These Stamped Soft Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly spiced, soft and tender, and incredibly beautiful! Very similar to a traditional German Pfeffernusse, these festive cookies are perfect for the holidays, or all year long.
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Let me start by telling you that I made these gorgeous Stamped Gingerbread Cookies for a close friend of mine who happens to be German. She shared them with her family and they raved because of how much they taste like a soft version of their beloved Pfeffernusse cookies.
Once I got their seal of approval, I knew that these festive cookies are ready to be shared with the world! Not only are these cookies simple to mix up, they are so fun to stamp and cut out, and they make the perfect addition to any holiday gift cookie box or table.
I use a vintage set of decorative cookie stamps from Nordic Ware, but I found a very similar set here. Be sure to read all of my pro tips for getting a clean stamp for each cookie below!
Want more cookie recipes? Check out:
- Brown Butter Chai Oatmeal Sandwich Cookies
- Perfect Cut Out Sugar Cookies
- Sandwich Cookies with Nutella
Pro Tips for Perfect Stamped Gingerbread Cookies
- Don’t over mix your cookie dough! We want tender cookies that are soft. Once all of the dry ingredients are incorporated, stop mixing, so that the cookies don’t develop any stretchy gluten strength.
- Make sure to flour your work surface, and lightly dust the top of your dough as well. The most important thing is to make sure that the dough doesn’t stick – anywhere!
- Try to keep even pressure on your rolling pin, so that the whole piece of dough is rolled out to an even thickness. This will ensure that all of the cookies will bake evenly.
- Dip your cookie cutter and cookie stamp in flour before EACH TIME that you use it. Most cookie stamps have intricate designs where dough can get stuck, so a light coating of flour will give you a clean stamp for each cookie.
INGREDIENTS you’ll need for Cut out Gingerbread Cookies
unbleached all purpose flour – in all of my bakes, I like to King Arthur Baking Company’s flour. I like what the company stands for, it is 100% employee owned, and the high quality flour always gives me consistent, professional results, 10/10.
baking powder – baking powder is a leavened and it helps these gingerbread muffins rise to be puffy and soft. Baking powder is heat activated, so the second you put these muffins into the preheated oven, the baking powder starts working (the more you know!).
kosher salt – kosher salt is my go to in both baking and cooking. I like Morton’s Kosher salt. If you’re using Diamond Crystal, add an extra 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the recipe.
spices – since most people only bake with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves during the holiday season, make sure that your spices are fresh! Spices can lose their potency and aromas and go stale after sitting on the shelf for months on end. I like to store my spices in the fridge to keep them fresh.
molasses – molasses is a key ingredient in gingerbread baking. The signature caramel-like flavor make these muffins soft, chewy, and absolutely magic. Don’t substitute anything for molasses, please and thank you!
grass fed butter – As with all of my bakes (and cooking!) I use Kerrygold Irish butter. You just cannot compare the richness and flavor that it adds to anything else. I’m obsessed and you will be too.
vanilla beans – The tiny vanilla seeds are scraped from the beans, giving you the richest vanilla glaze ever! Use a sharp paring knife the slice the bean in half lengthwise, then open the pod, and use the knife to carefully scrape out all of the seeds. I like to put the leftover (empty) beans into a canister of sugar to make !VANILLA SUGAR! (try this please).
powdered sugar – before making your glaze, make sure that your powdered sugar doesn’t have any lumps. Sift or whisk the powdered sugar before mixing in the wet ingredients to ensure the smoothest vanilla bean glaze.
How to make Soft Stamped Gingerbread Cookies
- Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Next, in a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Whisk well to combine. Add the whole egg, and whisk until completely incorporated.
- In a separate medium size mixing bowl, combine the unbleached flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa powder. Whisk well to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the butter/molasses mixture. Use a wooden spoon to combine until there are no streaks of flour. Use clean hands to knead the dough for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel, and refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes.
- LIne a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Flour your work surface, and pour the dough out on the work surface. Roll the dough out into a large even circle, about ½-inch thick. Use cookie stamps to imprint the design onto the dough, then use cookie/biscuit cutters to cut out the cookies. Place the stamped cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, and baked for 8-10 minutes until slightly puffy and set. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth. For a thicker glaze, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. For thinner glaze, and an extra teaspoon of milk.
- Once the cookies are cooled, dip them into the glaze, stamped side down, allowing any extra glaze to drip off, then place the cookies back on the cooling rack while the glaze sets.
If you make it, please tag me on Pinterest or Instagram so I can see! It’s my favorite thing to scroll through stories and see what you all are making.
And of course feel free to leave any questions, comments or reviews! This is the best place to reach me, and I’d love to hear from you <3
Without further ado, here are my new favorite Gingerbread cookies! Be sure to save this recipe and Pin It to your Cookie Pinterest board!
Happy Baking xo LeAnne
The Recipe
Stamped Soft Gingerbread Cookies
These Stamped Soft Gingerbread Cookies are perfectly spiced, soft and tender, and incredibly beautiful! Very similar to a traditional German Pfeffernusse, these festive cookies are perfect for the holidays, or all year long.
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons, 113 g Kerrygold Unsalted Irish Butter melted and cooled
- ½ cup, 100 g dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup, 110 g molasses
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 2 ¼ cups, 270 g unbleached all purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
For the glaze
- 1 cup, 125 g powdered sugar sifted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1-2 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Whisk well to combine. Add the whole egg, and whisk until completely incorporated.
- In a separate medium size mixing bowl, combine the unbleached flour, baking powder, kosher salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa powder. Whisk to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients to the large bowl with the butter/molasses mixture. Use a wooden spoon to combine until there are no streaks of flour. Use clean hands to knead the dough for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Cover the bowl with a clean tea towel, and refrigerate the dough for 15-20 minutes.
- LIne a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Flour your work surface, and pour the dough out on the work surface. Roll the dough out into a large even circle, about ½-inch thick. Use cookie stamps to imprint the design onto the dough, then use cookie/biscuit cutters to cut out the cookies. Place the stamped cookies onto the prepared baking sheet, and baked for 8-10 minutes until slightly puffy and set. Allow the cookies to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile make the glaze. In a small mixing bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Whisk until smooth. For a thicker glaze, add an extra 1-2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. For thinner glaze, and an extra teaspoon of milk.
- Once the cookies are cooled, dip them into the glaze, stamped side down, allowing any extra glaze to drip off, then place the cookies back on the cooling rack while the glaze sets.
Recipe Notes
Dip your cookie cutter and cookie stamp in flour before EACH TIME that you use it. Most cookie stamps have intricate designs where dough can get stuck, so a light coating of flour will give you a clean stamp for each cookie.
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