Big Soft Ginger Cookies

Have a happy holiday with this soft gingerbread cookie recipe. Subtly spiced and full of festive flavor, you'll come back to these top-rated gingerbread cookies year after year.

Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients

Great news! You likely have all the ingredients you'll need to make these soft ginger cookies. If not, here's what to add to your grocery list:

· Sugar: You'll need about a cup of sugar for the cookie dough, plus about two tablespoons of sugar for rolling the dough balls.· Flour: All-purpose flour gives the cookies structure and helps create a tender texture.· Spices: These soft gingerbread cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.· Baking soda: Baking soda acts as a leavener, which means it makes the dough rise.· Salt: A pinch of salt enhances the flavors of the other ingredients.· Margarine: Margarine is great for making perfectly soft ginger cookies with slightly crisp edges. If you'd like, you can substitute butter.· Egg: An egg adds moisture and acts as a binding agent (it holds the dough together).· Molasses: Molasses lends warm, cozy, and sweet flavor to these soft gingerbread cookies.

How to Make Gingerbread Cookies

You'll find the full, step-by-step recipe below — but here's a brief overview of what you can expect when you make this top-rated recipe:

1. Sift the dry ingredients together.2. Cream the margarine and sugar together. Beat in the egg, then add the water and molasses.3. Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until well-combined.4. Shape the dough into balls, roll the balls in sugar, and flatten them slightly.5. Bake in a preheated oven until almost set and cool on a wire rack.

How to Store Gingerbread Cookies

Store the (completely cooled) gingerbread cookies in a shallow, airtight container for up to five days. If you're worried about the cookies drying out, add a slice of bread to the container — it'll absorb the dry air and keep them soft.

Can You Freeze Gingerbread Cookies?

Yes! You can freeze baked and unbaked gingerbread cookies.

· To freeze the baked cookies: Arrange the cooled ginger cookies on a baking sheet. Freeze for three hours or up to overnight. Transfer the now-frozen cookies to a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container. Wrap in at least one layer of foil for extra protection. Freeze for up to two months.· To freeze the cookie dough: Roll the dough into balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cover and freeze for about three hours or up to overnight. Transfer the now-frozen cookies to a zip-top bag or freezer-safe container. Wrap in at least one layer of foil for extra protection. Freeze for up to two months. When you're ready to enjoy the cookies, thaw the dough in the fridge overnight. Roll the balls in sugar and bake according to the recipe.

Cookdap Community Tips and Praise

"THESE ARE WONDERFUL," raves one Cookdap community member. "My husband could not get enough of them. I love the texture: a bit crunchy on the outside and chewy on the inside."

“I made these as my ‘beginning of autumn’ cookie,” says katie. “Everyone at work loved them! I also followed the suggestion of replacing the water with orange juice, and it was great! Do be sure you chill the dough before handling though.”

“This recipe is wonderful,” according to VUCN. “The cookies turn out soft and chewy, as promised. The only thing I did differently was not press down the dough. The unpressed dough results in a more homemade, rustic-looking cookie.”