Gingerbread, molasses, and all the spices that go along with it are some of my favorites flavors of the holidays. Today I’m sharing how to make the best chewy gingerbread cookies using essential oils. These cookies are hard on the outside but chewy on the inside, and make for a delicious and festive holiday treat.
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Over on the Youtube channel I shared a “winter day in the life” video where I took you along as I got ready for Christmas. Well that was a couple weeks ago, but I wanted to get this recipe on the blog now in case you are like us and still enjoy gingerbread all throughout winter. This is my special chewy gingerbread recipe, made with essential oils. You don’t have to use oils though, if you have spices those will work too. Enjoy!
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All Things Winter Baking
When December first comes around I am always so excited to pull out the ginger, clove, cinnamon, and chocolate flavors.
I mean, after all the pumpkin spice from September – November, I am pretty excited for the winter flavors. There’s nothing quite like them.
Every year my family bakes tons of Christmas cookies. When I was a kid we used to do this the week of Christmas, maybe even just a couple days before Christmas. We’d be frosting cooking all day on Christmas eve.
But now that our family has grown and I have a family of my own, the cookie baking tradition has moved up to early December. This is so that by the time Christmas week comes around, most of the baking is already done and we just pull the cookies out of the freezer to enjoy them fresh that week. That way, we can spend more time together and since we have kids now, it’s harder to bake 3-4 dozen cookies in one day like we used to 😉
So this gingerbread cookie recipe is my favorite to make in early December and then freeze for Christmas day/week. It’s low(er) in sugar than most other recipes, and it uses essential oils which gives it a really nice flavor.
Using Essential Oils in Cooking
If you didn’t know, you can actually use many essential oils in your cooking recipes. For example rosemary, lemon, peppermint, and ginger are all oils that are commonly used in place of the dry version of the food.
I make this chicken tortilla soup with oregano essential oil, and I absolutely love it!
Just make sure you are using oils that are safe for internal use, like certain oils from doTERRA. If you are ever unsure or don’t have the right oils, you can also use dried spices instead of oils (such as dried ginger, clove, etc).
A word of caution though, one drop of essential oil is equivalent to about 16 cups of tea, depending on the oil. So they are very strong! One drop will go a long way. It’s also good to test an oil on your skin by diluting it with fractionated coconut oil first before ingesting to make sure you don’t have a reaction. Disclaimer: I am not a medical professional so always ask your doctor before ingesting oils if you are unsure, especially if pregnant or nursing.
Read more about essential oil safety here.
PS – new to essential oils? I wrote about how we replace toxins in our home with essential oils in this blog post if you want to learn more. Also, here’s the link to get essential oils at wholesale prices.
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
Spices (if you’re not using essential oils below):
1 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, and clove
Wet Ingredients & sugar:
1 stick butter, softened
1 drop each cinnamon, ginger, and clove essential oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
one tsp vanilla extract
1 tablespoon milk
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg yolk (optional, for extra chewy texture)
The Process
Add the dry ingredients to a medium size bowl and combine with a wooden spoon.
Add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients on medium speed until combined.
While mixing, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, about 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The consistency should be like a thick cookie dough.
Wrap the dough in BPA free plastic and stick in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or the freezer for 15 minutes if you saved this recipe until the last minute like I did.
Flour a clean working surface for rolling out the dough. Cut half the dough or a proportionate size for however big your countertop work surface is. Roll the dough out, using flour if the dough is getting stuck on the countertop or roller.
Cut your gingerbread men using cookie cutters (or whatever cookie cutters you have)
Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Make sure not to over bake if you want that nice chewy cookie! Use a spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely and then frost.
Homemade Icing Recipe
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon milk or water, plus more if you need it to be more liquid-y for spreading.
Add all ingredients to a mixer and just mix on medium until your icing forms. Make sure to frost right away before icing dries.
FAQs:
Can I use essential oils in cookies?
Sure can! I’ve used essential oils in hot cocoa, chicken tortilla soup, lots of things. Just make sure you are using oils that are safe for internal use, like certain oils from doTERRA. If you are ever unsure or don’t have the right oils, you can also use dried spices instead of oils (such as dried ginger, clove, etc).
PS – new to essential oils? I wrote about how we replace toxins in our home with essential oils in this blog post if you want to learn more. Also, here’s the link to get essential oils at wholesale prices.
Can you consume ginger essential oil?
Yes, you can consume any essential oil that is safe for internal use. Ginger is a great one for digestion and also flavoring foods like these gingerbread cookies!
Should Gingerbread be hard or chewy?
Gingerbread can be either hard or chewy. Add an egg yolk for a chewier gingerbread texture. For a harder texture, omit the egg yolk and bake for 2 minutes longer.
How do you make chewy cookies?
You can make cookies chewy a few different ways. First you can use white sugar instead of brown sugar, as white sugar creates crunchy-ness and brown sugar creates chewy-ness. Next you can cook the cookie for less time so that it doesn’t have the chance to harden up. And my last way of creating a chewy cookie is to add an extra egg yolk for a smooth velvety texture.
Should you chill gingerbread dough?
If you’re having a hard time rolling the dough out, try chilling it in the fridge first. This will firm up the butter and create an easier dough to work with. If the butter is too warm the dough could be flimsy and difficult to roll out.
Best Chewy Gingerbread Cookies with Essential Oils
These gingerbread cookies are crispy on the out side and chewy on the inside. Make them with essential oils or just dried spices, either way will turn out perfect!
Ingredients
- Dry Ingredients:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Spices (if you're not using essential oils below):
- 1 tsp each cinnamon, ginger, and clove
- Wet Ingredients & sugar:
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1 drop each cinnamon, ginger, and clove essential oil
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg yolk (optional, for extra chewy texture)
Royal Icing Recipe
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 tablespoon milk or water, plus more if you need it to be more liquid-y
- Add sugar and liquid to a mixer and just mix on medium until your icing forms. Make sure to frost right away before icing dries.
Instructions
- Add the dry ingredients to a medium size bowl and combine with a wooden spoon.
- Add the wet ingredients to a mixing bowl. Mix the wet ingredients on medium speed until combined.
- While mixing, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, about 1/3 of the dry ingredients at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. The consistency should be like a thick cookie dough.
- Wrap the dough in BPA free plastic and stick in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or the freezer for 15 minutes if you saved this recipe until the last minute like I did.
- Flour a clean working surface for rolling out the dough. Cut half the dough or a proportionate size for however big your countertop work surface is. Roll the dough out, using flour if the dough is getting stuck on the countertop or roller.
- Cut your gingerbread men using cookie cutters (or whatever cookie cutters you have)
- Bake at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Make sure not to over bake if you want that nice chewy cookie! Use a spatula to transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely and then frost.
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