Gingerbread Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles meet gingerbread in these bakery-worthy gingerdoodles—soft, gooey, and topped with the cutest mini gingerbread cookies. They’re a festive favorite for cookie boxes and cozy gifting.
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour *See notes below for measuring*
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon gingerbread spice
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsulphured molasses Grandma’s molasses recommended
- 1/2 large egg lightly beaten (See notes for measuring)
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Gingerdoodle Cookie Dough
- 14 1/2 tablespoons unsalted European butter
- 2 1/2 teaspoons gingerbread spice
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon light brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup unsulphured Grandma’s molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla paste or extract
For the Gingerbread Spiced Sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon gingerbread spice
Instructions
Make the Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- Please note that this dough must be chilled for a minimum of 3-4 hours. I always make mine the day before and let it chill overnight.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and gingerbread spice. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer bowl, cream the butter, brown sugar, and molasses on medium speed for 2 minutes until combined and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg and vanilla until just combined. Scrape down the bowl. It’s normal if it looks a little curdled!
- Mix in the flour mixture on low speed until just combined.
- Loosely wrap the gingerbread dough in plastic wrap, then use a rolling pin to flatten it into a disc. Refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours or up to 3 days.
- After the dough is chilled, roll it out on a lightly floured surface to ¼” thickness. Use a ~2” gingerbread cookie cutter to cut out as many cookies as possible. You can reroll the dough twice, chilling it in between rolls as the dough is hard to work with when warm.
- Transfer the cut out cookies to a parchment lined baking tray, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the Gingerdoodle Dough
- In a stainless steel pan, cook the butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it looks foamy, smells nutty, and the bottom is covered in amber brown milk solids.
- Take the pan off the heat and pour the butter into a large bowl. Make sure to scrape all of the butter and browned bits from the pan with a rubber spatula. You should have about 170 g or 3/4 cup browned butter. Stir in the gingerbread spice, then set it aside until it cools to room temperature. The time it takes varies—for me, 45-60 minutes is sufficient.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk the brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses into the browned butter.
- Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.
- Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture until just combined. Set the bowl aside for 10 minutes so the dough is easier to scoop. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the sugar and gingerbread spice.
- Scoop the dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop and roll it in the spiced sugar. Place them on a parchment-lined baking tray, placing one gingerbread cookie on the top of each one. Then, cover the tray and refrigerate for a minimum of 3-4 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C and line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the cold dough balls on one of the lined baking trays (6-7 cookies per tray). Bake for 10-12 minutes. Sprinkle with more spiced sugar after baking, then let the pan cool on a wire rack. Enjoy!
Notes
*Measure your dry ingredients properly. This is my #1 baking tip! Never scoop a measuring cup into your flour, as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!*
For the egg: To measure the egg, whisk it in a small bowl, then measure out 1 ½ tablespoons. If using a scale, whisk it in a small bowl, then measure out 25-28 grams.
Gingerbread cookie dough: This recipe makes enough mini gingerbread men for a double batch of gingerdoodles. If you don’t want to make both doughs, you can also press baked gingerbread cookies onto the tops of the baked gingerdoodles — they just won’t be as soft.
