What no one tells you about making gingerbread cookies is what a pain in the you-know-where it is to roll out all of the layers of gingerbread between parchment paper over and over until all of the cookies are cut. 

gingerbread cookies (slice and bake) on a cookie sheet

These slice and bake gingerbread cookies solve that problem with the easiest method of rolling the dough into a log, cutting the log into circles, and baking right away. 

close view of gingerbread cookies

If your cookies aren’t perfectly circular, don’t fret—using a large-rimmed cup or biscuit cutter to continuously circle around the cookie fixes that problem in a pinch!

gingerbread cookies (slice and bake) on a cookie sheet

Gingerbread Cookies (Slice & Bake)

Brooke Eliason
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Servings: 48 cookies
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 minutes
Chill Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 21 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
These slice and bake gingerbread cookies are easy to make, wonderfully soft, and have the perfect finish of lemon icing and sugared lemon zest.

Ingredients 

Gingerbread Cookies

  • 1 cup unsalted butter (two sticks), slightly softened
  • 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup molasses
  • 5-5 1/4 cup all purpose flour*
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves

Lemon Icing & Sugared Zest

  • 4 large lemons
  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

  • In a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until smooth, about 1-2 minutes. Add the egg and molasses and mix again until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the remaining ingredients including the flour*, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix the dough. If the dough seems too wet or sticky, add an additional 1/4 cup of flour and mix until just combined.
  • Lay out a sheet of plastic wrap and pour 1/2 of the cookie dough onto it. Using your hands, form the dough into a log-shaped cylinder of dough (about 2-2/14 inches in diameter), and wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Repeat again on a second piece of plastic wrap with remaining dough. Chill for a minimum of one hour in the fridge or for several hours overnight.
  • After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 400°F 30 minutes prior to baking, and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Remove dough from fridge. Using a very sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/4-1/3-inch thick rounds (each log should yield about 24 slices). Place the sliced cookie dough on parchment-lined cookie sheets, at least 1 inch apart, and bake for 6 minutes, until cookies are fragrant, no longer wet or shiny in the middle, and are lightly browned on the bottom. Allow cookies to cool completely.

Lemon Icing & Sugared Zest

  • Using a microplane zester, grate the zest of 4 large lemons into a small bowl and combine with the 2 Tablespoons of sugar, using your hands to incorporate the sugar and zest together. Set aside.
  • In a medium-sized bowl whisk together the powdered sugar and lemon juice, starting with 3 Tablespoons of juice and whisking a little at a time if needed until the icing is the consistency of glue.
  • Assemble the cookies by drizzling the lemon icing over the tops of the cookies and then garnishing with the sugared lemon zest. Store in an airtight container for 3-5 days.

Notes

*You may need the full 5 1/4 cups of flour if you are baking at high altitude or in a humid climate. 

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