You'll love these stout gingerbread molasses cookies! No chill step necessary for this gingerbread recipe! And if you love these no chill gingerbread cookies and you're looking for more amazing holiday cookies, check out my No Spread Sugar Cookies, my Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies, and my Peppermint White Chocolate Sugar Cookies!
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Stout Gingerbread Molasses Cookies - No Chill
I love holiday cookies and I have shared lots of them! But (arguably) none of those are more fit for the holidays than gingerbread! The first time I tried traditional german gingerbread at the Chicago Christkindlmarkt, I loved the soft texture and the bold spices! I knew I had to try it myself! And so the recipe for these soft stout gingerbread cookies was born.
The inspiration for this soft gingerbread cookies recipe is Claudia Fleming's Stout Gingerbread, which adds the full-bodied flavor of stout to a gingerbread loaf with plenty of spices. I love that combination! The molasses, spices, and rich, soft texture of these cookies were absolutely perfect! But you may know -- I'm always looking for an excuse to use brown butter, so I added a brown butter cream cheese buttercream frosting, and I regret nothing!
What happens if you don't chill gingerbread dough?
Because these are drop cookies, they're totally fine not being chilled before baking! The cookie dough is designed to spread into small, round soft cookies.
How to Make No Chill Gingerbread Cookies
Here's what you'll need to make these perfectly soft no chill gingerbread cookies:
- all-purpose flour - should be measured using the spoon and level method, or even better, with a kitchen scale -- you'll need 352 grams.
- baking soda - gives these cookies a nice lift, reacting to the acidity of the molasses.
- ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, and black pepper - I told you these cookies had plenty of spices! You can feel free to omit the black pepper or cayenne if you want to tone down the spiciness, but I wouldn't recommend it!
- salted butter - it should be softened to room temperature.
- brown sugar - you can use light brown sugar, or dark brown sugar for a little extra flavor.
- egg - should be room temperature.
- stout beer - I used Guinness, but you can use your favorite stout or any full-bodied beer for this recipe
- dark molasses - this is key! Gives these soft stout gingerbread cookies the perfect rich sweetness that gingerbread is known for. And it helps them to stay soft for days!
- white sugar - to roll the cookies in. This adds a little sweetness and helps to keep them from spreading too much.
And for the brown butter cream cheese frosting, you'll need:
- salted butter - softened to room temperature
- cream cheese - softened to room temperature
- powdered sugar - like your flour above, use the spoon and level method or use a kitchen scale.
- pure vanilla extract - be sure to use a high-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
Equipment
For this no chill gingerbread cookies recipe, you will need either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, as well as the typical cookie go-tos: a large baking sheet, a silicone baking mat, and a cooling rack!
Do I need to refrigerate gingerbread cookies?
For these cookies, I would recommend storing the baked cookies in the fridge because of the cream cheese frosting. Keep them in the fridge in an airtight container for up to a week, or in the freezer, well wrapped, for up to a month.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Lemon Curd Cookies
- Slice and Bake Christmas Cookies with Cranberries and White Chocolate
- Ginger Crinkle Cookies
- Christmas Cookie Cake
- Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- 2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- pinch cardamom
- pinch freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper - optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter - softened
- 1 cup brown sugar - packed
- 1 large egg
- 3 tablespoon stout beer (see note)
- ⅓ cup dark molasses
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 oz cream cheese - softened
- 16 oz powdered sugar - (one 1-lb. box)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- In a medium bowl combine flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, cayenne, black pepper, cardamom and salt. Set aside.2 ¾ cups all purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda, 1 ½ tablespoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, pinch cardamom, pinch freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Using mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, stout and molasses, mixing well after each addition. Slowly blend flour mixture into butter mixture until incorporated; scraping down bowl and beaters.¾ cup unsalted butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 large egg, 3 tablespoon stout beer (see note), ⅓ cup dark molasses
- Shape dough into one-inch balls and place on parchment-covered baking sheets 1-2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes. After 5 minutes move to wire racks.
Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- Cook butter in a light-colored sauté pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, 6 to 8 minutes or until butter begins to turn golden brown.4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- Immediately remove from heat and pour into a bowl, scraping out brown bits with it. Cover and chill 1 hour or until butter is cool and begins to solidify.
- Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Stir in vanilla and add salt to taste.8 oz cream cheese, 16 oz powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Frost cookies generously and allow to set slightly. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this soft gingerbread cookie for later!
Jazz
I LOVE the way this frosting and cookie taste together. This will be my cookie swap recipe for the holiday. Thank you!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! I hope it's a big hit!
Tamara Johnson
These cookies were absolutely delicious. They bring back so many great childhood memories too. I cannot wait to make another batch very soon!
Chenée Lewis
Same here! I'm so glad you liked them!
Kaluhi
You had me at no chill!! The flavor of these cookies was unforgettable! The depth of the stout really came through and the cream softened that assertiveness!So delicious!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you so much! 🙂
Mila
I love making cookies for friends and this recipe rocked. My people loved the frosting on top. It's super rich and has a nice bite that pairs well with the gingerbread!
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! These cookies are great for a crowd!
Chef Mireille
I have used a pinch of black pepper before in sweet recipes but never before tried cayenne pepper. It just created that hint of spice in the background that worked perfectly. What a fabulous idea!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! So glad you liked it!
Lilly
These gingerbread cookies are sooo good! I swear, when I made them I planned to share them, but I ended up eating over half of them all by myself! This recipe is so perfect! I cannot wait to make it again
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked them! They're some of my faves!
Kate
These cookies turned out so chewy and delicious! It was my first time using stout in my baking and let's just say that there is no looking back! Thank you very much!
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad you liked the cookies! Thanks!
Robin
My nieces and nephews gobbled these cookies up! This recipe will be on heavy rotation throughout the holiday season.
Chenée Lewis
So glad they liked them! Thanks for giving them a try.
Dee Moore
These cookies were such a delicious treat and the cream cheese frosting was so yummy!
Chenée Lewis
Thank you! The frosting is my favorite part!
Barry J.
I love gingerbread cookies! I can eat them any time of year and had no idea they were made with beer. What I loved most about these is how easy they were to make. The brown butter cream cheese frosting went perfectly with them as well.
Chenée Lewis
Thanks! I think most gingerbread cookies are made without beer, but I got inspiration from a stout gingerbread cake that I like -- I love the depth that it adds to these spicy cookies!
Marta
My husband brought home a pack of Breakfast Stout (to drink) so I took advantage of it. Perfectly chewy cookies with a rich frosting. Great dessert.
Chenée Lewis
Nice! Glad you liked them!
Jimmy Clare
I love gingerbread cookies
Chenée Lewis
Me too!! 🙂