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+ servings
4.47 from 26 votes

Cardamom Gingerbread Cookies with Orange Glaze

Yield: 34 cookies
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
These stamped cardamom gingerbread cookies with orange glaze is my most popular holiday recipe! They're chewy, perfectly spiced, and even better, there's no chilling or rolling required. These cookies are a stunner for cookie exchanges, Christmas parties, and cookie boxes. Make sure to add this recipe to your holiday baking list!

Ingredients

Cardamom Gingerbread Cookies

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour (480 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (12 grams)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional, for very soft cookies)
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons freshly-ground cardamom (or 1 Tablespoon pre-ground)
  • 1 teaspoon ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (226 grams)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar (210 grams)
  • 1 egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup molasses (162 grams)

Orange Glaze

  • 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar (168 grams), plus more for stamping
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, more or less (60 grams)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons orange zest (1 large orange)

Equipment

Instructions 

Cardamom Gingerbread Cookies

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and line two sheet pans with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda (if using), salt, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
  • Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until it's light and fluffy, 3-4 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla until incorporated. Then, beat in the molasses until thoroughly mixed.
  • Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, beating just until the dough comes together. Don't over-mix the dough! Stir the dough with a rubber spatula to make sure there are no dry spots.
  • Using a #40 (2 Tablespoon) cookie scoop, scoop the dough and roll it into balls. Then, flatten each ball into a thick puck. Dust a cookie stamp lightly with powdered sugar. Firmly and evenly press the cookie stamp into one of the balls of dough. Repeat with remaining dough until all of your cookies are stamped. If you want clean edges, use a 2-2 1/2 inch cookie cutter to cut off the rough edges.
  • Line the cookies on the prepared sheet pans about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the cookies for about 15-30 minutes (optional - I do this to ensure the design on the cookies remains pronounced. However, I've baked them from room temperature, and it doesn't make a huge difference either way). Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes just until they're baked through. The cookies will puff up a little, but they will deflate once they're cooled.
  • Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for about 5 minutes, and then place the cookies on a wire rack and let them cool completely.

Orange Glaze

  • In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and orange zest. Add more milk (1 Tablespoon at a time) if it's too thick or more powdered sugar (1 Tablespoon at a time) if it's too thin. The icing should be fairly thin (the consistency of warmed honey) so it doesn't cover up the design of the cookies.
  • Once the cookies are cooled, dip the top of each cookie in the glaze. Place the glazed cookies on a wire rack over a parchment-lined sheet pan and let any extra icing drip off. Let the icing harden for about 20-30 minutes. Once the glaze is hard, store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

Notes

I always recommend weighing ingredients with a scale! This is the only way to make sure that the cookies come out perfect every single time. If you are using cups, make sure to measure the flour properly! Fluff the flour with a whisk and spoon the fluffed flour into a measuring cup. Then, level it off without packing in the flour.
Sometimes, the dough will stick to the stamps if it is too warm. If the dough gets too sticky, just pop it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes to help stiffen it up. Also, make sure you're dusting the stamps with powdered sugar!
Make sure you're pressing the cookie stamps evenly. You want the cookies to be about 1/4-inch all around so they bake consistently.
For prettier cookies, cut the edges of the unbaked cookies with a round cookie cutter. You can also use a biscuit cutter, jar lid, or drinking glass.
I like to chill my cookies while the oven is preheating just to make sure the cookie stamp designs are super pronounced. But, I've also baked them from room temperature and there's not a huge difference either way.
For very soft, cakey cookies, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to the flour mixture. Please note that the stamp design will not be as pronounced, because they will puff up more. Without baking soda, the cookies are still soft but with more of a bite.
If your cookies are getting "bubbles" in them, don't worry! Just make sure you're rolling the dough into compact discs to remove as much air as possible before you stamp them.
Cuisine: American
Course: Dessert
Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 204kcal, Carbohydrates: 32.4g, Protein: 3.1g, Fat: 6.7g, Saturated Fat: 3.7g, Cholesterol: 25mg, Sodium: 79mg, Potassium: 252mg, Fiber: 0.8g, Sugar: 14.6g, Calcium: 79mg, Iron: 2mg
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