Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Cookies made healthier with honey and applesauce.
Servings
24cookies
Cook Time
8minutes
Servings
24cookies
Cook Time
8minutes
Ingredients
Instructions
Cookie dough
  1. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened butter and brown sugar together.
  2. Beat in the egg, vanilla, applesauce and honey.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine all dry ingredients and stir to mix. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well to combine and form cookie dough.
  4. Split the dough in half and press the dough to form two circles. Wrap each cookie dough circle in plastic wrap.
  5. Refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 4 – 6 hours, but I recommend overnight.
Shape, Bake, and Decorate
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Place the unwrapped refrigerated circle of dough onto a large piece of parchment paper on a flat work surface. With a rolling pin, roll and flatten the cookie dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, press shapes into the dough. Carefully remove the excess dough from around your cookie shapes and place the cookies on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
  3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 8 – 10 minutes. The edges of the cookies will just start to turn golden brown when they are finished.  
  4. Carefully remove from oven and allow the cookies to cool on baking sheet for 1 minute, then carefully transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Allow the cookies to cool completely before decorating.
  5. Decorate your cookies however you like. Once you have decorated your cookies, allow the icing to set for 4 hours before you stack the cookies. Store your cookies in an airtight container.
Recipe Notes

I strongly recommend that you make the cookie dough the day before you are going to make your gingerbread cookies. The cookie dough is so much easier to work with after it has been refrigerated overnight. Only take one circle of dough out of the refrigerator at a time so that the dough stays cold. Making the cookies in batches is helpful.