The Only Gingerbread Cookie Recipe You’ll Ever Need

This a totally perfected, super simple, and very classic sugar cookie recipe with the option to substitute the cane sugar for coconut sugar and keeping that traditional texture and flavor.

These images show the cookies baked using a cookie stamp, but can be made with any cookie cutter.

Classic Sugar Cookie
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Bake time: 8–10 minutes
Yield: ~24 cookies (depending on size)

INGREDIENTS

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
• ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Whisk dry ingredients
   • In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside.
2. Cream butter + sweeteners
   • In a large bowl, beat the softened butter until smooth. Add maple syrup and molasses and beat until fully incorporated and creamy.
3. Add wet ingredients
   • Mix in the egg and vanilla until smooth.
4. Combine
   • Add dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix just until a soft dough forms. The dough will be slightly sticky but should hold together.
5. Chill
   • Wrap dough in parchment or plastic wrap and chill for at least 1-2 hours (preferably overnight). This is important for rolling, cutting, and stamping.
   • If dough warms while working, re-chill for 10–15 minutes.
6. Roll & stamp (or cut!)
   • Preheat oven to 350°F.
   • If using cookie stamps:
     • Scoop or weigh dough (usually 2 tablespoons, or 30–40g per cookie)
     • Roll into smooth balls
     • Lightly flatten to about ½ inch thick
     • Lightly dust stamp with flour
     • Re-dust every 1–2 cookies
     • Chill stamped cookies on the tray again for 15–20 minutes
     • This locks in the pattern before heat hits
   • If using a cookie cutter:
     • Roll dough out between two sheets of parchment to about ¼-inch thickness. Cut into gingerbread people or shapes.
7. Bake
   • Transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
   • Bake for 8–10 minutes for softer cut out cookies, 10–14 minutes for crisper stamped cookies.
8. Cool
   • Let cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTES

• Softer cookies: Pull them while centers still look slightly underbaked — they set as they cool.
• Extra spice: Add a pinch of black pepper for a more traditional snap.
• Icing option: Powdered maple sugar or powdered coconut sugar works well for a refined sugar–free glaze.
• If you want to use these exact cookie stamps, you can find them from Nordic Ware.
• Any cookie cutter will do!