Adorn your kitchen with a whimsical illustrated gingerbread recipe printable this season. Free decor that invites a feeling of warmth and coziness as you bake a sweet treat for your family.

This week I had an idea to illustrate one of my very favorite holiday recipes, soft gingerbread cookies. I adore this recipe and have been using it for 18 years now! It’s definitely a special tradition for our family to make these cookies and decorate them together.

Check out these adorable gingerbread S&P shaker set I found. It is sold out currently, but here are 2 more cute options!

The gingerbread cookie recipe is soft and perfectly spiced with a combination of cinnamon, allspice, ginger and ground cloves. We like to make a simple glaze for decorating and I always add a little lemon extract to flavor. SO DELICIOUS! I love this recipe so much that I want it displayed in my kitchen all season long. Here is the illustrated image I created to display, so you can print one too!

Download your free print here

Free Illustrated Gingerbread Recipe Printable Download HERE

Illustrated Gingerbread Recipe Printable: Ways to use it

Here are a few ways you can print and display this recipe. Simply click here and print it out whether at home or your local print shop. I would suggest card stock but it prints fine on regular computer paper, too!

Use seasonal washi tape and tape to your backsplash or to a wood cutting board
Frame this recipe and set up a small baking station in your kitchen to create a space that is both functional and beautiful for holiday baking! Remove the reflective glass to be able to see it a little better.
Grab a clip board from the office supply section of the dollar store and simply clip your Illustrated Gingerbread Recipe Printable to it.

Favorite Soft Gingerbread Cookies

Handmade Farmhouse

Nothing brings the spirit of the season quite like the scent of spiced gingerbread cookies baking in the kitchen. These puffy cookies are a perfect gift to share with neighbors, teachers, friends or simply to bake for your own family to decorate together!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Ingredients

1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup Crisco shortening
12 oz full flavor molasses I like Brer Rabbit brand
2/3 cup water
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
7 cups all purpose flour

Gingerbread Decorating Glaze

2 cups powdered sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon orange extract Lemon or almond are also delicious!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a stand mixer blend shortening and brown sugar. Pour in 12 oz bottle of molasses (see note). Add water, soda, spices and salt. Slowly add flour, one cup at a time until dough has incorporated it all.
Spread 1/2 the dough on a floured counter. It will be sticky so use flour to cover counter, top of dough and even a little on your rolling pin. Roll to 1/4" thick. Use cutters to cut your favorite shapes.
Use other half of dough and incorporate scraps. If the dough becomes to dry, simply wet your hands 2-3 times while working the dough to re-moisten it. Cut shapes and place on pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 10-11 minutes. Cookies should be puffy and soft! Let them set on the sheet for a few minutes before you transfer them to a cooling sheet.
Once cool, frost as desired.
FOR GLAZE FROSTING:
Mix together milk, powdered sugar and extract. Glaze should be thick enough that it doesn't run off of the cookies but thin enough that you can pull the spatula up and make a ribbon that doesn't break. If needed, just add 1/8-1/4 teaspoon water drops to thin slightly. The glaze should be easy to apply to cookies by using piping bags and cutting a small corner off the tip, or just using a gallon zip lock bag and cutting off a small corner.
I typically just make one batch but if my kids want to decorate I make them each their own batch. I suggest adding gel food coloring to color!

Notes

One simple trick I like to use for this recipe is after I pour the molasses into the mixer, I add the 2/3 cup of water into the empty molasses bottle, replace the lid and shake it. I then pour that into the mixer. This just helps ensure I get every bit of the molasses out of the bottle that I want.

Keyword gingerbread cookies

Christmas baking traditions

Holiday baking is easily one of my favorite traditions this time of year. My mom and I love to dip chocolates together, and my kids and I usually whip up a batch of these caramels, this toffee, these buttery Christmas cookies and these easy Old Fashioned butter mints. These recipes are so delicious and fun to share with neighbors and friends!

Here are the cute new aprons I ordered for us for baking season!

Looking for another cookie option for holiday baking? These easy butter cookies are SO cute and fun to decorate with a really simple glaze of milk, powdered sugar and extract. Grab the recipe HERE.