Mini Gingerbread Cookies

5 from 5 votes

These mini gingerbread cookies are the cutest little warm-spiced treats! They're refined sugar-free and are sweetened with maple syrup and molasses but still have that classic ginger flavor and crunch.

Prep Time15

Cook Time7

Chill Time1

Total Time1 22

Course: Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: mini cookies

Author: Lily Payen

Ingredients

6 tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
2 tbsp unsulfured molasses
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 egg yolk at room temperature
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Add the softened butter, maple syrup, and molasses to a bowl and use an electric hand mixer or stand mixer to cream them together on high speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the egg yolk and vanilla to the bowl and mix on medium speed until incorporated about 1 minute
In a small bowl, mix the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt until combined
Add in the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until it forms a dough. It may seem crumbly at first, but it will form into a soft dough. Scrape down the sides as needed and do not overmix. It will be slightly sticky but will firm up once it chills.
Scoop the dough into a small bowl and cover it tightly. Place the bowl in the fridge to allow the dough to chill for at least 1 hour or overnight. This step is important and it will allow the flour time to hydrate and make it easier to roll out.
After at least an hour, place the chilled dough on the counter to allow it to slightly soften. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour on a surface or sheet of parchment paper and place the dough on top. Flour a rolling pin and roll the dough out until it is about 1/4 of an inch thick for crunchy cookies. If you prefer softer cookies, roll it out slightly thicker.
Use a mini stamp gingerbread cookie cutter (or any mini cookie cutter) to cut out shapes from the dough. Transfer them immediately to a parchment paper-lined pan. Peel away the scraps and reroll them out to cut out more shapes from the dough until all of the dough is used. Add additional flour as needed to prevent the dough from sticking. I was able to make two trays full of mini cookies using this dough.
Bake the cookies for 5 to 7 minutes until the edges are lightly golden brown. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing them from the pan.
To make homemade cookie icing drizzle, mix powdered sugar, and milk with a fork until smooth, adding a little more liquid as needed until you reach the desired consistency. Drizzle the icing on top of the cookies and allow it to fully set before serving.

Notes

- The dough may seem a little sticky at first, but it will firm up once it chills. If the dough still seems sticky when you are rolling it out, add a little more flour to the surface/rolling pin to prevent it from sticking, or roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper. If you find that the cookie shapes are getting distorted when transferring to a cookie sheet to bake, try cutting out the cookies directly on a sheet of parchment paper, peeling away the excess, and then transferring that sheet directly onto a baking pan to bake. This will help the shape cutouts maintain their shapes.

- I like to use these pre-stamped mini cookie cutters that have a gingerbread face and button imprinted on them, but any mini cookie cutter will work. You can also use a full-sized cookie cutter and bake the cookies for an additional 3 to 4 minutes!

- Make sure to let the cookies cool completely before decorating. They will be soft at first right out of the oven but will firm up as they cool.

- Make sure that your butter and egg yolk are at room temperature beforehand. Cutting butter up into cubes will help it come to room temperature quickly.

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