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Halloween Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Ash Tyrrell

Halloween Gingerbread Cookies Recipe

I started making these Halloween gingerbread cookies the year I completely forgot to buy trick-or-treat candy, and now it's become our little family tradition every October. I love that I can pull this dough together in one bowl with my hands, no mixer needed, while my kids stand on a stool next to me getting flour everywhere.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Servings: 10
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour — gives the dough enough structure to hold its shape once cut
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger — the classic gingerbread flavor swap half for cinnamon if your kids find it too spicy
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda — helps the cookies puff slightly without losing their shape
  • ½ cup softened butter cubed — rub it into the dry mix with your fingers for a lighter, more tender bite
  • ¾ cup soft light brown sugar — adds moisture and that warm caramel-like sweetness
  • 2 tablespoons molasses — this is what gives gingerbread its deep color and rich flavor don't swap it for regular syrup
  • 1 medium egg — binds the dough together so it rolls out smoothly
  • 2 cups powdered sugar for icing — sift it first so your icing stays lump-free
  • 2-3 tablespoons water for icing — add slowly, you want it thick enough to hold a line but still pipeable
  • food coloring as needed — gel-based colors work best since liquid drops can thin out the icing too much

Method
 

  1. Start by sifting the flour, ground ginger, and baking soda into your large mixing bowl. Give everything a quick stir so the spice is evenly distributed. This step keeps you from biting into a clump of ginger later.
  2. Add your cubed butter to the dry mix and use your fingertips to work it in. Keep going until the texture looks like coarse breadcrumbs, which usually takes a couple of minutes of rubbing.
  3. Stir in the brown sugar, then make a well in the center and crack in the egg along with the molasses. Combine everything with a spoon at first, then switch to kneading by hand until you have a firm, smooth dough.
  4. Lightly flour your work surface and split the dough in half for easier handling. Roll each half out to about 5mm thick, then press in your Halloween cutters to create pumpkins, ghosts, and gingerbread skeletons.
  5. Transfer your cut shapes onto a lined baking sheet, spacing them a little apart. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes depending on size, watching for the edges to turn a light golden brown before pulling them out.
  6. Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack before icing, since warm cookies will melt your decorations. Once cooled, pipe on your icing details and let them set before serving or packaging up.

Notes

  • I always measure my molasses with a lightly oiled spoon, since it stops the sticky syrup from clinging to the metal.
  • I let my butter soften naturally on the counter rather than microwaving it, which keeps the dough from turning greasy.
  • I roll my dough between two sheets of parchment paper, so I barely need any extra flour and the cookies stay tender.
  • I always double the batch, because these disappear from the cooling rack faster than I can decorate them.
  • I keep my icing slightly thicker than I think I need, since it loosens naturally once I start piping.