Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies ~ if you love baking holiday cookies I bet you’re always on the hunt for a new recipe, one that’s not too hard, but has that wow factor.  These easy stamped cookies are soft and plush, perfectly spiced, and lightly glazed to bring out their beautiful patterns ~ this could be your knockout cookie for the season!

Is everybody jazzed for cookie baking season?  This week I lined up all my flour and sugar canisters front and center on my counter, and it seems like my oven never cools down.  I love to make the traditional lineup, but every year I try to breakout with something new.  I’ve been dying to make these gorgeous soft gingerbread cookies from chef Yotam Ottolenghi’s dessert cookbook,  SWEET.  I highly recommend any of his cookbooks, for you, or for gift giving, they’re all amazing and so inspirational.  You can see links to my favorites at the bottom of the post.

Gingerbread is one of my favorite holiday ‘flavors’, and I have lots of gingerbread inspired recipes already on the blog.  Gingerbread cookies can be crunchy or soft, spicy or mild, deep and dark, or more golden. I happen to love my gingerbread on the soft side, so these are just perfect for me.  These cookies stay soft, too, day after day (if they last that long.)

Gingerbread is characterized by molasses along with a blend of spices, but every gingerbread cookie will be unique depending on the exact mixture of spices you use.  I don’t recommend using a premixed spice blend, it’s better to use individual spices. If you like you can make your own custom gingerbread spice blend at the start of the holiday season.  Then you’ll have it handy for spicing up cocoa, latte, pancakes, or anything that needs a holiday vibe.  Feel free to adjust the ratios of the ingredients to your particular taste.

How to make a homemade gingerbread spice mix ~

• 1 Tbsp ground ginger
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 Tbsp ground allspice
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

As you can see these cookies are gorgeous, but what you might not guess is how simple they are to make.  I used my Nordicware Cookie Stamps, they make it so quick and easy to get that intricate patterning.

How to use a cookie stamp

Cookie stamps are fun and easy to use, and you get a fancy cookie effect in an instant.

1. It’s essential to use the right dough ~ choose a recipe made for stamping, or choose a firm gingerbread, shortbread, or other type of non-spreading dough that will hold the shape of the stamp as it cooks.
2. Chill your cookie stamps in the freezer for several minutes before using.  This helps insure a crisp imprint.
3. Roll out your dough to a 1/4 inch thickness.
4. Press down firmly with your stamp onto the dough.  If your stamp sticks to the dough, lightly flour it.
5. Use a cookie cutter that is slightly larger or slightly smaller than the stamp itself to cut out your cookies (you can also cut the cookies by hand with a paring knife)  and transfer to a cookie sheet.  Bake as normal.
6. If your imprints are not sharp after baking, try chilling the cookies before baking.  If they are still not sharp, try another recipe.

My stamps have a folk/holiday theme but you can get cookie stamps in all kinds of shapes and designs for different occasions and seasons.

This dough is so beautiful all by itself, there’s nothing else that gets me in the holiday spirit quite like rolling out gingerbread dough.  (Did you know that I’ve got a gingerbread play dough recipe on the blog?)  This particular dough is easy to roll, and the scraps are easy to reform and re-roll because the dough is moist.  Kids love to help with stamped cookies, so let them join in the fun.

Reader Rave ~

“The stamps worked like a charm but that dough? It too rolled like a dream and the cookies were simply delicious… The addition of the cocoa makes them taste more like a European ginger cookie to my husband and I. And the cookies looked fab too! Thanks again Sue for another keeper of a recipe..”  ~Noëlle

*Recipe slightly tweaked from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Sweet

Here are my favorite Ottolenghi cookbooks, in case you’re interested ~ click on any of the images below for more info.  I’ve got his newest release, Simple, on my wish list!