Sturdy enough for your tallest gingerbread house and tasty enough for any dessert spread, this gingerbread recipe from Marian (sweetopia) of the lovely blog Sweetopia is a must-have in your recipe box!

Here’s a note from Marian about her go-to gingerbread:

Gingerbread has never been my favorite cookie, but I do like the taste of the recipe I use from my sister-in-law.  It had a bit of a ‘bite’ to it originally (spicy), so I’ve changed it a bit over the years to make it a little more neutral (especially for kids!).  If you like a bit more of a ‘kick’, add one teaspoon more of the ginger, cinnamon and cloves and one teaspoon of pepper.

Ingredients

800 g all-purpose flour
250 g unsalted butter
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoons ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup molasses

Instructions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until fluffy.

Mix in spices first, then eggs and molasses. Reduce speed to low.

Sift together flour and salt and add to bowl; mix until just combined.

Wrap dough in a disc shape in plastic wrap. Let it rest by refrigerating until cold, about 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface or between two sheets of parchment paper to about ¼ inch.

Cut shapes out with cookie cutters and place them approximately 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Refrigerate until firm, at least 15 minutes to 1 hour.

Bake cookies until lightly golden, 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.