My delicious gingerbread cookies without molasses are Santa’s favorite festive treat! Make them soft and spicy or crispy and warm - you choose. This is an excellent recipe if you don’t like the smoky, bitter flavor of molasses - or if you’ve just run out.
❤️ Why you will love this recipe
Not only is this Santa’s favorite gingerbread cookies recipe without molasses, but it’s mine, too - and I hope it will soon be yours! I’m sure there’s some kind of holiday magic created by the winning combination of brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
You can make the cookie dough ahead of time; the flavor improves in the refrigerator, and it keeps well in the freezer. Why not keep a batch in the freezer so you can whip up some gingerbread without molasses cookies super-quickly?
Most of the ingredients for these gorgeous gingerbread cookies are things you probably already have in the kitchen, or if not, they’re very easy to find at your local store.
Gingerbread men (and women!) are fun to decorate and you can give them as cute gifts to colleagues, neighbors, teachers, and your nonna will love them too. Have a look in the ‘Tips’ section for suggestions about icing.
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Flour - I use regular all purpose (ie, plain) flour. There are many different types of flour - including almond flour - but I have found that for gingerbread without molasses, regular flour works best.
- Dark brown sugar - Brown and dark brown sugar are simply white sugar with a little molasses added to give the dark color and a deeper depth of flavor. It’s because of the molasses that brown sugar has a slightly higher nutritional content than white sugar.
- Honey - Try to use dark honey, if you have it. The lighter the honey you use, the lighter your gingerbread cookies without molasses will be. Whether you use light or dark honey, your cookies will still be absolutely delicious - I promise.
- Butter - Unsalted, please! We will add a little salt later on - it helps to bring out the flavors of the other ingredients - but we don’t want too much, so no salt in the butter. If you are going to be making the cookies by hand (that is, not using an electric beater), the butter will need to be softened to room temperature. Of course, if you’re using an electric beater, cooler butter will be fine.
- Egg - Just one egg in this recipe. I always prefer to use a large, free range egg, but you should use whatever you have readily available in your pantry.
- Ginger - I often encourage you to use fresh ingredients, but in this case, dried and powdered ginger is exactly what’s needed.
- Cinnamon - As well as being delicious, did you know that cinnamon contains antioxidants with anti-inflammatory effects? It’s also rumoured to be good at relieving stress. Certainly having a gingerbread cookie helps me to relax!
- Baking powder - Used here as a leavening agent to give our cookies a bit of ‘lift’. It only needs to mix with liquid (like butter, honey, and egg) to become activated.
- Baking soda - Although there is already some baking soda in baking powder, our recipe needs a little extra.
- Salt - Just a quarter of a teaspoon of salt, please! Salt is a flavor enhancer when used in correct quantities.
- Cloves - Cloves are an aromatic spice with a subtly sweet flavor - perfect in gingerbread without molasses. Cloves can be strong tasting, which is why we just use a little.
- Nutmeg - Another fragrant spice - dried and powdered - which combines beautifully with the cinnamon and cloves. Your taste buds will thank you!
Instructions
Please note that the numbered instructions below correlate to the numbered photo collage above.
- Whisk (or sieve) together the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg).
- Using an electric mixer, beat together butter, brown sugar and egg until well combined and lightened in color. (If you’re using a wooden spoon, make sure the butter is at room temperature.) Scrape down the sides. Add honey and mix on medium speed until all ingredients are well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients then mix on low speed until completely incorporated.
- Scrape the dough out onto plastic wrap. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight or for up to 5 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months. Just remember to return the dough to cool room temperature before using.
- Preheat your oven to 375ºF/ 190ºC and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Divide the dough in half. Place one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface. Dust with a little flour over the dough and on the rolling pin. Alternatively roll out between two sheets of non-stick parchment paper that has been dusted with flour. Roll dough to a ¼ inch thick then cut out with your desired cutter - of course, gingerbread men are my favorite!
- Transfer your cookies to the prepared baking sheet, spaced a little bit apart because they will spread somewhat. Bake for 8-11 minutes - 8 minutes for softer cookies, and closer to 11 minutes if you prefer your cookies to be a little more crispy.
Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool until they are firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Decorate as you like. Read my tips below and more thorough instructions in the post.
Tips for Success and FAQs
The dough for gingerbread cookies without molasses is best made ahead of time - it gives the spices in the dough a chance to develop and deepen. You can make the dough and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days before you need to bake the cookies. Alternatively, the dough will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
I use an electric beater, but if you don’t have one or if you prefer to beat by hand, you will need to soften the butter to room temperature.
If you prefer soft cookies, remove them from the oven at around 8 or 9 minutes - just when the cookies are dry on top and have only just begun to color. If you prefer crispy cookies, leave them in the oven for the full 11 minutes. Watch them closely, in case they start to burn.
When it comes time to decorate the cookies, you have a few different options. The first option is to make royal icing, and use your cookie cutter to shape it the same way and size as your cookie. You can find the royal icing recipe underneath my Snowflake Cookies recipe. You can use royal icing together with a #3 or #4 tube and disposable bag, if you prefer, or make a homemade icing bag using parchment paper. There are many videos on how to make a homemade icing bag on the internet.
The second icing option is to make your own icing. 1 cup icing sugar, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature, ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 3-4 tablespoons water - mix all ingredients together until a smooth consistency is achieved. Then, when the cookies have cooled, spoon the icing into squeeze bottles on Amazon to make the decorating process easier. This icing won’t set hard but is super delicious!
And lastly, most supermarkets sell cookie icing or writing icing in ready to use tubes or pouches. I love using the store bought icing pens that set hard - I find it to be the easiest way.
You can make the cookie dough and freeze it safely for up to three months. Just remember to thaw the dough back to cool room temperature before rolling, cutting, and baking.
These cookies can also be frozen for up to 45 days once baked and iced. Simply allow the decoration to set completely, then layer the cookies in a Tupperware or other sealable container with waxed paper between the layers. Defrost in the container.
Like most treats, gingerbread cookies are best enjoyed in modest quantities. However, cookies that you make yourself at home are usually far more wholesome and healthful than cookies that you buy from the store.
Absolutely! Honey has been used for centuries to produce wonderful cakes and cookies and is also delicious in savory recipes. Most honey in supermarkets has been pasteurized which means it is treated using high heat to extend shelf life and make it smooth. Heating raw honey reduces the nutritional benefits but will not turn it toxic so it is perfectly fine to use in cooking and baking.
Serving Suggestions
If you’re looking for some other festive treats, have a look at my delicious Italian butter cookies recipe - they taste as good as they look!
Alternatively, have you tried chocolate chip pecan cookies? They are delicious warm cookies with gooey chocolate and toasty pecans - yum!
I would love to hear how you go making my gingerbread cookies without molasses - and especially which option you choose to decorate them. Please leave me a message below.
Made this recipe?
Let me know if you liked it by leaving a ★★★★★ star rating and a review below. Please share a photo of your creation by tagging me on Instagram @marcellina.in.cucina!
Recipe
Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Without Molasses Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cups (406 grams) all purpose (plain) flour plus extra for rolling
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoons cloves
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) unsalted butter
- ¾ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ½ cup dark honey
Instructions
- Whisk (or sieve) all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg.
- In an electric mixer, beat together butter, brown sugar and egg until well combined and lightened in color. Scrape down the sides.
- Add honey and mix on medium speed until well combined.
- Add dry ingredients then mix on low speed until completely incorporated.
- Scrape the dough out onto plastic wrap. Cover with plastic and refrigerate overnight or for up to 5 days. Or freeze for 3 months.
- Return the dough to cool room temperature before using.
- Preheat oven to 375ºF/190ºC. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Divide the dough in half.
- Place one half of the dough on a lightly floured surface.
- Dust with a little flour over the dough and on the rolling pin. Alternatively roll out between two sheets of non-stick parchment paper that has been dusted with flour.
- Roll dough to a ¼ inch (or just under ½ cm) thick then cut out with your desired cutter - of course, gingerbread men are my fav!
- Transfer cookies to the prepared baking sheet, spaced a little bit apart.
- Bake for 8-11 minutes - 8 minutes for softer cookies or longer for more crispy cookies.
- Remove cookies and allow to cool until they are firm enough to transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Decorate as you like. Read my tips below and more thorough instructions in the post.
Notes
- Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Nutritional Information Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Amanda S
Hi Marcellina,
I made these gingerbread cookies today and they are delicious. I really liked the texture, and balance of spices. The dough is quite sticky so wondering if that's normal for this recipe or just humid where I am!
Many thanks,
Amanda
Marcellina
Hi Amanda, yes it is quite a sticky dough. My best tip is to chill the dough well and keep it cold. I also like to roll out the dough between two sheets of non-stick parchment paper that has been dusted with flour. The soft dough means the cookies are lovely and soft even though the dough is a little tricky to work with.
Snow in Prairies
Did exactly as written, result - very good cookies, excellent flavor and texture. Honey and spices are very noticeable, but not too much. Tried baking for 8 min and 10 min - we loved the softer 8 min ones more, will do 8 min from now on.
After previous fiasco with molasses was looking for a recipe without it.
Thank you very much!
Anne W.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe without molasses.
Can you use this dough to press in traditional gingerbread molds?
Cheers,
Anne
Marcellina
Hi Anne, I've never used this dough to press in traditional gingerbread molds so I can't say for sure. It is quite a soft dough so I'm thinking it could stick. I would flour the mold well before pressing. The other thing is that these cookies puff a little. I would also omit the baking powder (not the baking soda) so that your cookies don't puff as much and you still see the pretty design. I hope that helps!