Easy Gingerbread Cookies from Cake Mix: Your Simplest & Softest Holiday Treat!
There’s an undeniable magic to gingerbread during the holiday season. The rich, warm spices, the delightful aroma filling your home, and the joy of decorating these festive shapes – it’s a cherished tradition for many families. But what if you could capture all that holiday cheer with a recipe that’s incredibly quick and uses just three simple ingredients? This doctored cake mix recipe for easy gingerbread cookies is your ultimate shortcut to baking perfection, yielding the softest, most delicious cut-out cookies that everyone will adore.
For us, baking these gingerbread cookies with all the kids in the family on Christmas Eve is a treasured annual event. The anticipation, the sticky fingers, and the bursts of creativity as they decorate each cookie are memories we cherish. And the taste? Absolutely divine! These cookies are just as delightful to eat as they are fun to make and decorate. If you’re a true gingerbread enthusiast, you’ll also love exploring this Easy Gingerbread Recipe (Gingerbread Cake) for a moist, flavorful cake, and this cozy Homemade Gingerbread Latte Recipe to sip alongside your freshly baked treats.
Why This Is the Easiest Gingerbread Cookie Recipe You’ll Ever Make!
Forget complicated ingredient lists and lengthy preparation times. This recipe is a game-changer because it leverages the convenience of a spiced cake mix, transforming it into a homemade-tasting cookie with minimal effort. It’s perfect for busy holiday schedules or when you simply want to whip up a batch of delicious cookies without the fuss. The beauty of this “doctored cake mix” method lies in its simplicity, requiring just three core ingredients that come together to form a wonderfully pliable dough.
Here’s all you need for these fantastic soft cut-out gingerbread cookies:
- **Spiced Cake Mix:** This forms the flavorful base, already packed with the warm notes of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, saving you from measuring individual spices.
- **Butter:** Essential for richness and tender texture.
- **Egg:** Binds everything together, ensuring a cohesive and easy-to-handle dough.
How to Make the Best Easy Gingerbread Cookies: A Simple Step-by-Step Guide
Achieving perfect gingerbread cookies has never been this straightforward. Follow these easy steps to create a batch of soft, beautifully shaped gingerbread delights that will impress everyone.
- **Combine Wet Ingredients:** In a spacious mixing bowl, cream together the chilled egg and room-temperature butter until they are thoroughly combined and smooth. This creates the essential wet base for your dough.
- **Add Cake Mix and Chill Dough:** Gradually incorporate the sifted spiced cake mix into the wet mixture. Mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix. The dough will likely appear crumbly at first, but resist the urge to add any liquid. Instead, use your hands to gently knead it together until it forms a cohesive ball. This gentle kneading helps bring the dough together without developing too much gluten, which can lead to tough cookies. Once formed, wrap the dough tightly in plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours. This crucial step makes the dough much easier to handle and prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking, ensuring they retain their festive shapes.
- **Roll and Cut Shapes:** Once the dough is properly chilled and firm, lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin, or for an even easier process, roll the dough between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. Roll it to an even thickness, typically about ¼ inch. Using your favorite cookie cutters (gingerbread men, stars, trees, snowflakes – let your imagination run wild!), cut out your desired shapes. Carefully transfer the cut-outs to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- **Bake to Perfection and Cool:** Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes, or until the edges are lightly golden and firm to the touch. Baking times can vary depending on the thickness of your cookies and your oven, so keep a close eye on them. Avoid overbaking if you want to maintain that wonderfully soft texture. Once baked, remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- **Decorate and Enjoy:** The fun truly begins once your cookies are fully cooled! Now is the time to unleash your creativity with icing and candies. Decorate them as simply or as intricately as you like. Once decorated, allow the icing to set, and then your delicious, homemade-tasting gingerbread cookies are ready to be devoured!
Frequently Asked Questions About Gingerbread Cookies
Can Gingerbread Man Cookies Be Frozen?
Absolutely! Gingerbread cookies are excellent candidates for freezing, whether baked or as dough. For baked cookies, ensure they have fully cooled down before storing them in air-tight, sealed freezer containers or freezer bags. Layer them with parchment paper to prevent sticking. They can be frozen for up to 3 months. To enjoy, simply let them thaw in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours. Freezing the unbaked dough is also an option; just wrap it tightly and freeze. When ready to bake, thaw the dough in the fridge before rolling and cutting.
Are Gingerbread Cookies Hard or Soft?
The ideal texture for gingerbread cookies is typically soft and tender, yet firm enough to hold their intricate cut-out shapes. This recipe aims for that perfect soft texture with slightly crisp edges, making them a joy to bite into. Harder gingerbread cookies, often baked for longer or with different ingredient ratios, are usually reserved for structural purposes like making gingerbread houses or durable ornaments. While some prefer hard cookies for dunking into hot tea or coffee, our recipe focuses on a delightful melt-in-your-mouth softness.
What Do Classic Homemade Gingerbread Cookies Taste Like?
Classic gingerbread cookies boast a wonderfully balanced flavor profile that is both sweet and warmly spiced. The dominant notes come from a harmonious blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, often found in a quality spiced cake mix. This combination creates a comforting, aromatic taste that instantly evokes holiday cheer. Some bakers also like to enhance this by adding a touch of orange zest for a bright, citrusy counterpoint, or a hint of molasses for deeper, more robust flavor, though it’s not strictly necessary with a good spiced cake mix.
Soft Gingerbread Cookies vs. Chewy Gingerbread Cookies
This particular recipe focuses on creating delightful soft gingerbread cookies that have a tender interior and a slightly crisp exterior. They are designed to be easily bitten into and enjoyed without a lot of effort. Chewy gingerbread cookies, on the other hand, often contain more molasses or a higher ratio of brown sugar, which contributes to their bendy, chewy texture. While both are delicious, if you’re looking for that classic, tender holiday cookie that practically melts in your mouth, this soft version is exactly what you need.
How to Decorate Gingerbread Cookies (Gingerbread Cookie Icing)?
Decorating gingerbread cookies is arguably the most creative and fun part of the process! Traditionally, Royal Icing or Glace Icing are popular choices, as they dry hard and smooth, allowing for intricate details and clean lines. These icings are perfect for creating elaborate designs that hold up well for display or gifting. However, you can also use American Buttercream Frosting for a softer, creamier decoration, though it won’t dry as firm. In our home, I often decorate with melted chocolate because my kid absolutely prefers the rich, sweet taste of chocolate over traditional icing. Don’t be afraid to experiment with sprinkles, mini candies, or edible glitter to make each cookie unique!
How to Keep Cookies from Spreading?
Preventing your carefully cut gingerbread shapes from spreading into amorphous blobs during baking is key to beautiful holiday cookies. The single most important tip is to **chill the dough!** Chilling the dough thoroughly, as recommended in our recipe, firms up the butter within the mixture. When the cold dough hits the warm oven, the butter takes longer to melt and spread, giving the cookie structure time to set before the fat fully liquefies. This ensures your cookies maintain their crisp edges and distinct shapes. Using cold ingredients initially, especially the egg, also contributes to a firmer dough, further minimizing spreading. Avoid using softened or melted butter beyond “room temperature” as this will lead to a very soft dough prone to spreading.
Essential Tips for Baking the Best Christmas Gingerbread Cookies
To ensure your gingerbread cookies turn out perfectly every time, keep these expert tips in mind:
- **Sift Your Cake Mix:** While optional, sifting the boxed cake mix flour at least once can make a noticeable difference. It helps remove any tiny lumps, resulting in a smoother dough and baked cookies without little specks of unmixed flour. Most people might not notice tiny specks, but for perfection, sifting is key.
- **Don’t Add Extra Liquid to Dough:** The dough will initially appear crumbly. This is normal! Do not be tempted to add any type of liquid to thin it out. Instead, use your hands to gently knead the mixture. The warmth from your hands will help the butter and egg bind the cake mix into a cohesive, pliable dough.
- **Use a Cold Egg:** Unlike many baking recipes where room-temperature eggs are preferred, for cut-out cookies like these, use a cold, refrigerated egg. A cold egg helps keep the dough firmer, which in turn prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking and helps them hold their intricate shapes better.
- **Butter at Room Temperature (Not Melted):** Your butter should be at a true “room temperature” – softened enough to cream easily but not melted or greasy. Melted butter will make the dough too soft and sticky, leading to excessive spreading.
- **Chill the Dough Properly:** This is a non-negotiable step! Chilling the dough for 40 minutes to 1 hour (or even longer) is crucial. It makes the dough much easier to roll and cut, and more importantly, it prevents the cookies from spreading excessively in the oven, ensuring they maintain their beautiful, defined shapes.
- **Experiment with Other Cake Mixes:** The beauty of this “doctored cake mix” method is its versatility! You can apply this same 3-ingredient concept to almost any flavor of cake mix (vanilla, chocolate, lemon, etc.) to create a variety of easy cut-out cookies.
- **Go Gluten-Free:** If you or someone you’re baking for has dietary restrictions, simply use a gluten-free spiced cake mix to make delicious gluten-free gingerbread cookies. The results are just as fantastic!
- **Not for Gingerbread Houses:** Please note that while these cookies are soft and delicious for eating, they are NOT ideal for constructing gingerbread houses. Their soft texture means they can’t handle the structural weight of candies and icing required for a sturdy house. For architectural gingerbread projects, you’ll need a much firmer, stronger dough. For that, you can check out my dedicated Gingerbread House Tutorial which includes a recipe specifically designed for firm and strong gingerbread.
- **Storage:** Store baked and cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
- **Make-Ahead Option:** You can make the cookie dough ahead of time and keep it refrigerated for up to 2-3 days before rolling and baking. This is great for holiday prep!
More Doctored Cake Mix Recipes to Love
If you enjoy the simplicity and delicious results of these cake mix gingerbread cookies, you’ll be thrilled to discover how versatile a boxed cake mix can be! Here are some other fantastic doctored cake mix recipes that take a shortcut to incredible homemade treats:
- Cake Mix Pumpkin Donuts
- Easy Pumpkin Cake With Cake Mix
- Easy Apple Cake With Cake Mix
- Cake Mix Cookie Bars
- Chocolate Cake Mix Cookies
- Cake Mix Chocolate M&M Cookies
- Easy Cake Mix Brownies
- Cake Mix Champagne Cupcakes
- Coconut Cranberry Cake With Cake Mix
- Eggnog Cookies
Recipe
Easy Gingerbread Cookies (Cake Mix)
Abeer Rizvi
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Ingredients
- 1 Egg Large
- ½ cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- 1 package Spiced cake mix box
- 1 cup Royal icing or melted chocolate Optional, For decoration
- ½ cup Mini m&m candies Optional, For decoration
Instructions
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Add the egg and butter in a mixing bowl and mix until thoroughly combined.
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Sift the boxed cake mix.
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Add the cake mix into the wet mixture and mix until just combined. Don’t over mix.
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Chill dough for about 1-2 hours so that it’s easier to handle. It also prevents cookies from spreading too much while baking and they hold their shape better.
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Roll the dough between two sheets of wax paper and use your cutters to cut out various shapes.
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Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are firm and slightly brown.
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Allow the cookies to cool down and then decorate them with royal icing/ melted chocolate and candies. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge or room temperature for up to 2 days.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Embrace the joy of holiday baking with these incredibly easy and utterly delicious gingerbread cookies. They’re perfect for sharing, gifting, or simply enjoying with a warm cup of coffee or tea. Until next time, tata my lovelies!