Crispy Gingerbread Cookies
A proper vegetarian built around plain flour, ground ginger and ground cinnamon — roughly 65 minutes start to finish, and rated medium to make. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for oven and whisk. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (1)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Dairy Egg
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the plain flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda and salt, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with the brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, then beat in the molasses and the egg until fully combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and stir just until a stiff dough forms, taking care not to overmix.
- Gather the dough into a disc, wrap it well, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour so it firms up and rolls out cleanly.
- Preheat the oven to 175 C and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the chilled dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 3 mm thick for cookies that bake up thin and crisp.
- Cut out shapes with a cutter, transfer them to the lined sheets spaced 3 cm apart, and bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the edges are set and slightly darkened.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes to crisp up, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating or storing.
You'll use: Oven · Whisk · Baking sheet
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Brown Sugar
- white sugar + 1 tbsp molasses per cup
Tips & common questions
How long does Crispy Gingerbread Cookies take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Crispy Gingerbread Cookies vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
Crispy Gingerbread Cookies is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: CrispyGingerbreadCookies.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.