Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies

This cookie recipe, Soft and Chewy Gingerbread Cookies, leans on all-purpose flour, packed dark or light brown sugar and baking soda. It makes 24 cookies and takes about 84 minutes.

• Yield 24 cookies
• Ready in 84 minutes
• Prep 75 minutes
• Cook 9 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed dark or light brown sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup unsulphured molasses (not black strap)
• 2 tablespoons milk

Instructions

1. With an electric mixer (stand or handheld), stir together the flour, brown sugar, soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt at low speed until combined, about 30 seconds.
2. Add the butter and mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, 1 to 2 minutes.
3. Add the molasses and milk, and mix on low speed until the dough is evenly combined, 30-45 seconds.
4. Scrape the dough onto a work surface and divide it in half. Working with one portion at a time, roll or press the dough ¼-inch thick between 2 large sheets of parchment paper. Leaving the dough sandwiched between the parchment paper, stack the dough on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, 15 to 20 minutes. (Or refrigerate the dough for 2 hours or overnight.)
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Remove one dough sheet from the freezer or refrigerator and place on the counter. Peel off the top parchment paper. Using a cookie cutter, cut the dough into gingerbread people (or you can use a round cutter to cut circle cookies). Work quickly; the dough softens and can be harder to work with the longer it's out of the refrigerator.
7. Transfer the shapes to the prepared baking sheets, spacing about an inch apart. You can use a thin metal spatula to help transfer the cookies to the baking sheets. If the dough is sticking and hard to peel up after cutting into shapes, pop the tray back in the refrigerator or freezer.
8. Repeat with the remaining dough until the baking sheets are full. Because flour is not added during rolling, dough scraps can be rolled and cut as many times as necessary.
9. Bake the cookies until just set, about 8 to 9 minutes. Don't overbake! Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.
10. Frost or pipe, as desired (see notes for the frosting recipe I use).
11. Store the gingerbread cookies at room temperature or in the refrigerator in a covered container.

Cool the cookies on the sheet for a few minutes, then move them to a rack.