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This perfect sweet and spicy Small-batch Gingerbread Cookie recipe will make 6 to 8 large cookies and about 2 dozen mini gingerbread cookies.

It’s that time of year again, time to talk about Christmas cookies! Last week, I posted about these Small-batch Snowball Cookies , and today I have another Christmas cookie for you, Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies!

Gingerbread can be a bit hit or miss. Sometimes it’s too spicy, too hard, too soft.

But this gingerbread is like the Goldilocks version of gingerbread. It has a great spicy kick without being overpowering. When you bite into them, there’s a little snap, but they’re also a bit chewy, so you aren’t going to break your teeth on these tasty little cookies.

Basically, they’re the best, and since this gingerbread cookie recipe is a small-batch gingerbread cookie recipe, you can whip them up whenever you feel like adding a bit of Christmas to your day.

It will make 6 to 8 largish gingerbread cookies or about 2-dozen bite-sized mini cookies (my favorite).

Ingredient Notes

• Unsulfured molasses: The standard molasses you buy at the grocery store is usually unsulfured. It will typically say unsulfured right on the label. If you don’t often cook with molasses, it’s a handy ingredient to have around, especially during the holidays, and once opened, it will keep for about a year. In the grocery store, you can usually find it near the syrups in the baking or breakfast aisle.
• Butter: Salted or unsalted butter is fine here.
• Vegetable shortening: The recipe uses a combination of shortening and butter to achieve the best texture possible, but if you don’t have shortening, you can replace the shortening with the same amount of butter. Cookies made with butter will spread a bit more, but will still be great.
• Egg yolk: Since this is a small-batch recipe you don’t need a whole egg, just the yolk. For ideas on what to do with the leftover egg white, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Egg Whites (I recommend a small batch of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins ).

How to Make Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies

1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices in a small bowl.
2. In a medium bowl, beat together butter, shortening, and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Beat in molasses and egg yolk. Switch to a wooden spoon and stir in the flour mixture a third at a time. Mixing in the flour will take a little time. Just keep stirring until it’s all mixed.
4. Once your dough comes together, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper and refrigerate the dough for 45 minutes.
5. After the dough is chilled, cut into shapes, refrigerate them for an additional 15 minutes to help them hold their shape in the oven, and then bake until the edges are set. Decorate with icing and enjoy!

Quick Icing for Gingerbread Cookies

And because we are only making a small batch of cookies, I figure you probably aren’t going to want to take the time to make royal icing, so I used a quick faux royal icing on these.

This icing is made with just 3 ingredients, powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla extract. It won’t pipe as cleanly or dry nearly as hard as real royal icing, but it works well as a quick substitute and tastes fantastic.

What kind of molasses do you use for gingerbread cookies?

For these gingerbread cookies, use regular unsulfured molasses . Both light and dark molasses should work, but steer clear of blackstrap molasses which is not as sweet and quite bitter. If you’re wondering what’s up with all the different varieties of molasses, I really like this article on the topic .

Can I use royal icing on these cookies?

Absolutely. If you want to use royal icing, make up a quick batch and go for it.

What other frosting can I use for gingerbread cookies?

It might sound odd, but cream cheese frosting is such a good combo with gingerbread. You can also go with a plain vanilla frosting if you want something more substantial than icing.

Why did my gingerbread turn out hard?

If your cookies turned out hard, they were probably baked too long. Next time bake the cookies for a shorter time, just until they begin to look set around the edges.

Can I freeze these cookies?

Yes! Gingerbread cookies freeze very well. Just store them in an airtight container or freezer bag and they’ll keep in your freezer for up to 2 months.

My dough is crumbly how can I fix this?

If your dough is crumbly, it’s probably because you ended up with slightly too much flour or had a particularly small egg yolk and there wasn’t enough liquid in your dough. Next time measure your flour with a scale (recommended) or using the spoon and sweep method (stir the flour in your container to fluff it up and then spoon it into your measuring cup, sweep excess off with the flat of a knife).

To fix a crumbly dough, add just a bit of milk or water by the 1/4 teaspoon until the dough comes together.

More Christmas Recipes

• Hot Chocolate
• Peppermint Mocha
• Chai Sugar Cookies With Eggnog Glaze
• Perfect Snickerdoodles

More Small-batch Cookie Recipes

• Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Small-batch Cut-out Sugar Cookies
• Small-batch Oatmeal Cookies
• Small-batch Shortbread Cookies

Or check out my entire Small-batch Cookie Recipe Archive .

Equipment

• Parchment paper
• Handheld electric mixer

Ingredients

Gingerbread

• ▢ 1 cup + 2 tablespoons ( 135g ) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ Pinch of salt
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 24 g) vegetable shortening room temperature*
• ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 38 g) packed brown sugar
• ▢ 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk

Faux Royal Icing

• ▢ 1/2 cup ( 60 g) powdered sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon milk
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer to beat butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined. Add sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add molasses and egg yolk and beat until completely incorporated.
• Add flour one-third at a time and use a spoon to stir until well-mixed and no streaks of dry flour remain.
• Roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper, slide parchment paper and dough onto a baking sheet or other flat surface, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 350°. Cut out cookies, re-rolling dough between parchment paper as needed. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow cookies to firm up so they don’t spread too much in the oven.
• Bake for 9 to 14 minutes depending on cookie size, until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheet until cool enough to handle and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Faux Royal Icing

• Whisk together powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of the milk, and vanilla. Add milk by the 1/4 teaspoon until icing reaches a consistency where if you run a knife through it, it takes 20 seconds to fill back in completely. Transfer icing to a piping bag or disposable plastic bag with the tip cut off and go wild decorating!
• Allow icing 5 to 10 minutes to set before eating and enjoy!

Notes

Gingerbread Adapted From Food Network

These rich and amazing Buckeye Brownie Cookies have a fudgy chocolate cookie base, sweet peanut butter center, and are topped with melted chocolate.

Looking for a truly decadent and ridiculously good cookie recipe to try out this weekend? You should definitely make these Buckeye Brownie Cookies.

The cookie base might look familiar. It’s the same one I use for my Miniature Hot Chocolate Cookies . It’s made with pure melted chocolate and just a tiny bit of cocoa powder. So about 90% of the chocolate flavor comes from actual chocolate, making the cookies incredibly rich and soft, to the point that they are more of a brownie in cookie form than anything.

On top is a layer of sweet peanut butter, and then they get slathered in melted chocolate so you end up with a cookie that is sheer indulgence. And since this is a small-batch recipe and makes just 6 cookies, feel free to indulge away.

Ingredient Notes

• Butter: Unsalted or salted butter will work in this recipe. If using salted butter, cut the salt in the recipe to a pinch.
• Chopped semi-sweet chocolate: Most of the chocolate flavor in these cookies comes from melted chocolate in the dough, so be sure to use good-quality chocolate. Good-quality chips like Ghirardelli or Guittard will work just fine.
• Peanut butter: Natural-style peanut butter will work okay for these cookies, but you’ll get a smoother peanut butter layer if you use a processed brand like Jif or Skippy.

How to Make Buckeye Brownie Cookies

1. Melt chocolate and butter together and stir until smooth.
2. Combine brown sugar, egg, and vanilla, and then stir in the melted chocolate.
3. Add remaining cookie ingredients and stir until a sticky dough forms. Refrigerate until firm enough to handle. Form dough into 6 large balls and bake.
4. Stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar, form into disks, and press into the baked cookies.
5. Top the cookies with melted chocolate and chill until chocolate is set.
6. Eat and enjoy!!

Can I freeze buckeye brownie cookies?

Yes. Buckeye cookies freeze very well. Even though this is a small-batch recipe, I still often freeze most of them because they are just so rich and filling.

To freeze, store in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 2 months. Defrost on the counter for 15-20 minutes to give the peanut butter and chocolate time to come back to room temperature or enjoy frozen on a hot summer day.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes! The recipe doubles with no preparation changes needed. To change the recipe yield, hover over the serving size in the recipe card below or click if you’re on mobile, and slide the slider.

I’m in a hurry. Do I have to chill the dough?

Sorry but YES! Because this recipe uses melted chocolate, you absolutely must chill the dough otherwise it will be much too soft to work with and will spread far too much in the oven while baking.

Why are these called buckeye cookies?

These cookies are called buckeye cookies because they are a cookie-fied version of buckeye candy, which if you’ve never had them, are sweet peanut butter balls that have been dipped in chocolate.

Buckeye candy gets its name because it looks like the nuts from the buckeye tree. And the buckeye tree gets its name because its nuts resemble the eye of a deer.

Aren’t you glad you asked? 😉

More Small-batch Cookie Recipes

• Small-batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Small-batch Peanut Butter Cookies
• Small-batch Oatmeal Cookies
• Perfect Small-batch Sugar Cookies
• Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies

Or check out my entire Small-batch Cookie Recipe Archive .

Ingredients

Chocolate Cookies

• ▢ 3 tablespoons ( 42g ) unsalted butter *
• ▢ 2/3 cup ( 4oz ) chopped semi-sweet chocolate high-quality chips are fine
• ▢ 1/3 cup + 1 heaping tablespoon ( 85 g) brown sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon ( 70 g) all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 10 g) natural cocoa powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon salt

Sweet Peanut Butter Layer

• ▢ 1/4 cup ( 65g ) creamy peanut butter
• ▢ 1/4 cup ( 30 g) powdered sugar

Chocolate Topping

• ▢ 1/3 cup ( 2 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chopped

Instructions

Chocolate Cookies

• In a small bowl, melt butter and 2/3 cup of the chocolate chips together in the microwave. Heat for 30 seconds and stir. Then continue in 15-second bursts, stirring in between until smooth. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until just combined. Whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture.
• Mix in flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, until just combined. Dough will be very soft and sticky.
• Cover and chill dough for 45 minutes until the dough is firm enough to handle.*
• Preheat oven to 325°Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• Scoop and roll dough into 6 large balls and place on prepared cookie sheet spaced evenly apart. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are crinkled and look set.

Sweet Peanut Butter Layer

• In a small bowl, use a fork to mix peanut butter and powdered sugar until well-combined. Divide mixture into 6 even balls. Squish peanut butter into 1/4-inch disks between the palms of your hands and place in the centers of the warm cookies, pressing them down just slightly.

Chocolate Topping

• In a small bowl, melt chocolate. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and then microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Repeat until chocolate is melted. Spoon over the cookies and chill until chocolate is set. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This quick and easy creamy tomato tortellini soup can be made with just a handful of ingredients in less than 30 minutes.

Heya, friends. Today’s recipe is SO good and SO easy. It should immediately go into your winter weeknight dinner rotation.

The creamy tomato soup base is a modified version of my ever-popular Tomato Soup recipe , and it’s stuffed with pillowy, cheesy tortellini. It’s perfect for chilly winter evenings and busy weeknights.

Ingredient Notes

• Crushed tomatoes: This is my preferred brand of crushed tomatoes. You can use whole or diced canned tomatoes here as well, but you’ll need to either puree them in a blender or food processor before cooking or use an immersion blender to puree the entire soup before adding the tortellini.
• Refrigerated cheese tortellini: Fresh, refrigerated tortellini works best for this soup. You can usually find tortellini in the cheese and lunch meat aisle next to the ravioli.
• Heavy cream: This recipe won’t use up an entire carton of heavy cream. For storage tips and more heavy cream recipes, check out my post What to Do With Leftover Cream .

How to Make Tomato Tortellini Soup

1. Melt butter and cook onions until softened in a 4-quart pot.
2. Add garlic and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
3. Carefully add the tomatoes (they will pop and sizzle when they hit the hot pan).
4. Add the broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
5. Add tortellini, basil, and oregano. Cover and cook until tortellini is al dente.
6. Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

What to serve with Tortellini Tomato Soup?

Serve the soup with a slice of crusty bread with butter and a simple vegetable side like:

• Parmesan Zucchini
• Broccoli in the Oven
• Steamed Broccoli
• Roasted Green Beans

Can I freeze tomato tortellini soup?

Absolutely, BUT this soup freezes best when the tomato soup base and the tortellini are frozen separately. Follow the soup recipe as written and stop before you add the tortellini.

Freeze the soup and uncooked tortellini separately for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to eat it, defrost just the soup in the refrigerator overnight. On the stove, bring the soup to a simmer and add in and cook the frozen tortellini (and cream) just before serving.

See my post How to Freeze Soup for more freezing tips and tricks.

Can I make this recipe ahead of time?

Yes. Make the soup and store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stove when you’re ready to eat.

The tortellini will suck up some of the broth and get a little softer as it sits, so if you prefer, you can also make the soup and stop before you add the tortellini. Refrigerate it and when you’re ready to eat, bring the soup back to a simmer and add in and cook the tortellini (and cream) just before serving.

A Note on Soup Texture

Since we’re using finely diced onions and crushed tomatoes in this recipe, you don’t need to puree the soup before serving the way you do with most tomato soups.

BUT, if you prefer a completely smooth soup base, you can still puree everything before adding the tortellini.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or cool the soup for 10 minutes and then transfer it to a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and then return it to the pot, add the tortellini, and finish the recipe according to the instructions.

More Easy Weeknight Recipes

• Creamy Chicken Tortellini Soup
• Creamy Sausage Pasta
• Buttered Noodles
• Chicken Parm Soup
• Easy Pork Stroganoff

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons ( 28g ) butter
• ▢ 1 medium onion finely diced
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
• ▢ Pinch of red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth or water plus more as needed*
• ▢ 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes *
• ▢ 9 ounces ( about 2½ cups ) refrigerated cheese tortellini
• ▢ ¼ heaping teaspoon dried basil
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon oregano
• ▢ ⅓ cup heavy cream
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions

• In a 4-quart pot with a lid, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add garlic and red pepper and cook for 30 seconds.
• Add the broth and then add the tomatoes and their juices.
• Place the lid on the pot and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 10 minutes.
• Add tortellini, basil, and oregano. Cover and cook until tortellini is al dente, usually about 7-8 minutes.
• Stir in cream and salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!*

Notes

Small-batch Gingerbread Cookies With Faux Royal Icing

Equipment

• Parchment paper
• Handheld electric mixer

Ingredients

Gingerbread

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons ( 135g ) all-purpose flour measured by weight or using the spoon and sweep method*
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• Pinch of salt
• 2 tablespoons ( 28 g) unsalted butter room temperature
• 2 tablespoons ( 24 g) vegetable shortening room temperature*
• 3 tablespoons ( 38 g) packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg yolk

Faux Royal Icing

• 1/2 cup ( 60 g) powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Gingerbread Cookies

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
• In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt.
• In a medium bowl, use a hand-held electric mixer to beat butter and vegetable shortening until well-combined. Add sugar and beat on high until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add molasses and egg yolk and beat until completely incorporated.
• Add flour one-third at a time and use a spoon to stir until well-mixed and no streaks of dry flour remain.
• Roll the dough out 1/4-inch thick between two sheets of parchment paper, slide parchment paper and dough onto a baking sheet or other flat surface, and refrigerate for at least 45 minutes.
• Preheat your oven to 350°. Cut out cookies, re-rolling dough between parchment paper as needed. Use a metal spatula to transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet and refrigerate for 15 minutes to allow cookies to firm up so they don’t spread too much in the oven.
• Bake for 9 to 14 minutes depending on cookie size, until edges are set. Cool on cookie sheet until cool enough to handle and then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Faux Royal Icing

• Whisk together powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon of the milk, and vanilla. Add milk by the 1/4 teaspoon until icing reaches a consistency where if you run a knife through it, it takes 20 seconds to fill back in completely. Transfer icing to a piping bag or disposable plastic bag with the tip cut off and go wild decorating!
• Allow icing 5 to 10 minutes to set before eating and enjoy!

Notes

Nutrition