These ultra thick, soft and chewy molded gingerbread cookies are spiced, made with fresh ginger and orange zest, and are filled with jam. They're molded with wooden cookie molds and glazed with a simple orange glaze. The jam filling and glaze keep the cookies soft, moist, and chewy for days, so these are the perfect cookie to make ahead - especially during the holidays!
These cookies are inspired by popular Eastern European spiced honey cookies. If you're looking for a classic American cut out soft gingerbread cookies, try my soft gingerbread cookie recipe.
Jump to:
- 🎅 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- 📝 Key ingredients
- 👩🍳 How to make molded gingerbread cookies
- Gingerbread cookie dough step by step
- ✔️ Expert molded gingerbread cookie tips
- 🥄 Make ahead and storage
- How to gift these cookies for the holidays
- Cookie molds for gingerbread cookies
- 📖 Recipe FAQs
- 🎄 More gingerbread recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🎅 Why you'll LOVE this recipe
- Thick, soft, gingerbread cookies: These are thicker than your classic gingerbread cookie - think twice the thickness! They have a soft, slightly chewy cookie texture.
- Filled with jam: These have a surprise jam filling baked right into them! You can use your favorite jam. I used apricot jam. Marmalade will also work beautifully.
- Fresh ginger and orange zest: A touch of grated fresh ginger and orange zest give these cookies a pop of bright, fresh flavor.
- Cookie molds: If you're looking for a recipe to use those cute wooden cookie molds with, this is it!
📝 Key ingredients
Read through for all the tips you will need for success!
Full steps and ingredients in recipe card below.
Molasses: You're going to need unsulphured, or baking molasses. Molasses is going to give these cookies that rich, gingerbread flavor.
Ginger: I used fresh ginger for an extra bright and zingy flavor. If you prefer or only have dry, powdered ginger, that will work great as well.
Orange: My mom adds grated orange zest into spiced cookies, and it adds a beautiful festive flavor. She inspired me to add orange zest into these. And then you can squeeze out the orange juice and use it for the glaze.
All purpose flour: Weigh the flour to get the most accurate results. If you don’t have a scale, measure properly by stirring the bag and spooning gently into a measuring cup. Scrape the excess off the top with the flat edge off a knife without packing it into the cup.
Cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom: These add that classic gingerbread spiced flavor. Cardamom isn't traditional in gingerbread but it adds an extra element of spice that's really delicious. Try it!
Brown and granulated sugar: The sugar adds sweetness and keep the gingerbread cookies soft.
Butter: I prefer to use unsalted butter for baking. These cookies only need one third of a cup of butter - the lower fat content prevents them from melting and losing definition in the oven.
Apricot Jam: I used apricot jam for the filling because apricot goes really well with ginger, spices, and orange. Orange marmalade will also work beautifully! Use a thick, real jam. I'd avoid a fruit spread because they can leak out, don't last as long, and aren't as thick and gooey as a traditional jam.
👩🍳 How to make molded gingerbread cookies
Gingerbread cookie dough step by step
Step 1: In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix together well.
Step 2: Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture and beat well until thick and creamy.
Step 3: Add molasses, vanilla, salt, ginger (grated if using fresh), the grated zest from one orange, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Beat together well until combined and creamy.
Step 4: Add the flour and baking soda. Mix gently until it forms a crumbly dough.
Step 5: Press the dough together into a disc, wrap with wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes - or overnight. While it chills, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
Step 6: Grease the molds with olive oil or vegetable oil and dust the inside with flour using a sieve. You can knock out any excess flour if you added too much.
Step 7: Break a piece of cookie dough off from the disk and press it into the wooden mold, using your fingers to get it into the crevices. Leave a shallow indent on top for the jam.
Step 8: Place a small teaspoonful of jam into the center of the mold.
Step 9: Use your fingers or a rolling pin to flatten another small piece of cookie dough and place it on top to cover the jam. Remove excess cookie dough on the edges. If the jam leaks a bit - it's ok!
Step 10: Carefully push the edges of the dough inwards, pulling them away from the edges of the mold with your fingers. Flip the mold upside down, and gently let the cookie dough fall out of the mold. If your mold is shallow, like mine, you may need to cut excess cookie dough left on the sides.
Step 11: Pop the prepared, molded cookies into the fridge while you make the rest for better definition when baking. When you're ready to bake, place the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet into the preheated oven, leaving 1-2 inches of space between each cookie because they will puff up and out.
Bake for 12 minutes - they'll be puffed and golden. They'll collapse and regain definition and detail as they cool.
Step 12: Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to form a medium-thick glaze.
Brush the glaze over the warm or cooled cookies with a pastry brush. You want the glaze to settle into the crevices. If you plan on storing these for a while (i.e. holiday cookie boxes) I recommend brushing the backs of the cookies too to lock in that moisture.
Let the glaze set for about 10-20 minutes. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container or bag and enjoy later! These cookies become softer and taste even better the next day.
✔️ Expert molded gingerbread cookie tips
- Keep the dough and cookies chilled while you work with them: This will make the dough easier to work with and help the cookies retain definition.
- Take your time: You're going to need patience to get the cookies out of the mold. Use lots of flour, and push the edges of the dough in the mold in to help ease them out.
- Use a good quality, real jam: Fruit spread doesn't keep as long so use something labeled as "jam". I used Bonne Maman apricot jam.
- Don't overbake the cookies: If you overbake them they're going to be hard and tough.
🥄 Make ahead and storage
These gingerbread molded cookies store great in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for up to 5 days. They taste even better as they sit - they get softer and the flavor matures. You can also refrigerate them for up to 1 week or freeze them in an airtight container or bag for up to 2 months.
How to gift these cookies for the holidays
These cookies were made to be gifted. They taste even better after a day or two (sealed) at room temperature, and are one of the prettiest cookies you could make! The vibrant and spicy gingerbread orange flavor, soft cookie texture, with a gooey jam filling will be talked about for years.
It does take a while to form and fill the cookies but it's worth it. If you're making a lot of cookie boxes, you can include one cookie per box, on top, as a statement cookie. They turn out quite large because they puff up in the oven so even just one is plenty!
These cookies are great to package up and gift individually. Use a heat sealer or a bag with a zip top (or twist tie) so that the cookie doesn't dry out and harden.
Cookie molds for gingerbread cookies
For these gingerbread molded cookies, you need to use wooden cookie molds - preferably ones that are deep with deep grooves, so that it's easier to fill them with jam and so that they have more definition. I used a squirrel and a pine cone mold.
Here's the wooden cookie mold set that I used.
If you only have a cookie stamp - you can also make that work with a little bit of effort. Roll out two pieces of cookie dough, about ¼" in diameter. Stamp one piece of cookie dough. Then, add a teaspoon of jam onto the other piece, place the stamped piece on top, and use a cookie cutter to cut through to create a cut out, stamped cookie.
📖 Recipe FAQs
A few of my cookies had the filling leaking out from one side when I put them in the oven. They baked up beautifully and the jam didn't leak out more in the oven. It's best to try to keep the gingerbread cookie dough sealed as much as possible but if some leaks out it won't make a mess in the oven like a mini pie would - especially if you use a good quality fruit jam.
I haven't tried it but the recipe should work out if you substitute the flour with 1:1 gluten free flour. If you try it, let us know how it goes in the comments!
Yes they spread and puff up in the oven. It might look scary because they don't look detailed and defined right out of the oven since they're so puffed up. As they cool, they collapse down and regain their definition. You need to give the cookies some space on the baking sheet because of this.
Fresh ginger gives a punchier zingy flavor than dried ginger. If you have fresh ginger and are making gingerbread cookies - try grating it and using that instead of dried ginger!
🎄 More gingerbread recipes
Did you make this recipe? I would love for you to rate this recipe and hear what you think in the comments below! Share your creation on Instagram and tag @flouringkitchen. Follow me on Pinterest to save and for more recipe ideas.
📖 Recipe
Thick Gingerbread Molded Cookies with Jam Filling
Ingredients
Gingerbread Cookie Dough
- ⅓ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ½ cup molasses unsulphured
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon ginger fresh or powdered
- 1 orange zested
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon ground
- ½ teaspoon cardamom ground
- ½ teaspoon cloves ground
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg ground
- 3 ½ cups all purpose flour 420g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup jam I used apricot
Orange glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice from the zested orange
Instructions
Gingerbread cookie dough
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar. Mix together well - it might look crumbly that's ok.⅓ cup butter, ½ cup dark brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar
- Add the egg to the butter and sugar mixture and beat well until thick and creamy.1 large egg
- Add molasses, vanilla, salt, ginger (grated if using fresh), the grated zest from one orange, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg. Beat together well until combined and creamy.½ cup molasses, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, 1 tablespoon ginger, 1 orange, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cardamom, ½ teaspoon cloves, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Add the flour and baking soda. Mix gently until it forms a crumbly dough.3 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Press the dough together into a disc, wrap with wrap, and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes - or overnight. While it chills, preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C).
- Grease the molds with olive oil or vegetable oil and dust the inside with flour using a sieve. You can knock out any excess flour if you added too much.
- Break a piece of cookie dough off from the disk and press it into the wooden mold, using your fingers to get it into the crevices. Leave a shallow indent on top for the jam.
- Place a small teaspoonful of jam into the center of the mold. Use your fingers or a rolling pin to flatten another small piece of cookie dough and place it on top to cover the jam. Remove excess cookie dough on the edges. If the jam leaks a bit - it's ok!1 cup jam
- Carefully push the edges of the dough inwards, pulling them away from the edges of the mold with your fingers. Flip the mold upside down, and gently let the cookie dough fall out of the mold. If your mold is shallow, like mine, you may need to cut excess cookie dough left on the sides.
- Pop the prepared, molded cookies into the fridge while you make the rest for better definition when baking. Then, place the cookies onto a parchment lined baking sheet into the preheated oven, leaving 1-2 inches of space between each cookie because they will puff up and out.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. They're ready when they're puffed up and slightly golden brown at the bottom. Once the cookies are baked you can use a spatula to transfer them onto a flat surface or cooling rack to cool completely. You can then bake any remaining cookies. The cookies will collapse as they cool and regain definition and detail.
Orange glaze
- Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to form a medium-thick glaze. It should fall off the whisk in a thin ribbon. If you make it too thick, you won't see any texture on the cookies.1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
- Brush the glaze over the warm or cooled cookies with a pastry brush. You want the glaze to settle into the crevices, but not too much glaze that it will hide all of the details. If you plan on storing these for a while (i.e. including them in holiday cookie boxes) I recommend brushing the backs of the cookies too so that they're completely coated.
- Let the glaze set for about 10-20 minutes. Enjoy immediately or store in an airtight container or bag and enjoy later! These cookies become softer and taste even better the next day.
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