Chocolate Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

Making gingerbread cookies with my family is one of my most treasured holiday traditions. And while I love the classics, these chocolate gingerbread cutout cookies offer a delicious twist. They have the warm holiday spices you expect, like cinnamon, cloves and ginger, but with a light chocolate flavor. This is easily one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes ever.

I’ve learned over the years that one of the most important steps to making cutout cookies is chilling the dough before rolling it out; it helps the cookies keep their shape while they bake in the oven. But they’ll still puff and expand a little, so choose simple cookie cutters with recognizable holiday shapes. Think gingerbread people, trees, snowmen and ornaments. (Avoid cutters with intricate details that may get lost during baking.)

Recipe creator Stephanie Sutphin of Radford, Virginia, says she’s been making these for years, and the kids and adults in her family equally love them. Don’t forget to make frosting (like pipeable royal icing) and pick holiday sprinkles and candies—decorating chocolate gingerbread cutouts is the very best part!

Ingredients for Chocolate Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

• Shortening: Vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, makes an easy-to-handle dough and a tender cookie.
• Butter: Any of the best butter brands will add rich flavor to these gingerbread cookies and other baked goods.
• Sweeteners: Brown sugar and molasses are two types of sugar in almost every gingerbread recipe. They contribute to the soft texture and give the cookies that classic, homey flavor.
• Baking cocoa: Baking pros never skimp on a good cocoa powder brand; they know that it makes all the difference in cookies, brownies and other chocolaty bakes.
• Spices: These cookies have the classic spice blend of ground ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves.
• Baking powder: It’s always smart to test your baking powder before using it. It needs oomph to give these cookies a light texture.
• Flour: This recipe makes lots of cookies, so you’ll need plenty of all-purpose flour.
• Egg: It’s always best to bake with room-temperature eggs so they incorporate more evenly into the dough. PS: Here’s every way to crack an egg, whether you’re a new baker or an old pro!
• Vinegar: A little white vinegar helps activate the baking powder and lift the cookies during baking.
• Frosting: To decorate the gingerbread cookies, make a basic white frosting and tint portions of it with red and green food coloring.

Directions

Step 1: Make the cookie dough

In a large bowl, cream together the shortening, softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, five to seven minutes. Add the egg, molasses and vinegar.

In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon and cloves, and gradually add it to the creamed mixture. Mix well.

Step 2: Chill the dough

Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough until it’s easy to handle, about four hours or overnight.

Step 3: Roll and cut the cookies

Preheat the oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the gingerbread cookie dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut out shapes with floured 2-1/2-inch cookie cutters. Place the cookies 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.

Editor’s Tip: You can also line the baking sheets with parchment to ensure the cookies release easily.

Step 4: Bake the cookies

Bake the cookie cutouts until the edges are firm, seven to nine minutes. Remove the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Editor’s Tip: It’s always a good idea to bake a single test cookie first to make sure there aren’t any problems before the whole batch goes in!

Step 5: Decorate

To decorate the cookies, tint some of your frosting red and some green; leave the remaining frosting white. Use the three colors to decorate the cookies.

Editor’s Tip: Don’t stop with frosting! Add holiday sprinkles, small candies, raisins, and chopped nuts to make faces and fun patterns.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cutout Cookie Variations

• Give them a dip: Once the cookies are cool, dip them in melted chocolate: white, milk or semisweet. If you’d like, add sprinkles or candies before the chocolate sets.
• Create cookie sandwiches: Spread frosting on the back of one cookie and press it together with a second cookie so the frosting reaches the edges. Roll the edges in colorful sprinkles for extra color.
• Make ice cream sandwiches: Spoon softened vanilla or another flavor ice cream between two gingerbread cutouts. Wrap the ice cream sandwiches in storage wrap and pop them in the freezer to firm up.

How to Store Chocolate Gingerbread Cutout Cookies

The most important rule for storing cookies is to let them cool completely. Storing warm cookies will trap moisture, ruining the texture. Stack the cooled gingerbread cutouts in a cookie storage container, layering the cookies between sheets of waxed paper or parchment to help protect frosted cookies from sticking together. Store the cookies at room temperature.

How long do chocolate gingerbread cutout cookies last?

Stored properly, chocolate gingerbread cutouts will last up to a week.

Can you freeze chocolate gingerbread cutout cookies?

Yes, chocolate gingerbread cookies freeze beautifully, which is so helpful when planning out holiday parties and other events. It’s best to freeze plain cookies; save the frosting and other decorations for when they’re out of the freezer. Layer the plain cookies in a freezer-proof container with waxed paper or parchment between layers. Cover it tightly. Store the cookies in the freezer for up to three months. Move the cookies to the refrigerator to defrost overnight.

Chocolate Gingerbread Cutout Cookie Tips

How do you know when chocolate gingerbread cutouts are done baking?

Because of their dark hue from cocoa and molasses, it can be tricky to tell when chocolate gingerbread cookies are ready to come out of the oven. The best bet is to check the edges: When the edges are set and firm, the cookies are done. If they seem too delicate to move, let them rest on the cookie sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Why did my chocolate gingerbread cutout cookies spread in the oven?

If your chocolate gingerbread cookies spread too much during baking, it’s probably because the dough was too warm. Chill the cookie dough entirely—at least four hours or overnight. Sometimes the dough will warm and soften again during rolling and cutting; if this happens, chill the cookie cutouts in the fridge for 30 minutes or so before baking. The cold helps firm up the shortening and butter in the dough so the cutouts can better keep their shape.