20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (2024)

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (1)

Whether it's decorated like a house or transformed into cute (but tasty) people, here is something about gingerbread that makes it only appropriate for Christmas time. Now that we think about it, have we ever really seen gingerbread cookies outside of the holidays? Nevertheless, gingerbread cookies are a must when it comes to Christmas cookie baking. Even if you aren't a fan of them yourself, you can't ignore how good they smell baking in the oven, or how cute they look decorated with some royal icing, sprinkles, edible glitter, and occasionally, some frosting filling.

You can never go wrong with the classic gingerbread man cookie shape, but we compiled 21 different gingerbread cookie recipes in case you were looking to get a little more creative this year. From gingerbread stockings to sandwiches and even stencils, there is sure to be a cute gingerbread cookie recipe that will become your best kept secret for years to come.

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1

Gingerbread Men Smores

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (2)

These chocolate and cream cheese marshmallow s'more sandwiches are the ultimate sweet treat.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Men S'mores.

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2

Gingerbread Trains

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (3)

Choo! Choo! This is the perfect recipe for those creative bakers out there who want more of a challenge.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Trains.

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3

Gingerbread Girls

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (4)

Customize these gingerbread girls with candy, sprinkles, and icing.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Girls.

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4

Hang the Stockings Gingerbread Cookies

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (5)

Hang one of these cookies on your tree for an edible decoration.

Get the recipe for Hang the Stockings Gingerbread Cookies.

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5

Chocolate-Gingerbread Hugs

These cookies blend chocolate with ginger spices to create a delicious combination of flavors. A hug tops the cookie off to give it a hint of vanilla.

Get the recipe for Chocolate-Gingerbread Hugs.

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6

Reindeer Gingbread Cookies

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (7)

Looking to change it up? Use a gingerbread cookie cutter to make cutouts that can be made into reindeer when turned upside down.

Get the recipe for Reindeer Gingerbread Cookie.

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7

Gingerbread Snow Angels

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (8)

This gingerbread man will look so cute making icing and sugar snow angels.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Snow Angels.

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8

Gingerbread Cookies

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (9)

You can't go wrong with a classic gingerbread cookie recipe.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Cookies.

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9

Gingerbread Animals

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (10)

These cute gingerbread animals put the regular gingerbread men to shame.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Animals.

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10

Gingerbread Village

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (11)

Why stop at a gingerbread house when you can design this gorgeous gingerbread village?

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Village.

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11

Gingerbread Polar Bears and Frosted Stars

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (12)

Instead of gingerbread men, make polar bears complete with a fluffy white shredded coconut fur this Christmas.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Polar Bears and Frosted Stars.

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12

Gingerbread Cookie Trees

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (14)

These spiced cookies taste so good that you won't be too sad to see your display disappear within seconds. Consider it compliments to the chef.

Get the recipe for Gingerbread Cookie Trees.

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13

Chocolate Gingerbread Snow Angels

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (16)

This one's for the chocolate lovers! Add some cocoa to your favorite Christmas gingerbread cookie for a rich, chocolaty flavor.

Get the recipe for Chocolate Gingerbread Snow Angels.

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14

Gingerbread Cookie Wands

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (18)

Crispy cookie wands covered in edible glitter and sprinkles that have a hint of pumpkin spice.

Get the recipe from Good Housekeeping.

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15

Gingerbread Trees with Lemon Icing

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (19)

Lemon icing gives these gingerbread trees with crystallized sugar on top a citrus zing to these cookies.

Get the recipe from Delish.

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16

Stenciled Gingerbread

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (20)

These gorgeous cookies use cocoa powder and sugar to create snowflake and holly stencils on these thin gingerbread cookies.

Get the recipe at Delish.

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17

Gingerbread Snowflakse

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (21)

These elegantly iced snowflakes will look gorgeous as a centerpiece for any table.

Get the recipe from Delish.

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18

S'mores Gingerbread Cookie Cups

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (22)

Combine gooey marshmallow cream, chocolate chips, and spicy gingerbread cookie dough to make these mouthwatering treats.

Get the recipe at Delish.

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19

Caramel-Gingerbread Cookie Bars

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (24)

We're drooling over these beauties. Decorate them with mini gingerbread men sprinkles for a clever touch.

Get the recipe at Delish.

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20

Caramel Gingerbread Cookie Cups

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (26)

Taking a bite into these cookie cups will fill your mouth with flavors of sugary caramel, spicy cinnamon, and creamy vanilla.

Get the recipe at Delish.

20 Easy Gingerbread Cookie Recipes To Spice Up Your Holidays (2024)

FAQs

What is the number 1 Christmas cookie? ›

Based on this data from General Mills, Peanut Butter Blossoms are the most popular Christmas cookie in the country; it's the most-visited cookie recipe in seven states, which means it's the most common favorite cookie in the U.S. That's a pretty high honor!

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

What is Christmas gingerbread? ›

Gingerbread refers to a broad category of baked goods, typically flavored with ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon and sweetened with honey, sugar, or molasses. Gingerbread foods vary, ranging from a moist loaf cake to forms nearly as crisp as a ginger snap. Gingerbread. Main ingredients. Ginger root, honey or ...

What makes gingerbread cookies hard or soft? ›

Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.” Cookbook author and ”Great American Baking Show” winner Vallery Lomas likes a gingerbread cookie that's packed with flavor. “I want to taste a lot of the spices ― especially ginger,” she said.

What is the least popular Christmas cookie? ›

On the naughty list of cookies, Americans gave the lowest win records to anise cookies, which only won 29% of its matchups.

What is the #1 best-selling cookie in America? ›

Oreo is the best-selling cookie in the world. It is now sold in over 100 countries. Oreo was first produced in 1912 by the National Biscuit Company, now known as Na-Bis-Co.

What is the dark history of gingerbread? ›

​Superstitions about gingerbread flourished in the 17th century. Witches supposedly made gingerbread figures, ate them, and thereby caused the death of their enemies. Dutch magistrates went so far as to declare baking or eating molded cookies illegal.

Who invented gingerbread? ›

Food historians trace the origins of gingerbread back to the ancient Egyptians, who used it for ceremonial purposes. The ancient Greeks followed suit with the first known recipe for gingerbread around 2400 B.C.

Why are gingerbread men a thing? ›

The first documented instance of figure-shaped gingerbread biscuits was at the court of Elizabeth I of England. She had the gingerbread figures made and presented in the likeness of some of her important guests which brought the human shape of the gingerbread cookies.

How to tell if gingerbread is done? ›

The toothpick test is one of the best ways to tell if gingerbread is finished baking. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean or, preferably, with a few moist crumbs (but not wet batter).

Why are my gingerbread cookies so pale? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color.

Why is my gingerbread cracking? ›

Forgetting to chill the dough.

It's tempting to want to roll out the dough as soon as it comes together, but let it have a little time to rest. Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking.

What is the most popular cookie for Santa? ›

Chocolate Chip cookies

You can never go wrong with these classic, delicious cookies. Santa himself lists these as his favorites, and he prefers them soft and gooey with lots of chocolate chips. If you decide to leave these out for him, make sure there's a glass of cold milk nearby!

What is America's favorite holiday cookie? ›

Among those who can make a single choice, frosted sugar cookies lead the list (32%), with gingerbread (12%) and chocolate chip (11%) rounding out the top three. Snickerdoodles (6%) come in fourth place, followed by butter (4%), peanut butter (4%), and chocolate (4%) tying for fifth.

What is the most popular Christmas candy? ›

According to America's Favorite Christmas Candy by State Report, a comprehensive study by research firm HubScore that delved into a survey of the top 20 favorite Christmas candies, Kit Kat ranked top in 13 states followed by a tie between Skittles and candy canes, both ranked top in six states.

What was the first cookie associated with Christmas? ›

Gingerbread has existed in some form since sugars and spices were brought back to Europe, from soldiers in the Crusades. However, it was not until Queen Victoria and Prince Albert included it with a variety of other German Christmas traditions that the gingerbread cookies became primarily associated with Christmas.

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