November 27, 2017in All Posts, christmas, disney at home, disneyland, holidays, recipes, top postsby Jessica McConnel
You *might* know by now that the Gingerbread cookie at Disneyland is a favorite among us at Babes in Disneyland, so I cannot tell you how ridiculously PUMPED I was to find the recipe for it – it may have made my holiday season! The soft, thick, chewiness of this gingerbread is to die for. There’s still plenty of time to whip up a batch of these by Christmas Eve – give it a go!
Disneyland's Gingerbread Recipe
The popular and original Disneyland gingerbread recipe - perfect for any occasion!
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Course Dessert
Equipment
Large mixing bowl
Plastic wrap
Rolling pin
Cookie sheets
Ingredients
Gingerbread Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup "fancy" dark molasses *make sure it doesn't say cooking, blackstrap, unsulphured, or lite
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ cup water
Royal Icing Ingredients
- ⅛ tsp cream of tartar
- 2 egg whites
- 3 ½ cups powdered sugar
Instructions
Gingerbread Instructions
In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar.
Add dark molasses and mix until completely blended.
Sift the dry ingredients together and add to butter mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with the water. Blend well.
Wrap dough in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least 1 hour, or up to a few days.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.
Use a floured rolling pin to roll out dough on a floured surface, about 1/8-1/4th inch thick. (Don’t be afraid to use plenty of flour.)
Cut into desired shapes (we used a standard gingerbread man)
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool on wire racks
Optional: Decorate with Royal Icing when completely cooled (instructions below)
Royal Icing Instructions (*I did not test this)
Add cream of tartar to eggwhitesin a chilled mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer at high speed until white peaks form. Reduce speed and gradually add sifted powdered sugar. Continue to whip the frosting until a smooth spreadable consistency is reached.
Optional: Separate frosting into small bowls and add food coloring.Spoon frosting into cake decorating bags or plastic baggies with a corner cut off, and decorate cookies. The frosting will harden when dry.
Notes
This dough works great for all shapes and sizes you may want to cut it into. I made trees, candy canes, men, and Mickeys. They all held their shape well – I think it would be a great recipe for making a gingerbread house!
To make the Mickeys (or men-with-Mickey-ears), I lightly pressed with my “man” cookie cutter, and used a small knife to “draw” the ears on and then used it to cut the whole thing out. It was time-consuming, I only made three. 😉
Instead of doing frosting (to save time, and because I’m not a very good artist), I put m&m’s on the men about halfway through baking. On the Mickeys, I melted a few chocolate chips and spread the chocolate on their Mickey ears to mimic the gingerbread you can find in the Parks during the regular season.
This was a great activity to do with my 4 year old, I gave him a hunk of dough and let him go to town rolling and cutting out shapes – he loved it!
Keyword cookie
Outcome & Opinion
You guys, for some reason I’m always surprised when I make these recipes and am finally taste-testing them, at how muchthey taste like the real deal. They always bring fresh to mind specific memories of being in the Parks! I don’t know why I’m so stunned, they are Disney’s recipes after – but still every.time. So if you happen to love the Disneyland (and rest of the Disney Resort area) Gingerbread, or if you just lovegingerbread, OR if you just love Christmas/baking/cookies – then Ihighlyrecommendthis recipe. Is that enough italics for you?
Go out and make it, you will melt into a puddle of happiness when you take a bite. Seriously!
I hope you have a chance to try out this simple and oh-so-gingerbread recipe! If you do, share with us on Facebook, Twitter, or tag us on Instagram, with #BabesInDisneyland! To see some of the other Disneyland recipes we’ve tried, or “Disney at Home” ideas –click here!
This recipe was updated on November 2017.
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62 Comments
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About Jessica McConnel
Reader Interactions
Comments
- Heather Austin says
hi thank you for all the Disney recipes:) We cant wait to try these gingerbread for our decorating party on Friday:) Also, I looked at your other post for Disney recipes and read the Churro post. We were at Disneyland California last night and while were were buying some Churros a cast member came with a box of Tio Pepes Churros to fill up the cart, so you were right on the money. That is the brand they use:)
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- Rachel Page says
I’ve NEVER made gingerbread man cookies. I so want to. Maybe next year I’ll have more time. LOVE these! Adorable!
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- Nicole Wozniak says
Thank you so much! This recipe is great. We used it for gingerbread houses and it will be my new go to recipe every christmas.
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- Sharon Howard says
I’m going to make these cookies for my grandchildren for Christmas. I have always wanted to make some Ginger Bread cookies for my grandchildren but never knew how so Thank You!
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- Shirley says
Hi, I made this recipe and my dough turned out wayy darker than the photos and didn’t taste quite right. Is it possible that you made a mistake with the amount of molasses in recipe? Because 1/2 cup seemed like a lot to me.
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- Jessica McConnel says
Hi Shirley – I’m so sorry your batch didn’t turn out, I hate it when that happens! I checked my original copy of the recipe and it does call for a 1/2 cup of dark molasses – I wonder what happened!
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- Tracey says
This is a year later lol but she may have used cooking molasses instead of fancy molasses…big difference and a lot darker.
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- Sarah says
Hey Shirley,
I couldn’t help but share that I’ve found recipes calling for either cooking molasses or fancy molasses. It could very well be that you used cooking molasses instead of fancy, which leads to a darker colour and different taste!Reply
- Sana says
Sorry this is old comment but I thought it might help someone like me looking for American cookie recipes and thinking of substitutes. I’ve done some research because I was so confused! This is what I found: The recipe above stated dark molasses but if you have a look at the photo of the molasses type and brand, it says Brer Rabbit full flavour. I’ve checked their website and this is, as others pointed out, molasses for gingerbread and cakes, NOT what us in NZ call dark molasses i.e. blackstrap – that’s way too rich for cakes, but used for cooking and to feed/nourish cows. You might have used cooking blackstrap molasses – in New Zealand that’s the only type available that’s called “molasses”. We still use it for baking but less amount.
Also for those in the UK – molasses is also called treacle, so mild molasses will be equivalent to golden syrup, and medium/”full” molasses will be treacle, while dark molasses is blackstrap (we have those in NZ but obviously call them different names thus my confusion initially). http://www.brerrabbit.com/questions/#6
https://www.chelsea.co.nz/our-products/ under “syrups”Reply
- Jessica McConnel says
Wow! Thanks for all of that great info!
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- Ingrid says
This recipe is delicious but did anyone else find it super dry? I followed the measurements to a T & I also refrigerated the dough over night. Once cooled it was near impossible to roll & I actually had to chop it all up, throw it in my Blender & add a heap more water to get it to a consistence that I could roll out. 🙁
I may just need to tweak it for next time. They’re super yummy tho 🙂Reply
- Jessica McConnel says
Good info about adding water if the dough is dry! I’m glad they turned out tasty 🙂
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- Jen says
Would there be any reason why I couldn’t roll the dough before refrigerating? I use this method for sugar cookies
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- Jessica McConnel says
Not that I can think of… seems like a great idea – I’ve never even thought of that!
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- Jen says
Worked perfectly BTW!
- Jen says
Also, I coated the cookies in granulated sugar before baking, delicious!
- Melissa Tydryszewski says
Hi, I was making a shopping list for this recipe this morning (I LOVE disney’s gingerbread men! And I can’t wait to make this!) but I noticed that the recipe doesn’t call for eggs. Is that a mistake in the recipe or does this really not need any eggs? Thanks so much!
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- Jessica McConnel says
No eggs necessary!
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- Christie says
How many cookies does this recipe average?
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- Ellen says
Made these tonight. Yum! I used mini cookie cutters and rolled the dough a little bit thicker since I am going to be putting them with a variety of other cookies in a tin.
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- Jessica McConnel says
Yay! Thanks for sharing! If you take a picture of them post it to our FB page or tag us on Instagram – we want to see how they came out 🙂
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- Kimberleigh says
I just made these!!! Literally just put the last pan in the oven out of a total 3 pans I made 🙂 I needed something soft because I just had mouth surgery and it would be easier for my 1 year old and 3 year old to eat. These are amazing! Great taste, soft and fluffy! I’ll tag a photo on Instagram before and after we decorate them!
I did read some of the comments here, one lady said the dough was too hard when she took it out of the fridge, I had to wait for mine to soften at room temperature for about 30 minuets before I was able to roll it out. I didn’t even use flour but probably because I had plastic wrap all over the table for an easy clean up :p
As for mollases, my cookies seem to be the same color, I just picked up a jar from the store. This was the first time I used the stuff. The brand I got was “Grandma’s Molasses”, I picked it up right at our Shaws store. Its “Unsulphured” Whatever that means…
Thank you for the recipe!! 😀
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- Lisa Robertson says
We are thrilled you love the recipe. I know we are a bit biased, but we couldn’t agree more. They are so yummy! We can’t wait to see your photo on Instagram!
- Jessica McConnel says
That’s the same molasses I have too 🙂 Thanks for sharing on IG!!!
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- Suzanne says
For the mouse ears, you could just use two M&M’s instead of trying to cut the shapes by hand. It looks like they would be proportional to the head. Then cover the top of the head and the M&M “ears” in melted chocolate like you did with these.
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- Jessica McConnel says
What a great idea!
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- Shera A. says
These are AMAZING! I don’t normally comment on blogs, but I felt compelled after trying these cookies. On a whim, we decided to make some gingerbread cookies tonight. As Disney fans, we looked for a Disney-esque recipe and came across this one. All I can say is SPOT ON! Thanks for the awesome recipe!!!
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- Jessica McConnel says
Yay! I’m SO glad you like them – they are definitely my all time favorite gingerbread cookies 🙂
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These turned out perfectly, thank you! Converted them to gluten-free very easily by just subbing Cup4Cup gluten-free flour. I’ve been wanting to try making gingerbread forever and thought it was tricky, but no so much thanks to you and this recipe!
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- Cheryl Beckett says
I use to make gingerbread cookies when my daughter was younger, they are a lot of work, but smell great.
I make sugar cookies now, how can I keep the gingerbread soft?
They seem to be soft when they come out but harden up even when I put them in
a plastic container.Reply
- Amber Bennett says
I normally put a piece of bread in the container to soften cookies. I have never tried with gingerbread cookies. I have never made them but I am tomorrow!!
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- Helene S. says
I wanted a gingerbread cookie that didn’t have that sharp taste, since these would be for my grandkids. This recipe was perfect! I will be making these every Christmas from now on. Thank You!
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- Motherguz says
I just made these. I didn’t have cardamon so I used nutmeg and extra cinnamon -because we love cinnamon. Do you think I could add more brown sugar to make them sweeter? Overall, I love the way the turned out. Perfect soft texture and they hold their shape well. Very yummy!
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- DisneyFan13 says
I made these today, but they didnt turn out great. The colour was too dark and it tasted weird. I used cooking molasses, is that the right kind? 🤔
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- Jessica McConnel says
No – unfortunately cooking molasses is a mixture of fancy molasses and blackstrap molasses, that would explain why your cookies came out darker and not as sweet. You want to find a “fancy” dark molasses, but not one that says “cooking”,”blackstrap”, “lite”, or “unsulphered”. It is a bit confusing. I will update the post and add a note that explains that.
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- Disneyfan771 says
I’m a little confused. You say but to use it, but in your picture you have an “unsulphered” brand. Is that the one you used?
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- Jessica McConnel says
Yes, I used the molasses pictured because it was the only thing I could find at my grocery store – and for me it worked fine, but I wanted to share the recipe straight from Disney and not recommend any other molasses in case others had different results.
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- Heather says
I think I will use the regular brear rabbit brand molasses , like I use for my great grandma
Phillips’s molasses cookies recipe. I am glad my mom gave me a copy of that one.Reply
- Jessica McConnel says
That’s what I used and it worked great!
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- Shirley says
Hi can you use salted butter in the recipe? Thanks.
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- Jessica McConnel says
Hi! If it were me, I wouldn’t – you never know how a slightly different ingredient could change the whole outcome. But if you do try it, let us know so we can share with others!
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- Jessica McConnel says
Hi! You totally can, you might just want to cut the salt in the recipe back to a 1/4 or 1/8 of a tsp.
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- Ezel says
How many cookies does this make?
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- Jessica McConnel says
Great question! Disney usually puts a yield amount on their recipe, but I’m thinking that since that would depend on the size of their cookie cutter, they probably couldn’t add that since we don’t have the same cookie cutter (boo!) – I used a small gingerbread man cookie cutter and it made a lot… I want to say 3-4 dozen (although I haven’t made them yet this year and I can’t quite remember).
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- Shelley Battistoni says
Jessica, what would happen if I were to add an egg to the recipe and maybe a tad less water?. I know that sounds silly but looking for cookies that rise a little and are slightly soft and slightly chewy. Would 1 egg help with that as long? Or maybe plus one egg but less water?
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- Jessica McConnel says
Hi! I’m so sorry, I wish I were a professional baker to help you with this, but I’m just a home cook! I imagine it would make the cookies more chewy, although they were already fairly soft I thought. I often go with my gut on a recipe, if it seems like it could use an extra egg or a little more water then go for it! Good luck – and let me know how it turns out!
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- Ariane says
These are totally soft and chewy when I make them exactly the way the recipe says, just make sure you don’t over bake them. I err on the side of slightly under baked and they are perfect. This is my go-to gingerbread cookie recipe, they always turn out amazing! And the molasses I use is “Grandma’s” brand and the bottle does say “unsulphured” and they turn out fine. I decorate with royal icing and they are so pretty!
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- Jessica McConnel says
I’m so glad to hear that – thank you for sharing!!! Good tip to underbake them a bit!
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- Gabrielle says
I can’t find fancy molasses anywhere, any suggestions?
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- Jessica McConnel says
You can find it on Amazon! But although the recipe calls for “fancy”, I couldn’t find it at my local Walmart either and just purchased/used Brer Rabbit Molasses (pretty fitting for Disney anyway)… as long as it is dark molasses and doesn’t say “cooking”, “blackstrap”, “unsulphured”, or “lite”, you should be good.
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- Izzy says
They recently changed the gingerbread cookies, so I wanted to try this recipe to gift these to a friend, but they did not come out right. I followed the recipe exactly, and they look great but don’t taste great. They are not sweet enough. I wonder what went wrong.
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- Jessica McConnel says
Oh no! That’s so disappointing! I wish I could help, but I haven’t had that experience so far. Disney has changed their Gingerbread Recipe (or, I guess they have two now?). We will let you all know as soon as we have access to it!
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- Kandi says
Hi, I have never made gingerbread cookies. I wanna make these. Can I freeze them after they are baked? I am wanting to make these a week before Christmas ,should I refrigerate them after they are baked instead?
Thanks in advance.Reply
- Jessica McConnel says
Hello Kandi! Honestly I have never frozen or refrigerated these because we eat them so fast… but in my experience with sugar cookies, if you wrap them up airtight and freeze them they stay perfect. If it were me, I would probably try freezing the gingerbread. Hope that helps some!
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- Kim H. says
I know it’s a year later but every time I go to Disneyland I buy and freeze their gingerbread men to enjoy later. They freeze great individually wrapped in parchment and in a ziplock bag!
I have the same Disney cookbook this recipe came from and was rolling around online to see tips after making them for the first time today. I found the spice flavor built nicely as I enjoyed (LOVED) the cookie but was a touch flat out the gate. I will be going with slightly heaping spice measurements next time to better emulate the up-front flavor of the real thing. Fingers crossed!
Oh, and my tips and echos:
– Definitely keep the dough a little thicker for that chewy texture.
– My ‘tell’ for them being done baking was little to no give when lightly touched in the center, the edges didn’t bend when lifted, and only marginally more golden on the bottom.
– Thicker dough will take closer to 12-15 min to bake. – My star shaped cutter was about the size of my palm and thickness about the height of a wooden spoon handle (pro tip- put two same sized dowels or spoon handles on either side of your dough when rolling for consistent thickness!)Reply
- Jessica McConnel says
We really appreciate the feedback – and your tips – even a year later!!!
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- Kandi says
I made these cookies and I ended up storing them in an air tight container. They were SO DELICIOUS. I’m so excited to make them again this year. I had a great time decorating them as well. Therapy of some kind I suppose. Thank you for sharing.Reply
- Elizabeth says
Perfect recipe! I was looking for just the right one and after I finished cutting all mine with my Mickey gingerbread man I got at Epcot a couple years back I read the rest of your post and realized you don’t have your own! I said “oh,no!” Out loud and then immediately checked for the one I have and it is no longer available. BUT I did find a nearly identical one on Etsy and hope it helps!Reply
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