ›

You can help keep freshly baked gingerbread cake fresh a little longer by storing it in the fridge, but it is not recommended because it dries out much faster there. Gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses should be stored in a tightly closed container on the counter or in the pantry.

Why are my gingerbread cookies puffy? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

Why are my gingerbread cookies crunchy? ›

The softness of gingerbread cookies will depend on a few factors like the recipe ingredients and the amount of time used to bake them. The longer they are baked, the firmer and crunchier they will be.

What to do with dry gingerbread? ›

One of the easiest ways to reuse leftover gingerbread is by making it into a pie crust. Begin by breaking apart the gingerbread house or cookies, removing any leftover candies and then running it through a food processor until it gets crumbly. Next, add melted butter, egg and baking powder to the crumbs.

What is the number one selling cookie? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the 2nd most popular cookie? ›

Nabisco Oreo was the second ranked cookie brand of the United States with about 674.2 million U.S. dollars worth of sales in 2017.

Who is the most popular cookie? ›

What is America's favorite cookie flavor? While Americans enjoy an incredible variety of cookies, chocolate chip is the most popular.

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