For chewy and flavorful gingerbread cookies without molasses, we use brown sugar and golden syrup to achieve a molasses-like depth. The key to soft and chewy cookies is preparing a dough that’s well-chilled before rolling it out onto baking sheets. Chilling the dough not only enhances the texture but also helps maintain clean gingerbread shapes when using cookie cutters. Soft gingerbread cookies are a classic treat, and this method ensures you’ll achieve the best results.
Molasses adds sweetness and moisture, but it’s not always stocked in grocery stores worldwide. This recipe substitutes molasses with golden syrup, but you can also use honey or maple syrup, which are more commonly available. Both options keep the cookies soft and flavorful.
Recipe in a Glance
TEXTURE: Soft and tender with slightly crisp edges, perfect for decorating or enjoying plain.
FLAVOR: Warm and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, balanced by the sweetness of golden syrup, honey or maple syrup.
EASE: Beginner-friendly and simple to make with pantry staples. Chilling the dough is the only extra step which should not be skipped.
TIME: Approximately 3 hour 30 minutes, including 3 hours of minimum chilling time and 30 minutes of active preparation and baking.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Shop efficiently (treat this as your grocery list) and gather your ingredients at home without running circles in your kitchen. (i.e. One trip to the fridge to get all your dairy needs.) You can still find the full printable recipe at the end of this post.
REFRIGERATED:
- butter. 125g unsalted butter, at room temperature. What is Room Temperature Butter?
- egg. 50g (1 large egg), at room temperature.
PANTRY:
- brown sugar. 107g (½ cup) of brown sugar
- golden syrup. 125g (½ cup) of golden syrup. You can substitute with maple syrup or honey.
- flour. 375g (3 cups) of all purpose/ plain flour. I highly recommend to measure by weight, but if still measuring by cups, use the scoop and level method or you’ll get too much flour than needed.
- ground ginger. 1 tablespoon
- spices. I use 1 teaspoon of pumpkin spice. If you are in UK, you can use mixed spice or pudding spice.
- baking soda. 1 teaspoon – note that baking soda do expire so make sure yours is still good. To test, you can add a small amount of baking soda to a bowl and then add a few drops of an acidic liquid, like vinegar or lemon juice. If the baking soda fizzes immediately, it’s still good to use. If there’s little to no reaction, the baking soda has lost its effectiveness and should be replaced.
Recommended Tools
- digital food scale (this is a must…and check-out the cute colors!)
- rolling pin with thickness rings
- gingerbread man cookie cutters
Let’s Make Gingerbread Cookies Without Molasses Step-by-Step
STEP 1. Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a bowl in medium low until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
STEP 2. Add the golden syrup and egg and beat until combined, again scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
STEP 3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, pumpkin spice and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky.
STEP 4. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
STEP 5. Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I usually keep it in the fridge overnight.
STEP 6. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes (or more depending on your kitchen’s temperature) to soften the dough a bit.
Once the dough is soft enough to work with, roll the dough on top of a parchment sheet (or a lightly floured surface) until about 4mm thick. I love using this rolling pin with thickness rings so I don’t have to worry about the thickness of the dough.
PRO TIP: The dough might crack or crumble as you roll it out. To manage this, try lifting and rotating it frequently. You can also use your fingers to press and smooth any cracked edges back together. The first few rolls can be challenging due to the stiffness of the dough, but re-rolling the scraps becomes much easier.
STEP 7. The baking time varies depending on the size of your gingerbread men so if, like me, you’re using two sizes of gingerbread man cutters I suggest baking the ones with the same size together.
Baking time ranges between 7–10 minutes. A good guide to follow: For cookie cutters (under 4 inches), bake for about 7-8 minutes, and for larger ones (over 4 inches), bake for around 9-10 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly brown. For even baking (most ovens have hot spots), rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking time.
PRO TIP: Note that the longer the cookies bake, the firmer and crunchier they’ll become. They also continue to harden as they cool.
STEP 8. Let the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.
FAQs
They stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
You can freeze the gingerbread dough for up to three months. Do until step 5 then place in a freezer safe bag before keeping in the freezer. Thaw the frozen disc of dough at room temperature until they’re able to be easily rolled out.
While many uses royal icing, for the photos you see here I just used a ready-made decorating icing. I like this tube icing because I can just attach the piping tip – no piping bags needed which means less clean up for me. I use Wilton 4M piping tip.
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Gingerbread Cookies Without Molasses
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 107g (½ cup) brown sugar
- 125g (½ cup) golden syrup
- 50g egg (weight is without shell) (about 1 large egg)
- 375g (3 cups) all-purpose flour/ plain flour if measuring by cups, use spoon and level method
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin spice/ mixed spice in UK
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Using a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment or a hand mixer, beat the butter and sugar in a bowl in medium low until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.125g unsalted butter107g (½ cup) brown sugar
- Add the golden syrup and egg and beat until combined, again scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.125g (½ cup) golden syrup50g egg (weight is without shell)
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, pumpkin spice and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, and beat on low speed until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick and slightly sticky.375g (3 cups) all-purpose flour/ plain flour1 tablespoon ground ginger1 teaspoon pumpkin spice/ mixed spice in UK1 teaspoon baking soda
- Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. This should only take you about a minute.
- Divide dough in half and place each onto a large piece of plastic wrap. Wrap each up tightly and pat down to create a disc shape. Chill discs for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough. I usually keep it in the fridge overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line 2-3 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.Remove the chilled cookie dough from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for about 30-45 minutes (or more depending on your kitchen’s temperature) to soften the dough a bit.Once the dough is soft enough to work with, roll the dough on top of a parchment sheet (or a lightly floured surface) until about 4mm thick. I love using this rolling pin with thickness rings so I don’t have to worry about the thickness of the dough.PRO TIP: The dough might crack or crumble as you roll it out. To manage this, try lifting and rotating it frequently. You can also use your fingers to press and smooth any cracked edges back together. The first few rolls can be challenging due to the stiffness of the dough, but re-rolling the scraps becomes much easier.
- The baking time varies depending on the size of your gingerbread men so if, like me, you’re using two sizes of gingerbread man cutters I suggest baking the ones with the same size together.Baking time ranges between 7–10 minutes. A good guide to follow: For cookie cutters (under 4 inches), bake for about 7-8 minutes, and for larger ones (over 4 inches), bake for around 9-10 minutes. The edges should look set and slightly brown. For even baking (most ovens have hot spots), rotate the baking sheet halfway through baking time.PRO TIP: Note that the longer the cookies bake, the firmer and crunchier they’ll become. They also continue to harden as they cool.
- Let the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cool, decorate as desired.
