Soft and Chewy Cinnamon Gingerbread Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to making cookies soft and chewy? ›

It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch. That's right, the flavorless thickening agent used for soups, stews, and curries is also the secret weapon for baked goods that boast a silky-smooth mouthfeel.

Some gingerbread recipes require some time to soften after baking because they are initially firm. Gingerbread is made harder by molasses and honey, but it becomes softer when water is absorbed by the sugar.

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

Baking at too high of a heat.

To ensure even cooking, with crisp edges and soft centers, bake at a lower heat. Follow this tip: Bake gingerbread cookies at a reasonable 325°F in order to prevent them from burning before they are cooked through.

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

To achieve crispy, sturdy gingerbread, Lomas recommends letting the baked gingerbread pieces dry out for a day or two. Don't put the pieces in the refrigerator or keep them in a closed container, as this keeps the moisture in. “The longer it dries out, the easier it is to work with for construction purposes,” she said.

I won't even make a joke about hard gingerbread men (other than this one), but if your gingerbread cookies are hard, then you are doing things wrong. I'm here to tell you we all deserve the best this holiday season, and we should accept nothing less. You should only accept soft gingerbread cookies.

As Levy Beranbaum writes in The Baking Bible, replacing a little bit of the flour in the dough with cornstarch results in “a more delicate cookie that is also easier to pipe or push through a cookie press.” Adding cornstarch helps tenderize tough gluten, contributing to a softer cookie dough with a finer crumb after ...

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

It's harder to tell when gingerbread dough is golden brown as it's darker. If you touch the top of the cookie and it's nice and dry, the cookies are done.

The Best Molasses Substitutes

Honey, dark corn syrup, and maple syrup can also be used to replace molasses in recipes.

“It gives all the 'baking holiday cookies with grandma' vibes.” In a pinch, you can substitute maple syrup for light molasses, which may also be listed as “sweet,” “first,” “mild,” or “Barbados” molasses. The light variety might be your best bet for a chewier gingerbread, according to Melanie Bourdon, a chef and baker.

White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies. Why use melted butter? Melted butter creates cookies with a different texture compared to cookies made with softened or creamed butter. When butter is melted, it coats the flour more evenly, resulting in cookies that are chewier and denser.

chewy vs crispy is a combination of 2 things… ratio of fats to flour, and baking times/temps.. for more chewy cake like cookies, you want something with a high fat, content cooked at a lower longer temperature… for a more crispy or dryer cooking you want a lower fat batter cooked at a high temperature.

Too much moisture: Excess moisture, either from ingredients like eggs or butter, can result in soft cookies. Be precise with ingredient measurements. Butter temperature: Using overly soft or melted butter can lead to softer cookies. Ensure your butter is at the right temperature specified in the recipe.

The cookies became soften when you left overtime in open atmosphere because some of the ingredients are hygroscopic(absorb atmospheric moisture fastly) in nature such as sugar,smp etc. so when you bake the cookies then give 1.5 times the baking time for cooling then pack cookies in air tight container for future use.