Nauvoo Gingerbread Cookies

Now ... I've never been a big fan of Gingerbread, as a general rule. I tolerated it! As taste goes, JUST because I'm me, I'd give these a "4" ... but to be fair, as Gingerbread goes these are the best I've ever tasted, and thus deserve a "5". Instead of Lard, I used Canola Oil. Did the trick! And I chose Fancy Molasses, as my other choice was Black Strap. Fancy is less bitter, thus I knew would give the cookies a better taste. They are not very "spiced" as some gingerbread ... may be why I like them (I usually find Gingerbread has to much spice for my liking). My daughter is mad for them. Trying to steal them before they;re even deocated. As far as shape goes ... they cut well, they cook well, firm outside, soft inside ... nice cookie! And they don't take forever to cool! Definite bonus for decorating purposes! ;) I forgot baking soda ... but they taste excellent anyway! And didn't rise much, which actually help them keep their shape better compared to other cookies I've made! I may always leave out the baking soda! I really liked how they turned out! Going to make a great Christmas cookie! Thank you so much!

I've put off trying this recipe. Not sure why, but that was a big mistake. This is the best gingerbread recipe I have tried to date. It's light in color, it puffs up nicely, and it stays soft even after it cools. Great recipe!!! Thanks, Michael.

I love these cookies! They stay soft forever. The dough is easy to work with and has a beautiful color. Great christmas recipe!

Wonderful! Super easy recipe. The dough has great texture and is fun to work with. I substituted shortening for the lard. I made the recipe in the morning while making breakfast for the kids and stuck it in the fridge until later that day. My kids LOVE these cookies because they aren't TOO spicy.

This is the only gingerbread cookie recipe I will ever need again! If you want a nice soft, not-too-spicy gingerbread cookie, this is the one to try. Don't over-bake, though. Like the directions say, take them out when the centers look dry. I lined my cookie sheets with parchment paper and let them cool on the cookie sheets about 5 minutes. This will help to avoid "headless gingerbread men" as they are very easy to handle when cool. Thanks for an awesome recipe!

very nice gingerbread cookie. I made the dough two days before we rolled them out, and it kept nicely in the fridge. The cookies are soft yet firm and have nice ginger flavor. Perfect for decorating, thank you.

THis recipe was wonderful, it took a long itme to make, but it turned out the cutest little gingerbread men that I've ever seen!

These cookies were the BEST gingerbread cookies I have ever tasted!!! Soft, chewy, delightful, sweet! We will be making these again for Christmas Eve! :D Thanks!

this was great! downside: took very long time to make!

This is a delicious gingerbread cookie recipe and so neat to have a recipe that's been a part of histoy. Am starting to make them again this year and sure this will be a standard cookie each year.

With a few substitutions these were fantastic! First I subbed the lard with shortening. I also changed the spices to 2 1/2 t. ginger, 1 1/2 t. cinnamon, 1 1/2 t. ground cloves and a dash of nutmeg. The first batch I made followed the recipe exactly(except for the lard) and the cookies lacked flavor. The second batch I upped the spices and it was perfect. The dough was very easy to work with, rolled out nicely and the cookies were soft and chewy...and stayed that way!

I've been making this recipe as is for the last 4 years and LOVE the way it rolls out perfectly every time! The cookies are delicious and mild flavored, perfect for little ones and for decorating. I am just about to start my holiday baking and again, am making houses and cutouts with this recipe. Now I just wish I could find the perfect icing that get dry enough that it doesn't smear and just harden enough that it won't crack a tooth!

These make great cut out cookies since they hold their shape. They aren't chewy, more like thick soft biscuits because of the lower amount of fat needed for this recipe (which I liked). These cookies have a mild spice flavour to it but the longer you store them the more flavour will come out. I put the water, sugars (I subbed the molasses for brown sugar) and butter (I subbed the lard) in a bowl and microwaved it so everything will melt together. Use that same bowl to mix in the dry ingredients and put the whole thing in the fridge afterwards. The dough was not sticky at all after you fridge it, really good to work with. Really liked making and eating these :D Straight forward recipe.

I always make these at Christmas and there are very few left if any. They are my preferred for Gingerbread men and are always so easy to make. They keep soft in a covered container. Great recipe.

These were delicious. Instead of lard I used 1/2 cup softened butter and 1/4 cup shortening. I also added 1 tsp ground cloves. I can hardly wait for my kids to get home from school to try them!

This recipe was TERRIFIC!! It was easy to handle and the cutouts puffed out nicely. I made a two batches not truly trusting that this recipe would make 72 cookies for a cookie exchange. To my amazement it made 75. My only changes to the recipe is I used real butter instead of lard. The baked cookies were a perfect combination of outer firmness and melt in your mouth softness. When decorating the second batch, I used a scalloped circle cutter and dipped half in melted chocolate and sprinkled chopped walnuts on the chocolate. Very elegant looking and easy to make. I received rave reviews from choir members and co-workers where the cookies was shared.

These were AWESOME! I've been looking for a soft gingerbread cookie FOREVER. These were so pillowy and soft. I did add more spices to suit my taste. These are for sure a keeper. And everyone out there considering using this - USE LARD. I can't help but think that they'd give it 5 stars if they'd made it the way it was intended.

The best and easiest gingerbread cookie dough I've ever tried! Use this recipe, you won't be disappointed!

excellent! didnt change a thing!

My brother and his friends love these cookies... and they're all 20 years old. Don't leave them in too long, follow the recipe exactly! Otherwise they will be too hard.

Absolutely Wonderful! I substituted shortening for lard. The dough was easy to make, rolled out well and I was even able to re-roll the leftover dough from the cut-outs. The amount of spice was perfect! I am going to make these every year!!!!

These cookies are actually being made as I type - but I stole one off of the cooling rack to taste-test. They are perfectly baked, nice and light and soft. I would prefer more spice, so on my next run (yes, I will definitely make these again!) I will double the cinnamon and ginger. Thanks for a fabulous recipe - I think they'll be even more awesome once decorated!

These were perfect! Nice flavor, and very soft and chewy. If you wanted to use the recipe for a gingerbread house, or decorating the tree with the men, you'd want to cook the cookies a little longer to get them crisper.

I don't care for these much at all. My husband and kids, however, LOVE them. We visit Nauvoo often since we live close and they always have to stop at the historic bakery where they serve these. Unfortunately, when we remodeled our kitchen this summer the recipe was lost. Nice and easy to work with. I also bake on wax paper or silpat-too forgetful to ever buy parchment paper. lol Otherwise, it's next to impossible to get whole gingerbread off the pans. I also use Crisco instead of lard because I think lard's nasty. I like spicier cookies so I usually make 2 batches and double the spices in one. Last year we made ornaments out of them by adding a whole jar of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger from Dollar General. We poked holes in the tops before we baked them and the kids threaded them with ribbons. They still smell great this year. :)

I'm not a big fan of gingerbread cookies. I like soft cookies and gingerbread cookies seem like they're always hard. After reading all the reviews, I decided to make these. They were the softest, best gingerbread cookies I have ever tasted. Everyone loved them at our family holiday gathering!

Fantastic recipe! Best gingerbread Ive had, but I recommend cooling for several hours in the refrigerator, or even over night, I found the dough still a lil' sticky after only one hour.

this is receiving one star only for the texture of the cookie. They tasted like cardboard! I even added extra spices (nutmeg and cloves) and extra ginger and cinnamon. The dough was easy to work with and they smelled amazing as i was rolling them out and cooking them but they had no taste. Sorry!

Great recipe. I used honey instead of molasses, because i have honey bees. Turned out fantastic! Thanks

This is my go-to gingerbread recipe. The dough is very easy to work with and it makes a LOT of cookies. They stay nice and soft even after they have cooled and keep well. You can also freeze the dough for future use. Don't be afraid to use lard; it is healthier than processed fats like Crisco. My only complaint with this recipe is it is not very ginger-y. I imagine spices were expensive and hard to obtain in the 19th century, hence the frugal amounts used. Since I love ginger, I use 2 tablespoons (one of dried ground ginger and one of freshly grated ginger). I also use 2 tsp cinnamon and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Everyone loves these cookies! They are not overly sweet and thus you can ice them w/out making them gaggingly sweet.

I love this recipe! I have used it for 3 years now and the cookie has always came out moist and flavorful. They don't stick around very long at my house.

These were perfect! I made these for my dad for Christmas and shipped them across the US. When he got them he said they were still really fresh and soft. Iususally dont like the Gingerbread cookies but I LOVED these so did my hubby and son. This is a new family favorite, especailly at christmas time.

Excellent! I make several batches of these during the holidays and the guys just eat them up. I drizzle them with mom's thin butter, milk, and powedered sugar frosting and it makes them even better - if that is really possible. My mother has even abandoned her old gingerbread recipe for this one!

I made a double batch of Gingerbread Cookies and used the recipe off the back of the Molassis container. They came out dark and the next day were really hard. I used this recipe to make the other 2 batches. Not only did it make more cookies but they turned out way better than the other ones! Best of all, it didn't require heating the molassis mixture on the stove. The only thing I changed was I used regular Crisco in place of the Lard. Turned out great!

Yummy! I used canola oil in place of the lard and they turned out great! They freeze well too!

I have a question - i substituted lard with oil, and did everything, including refrigerate for 1hr (the max time i could afford)... however my dough was SOOOO sticky, we couldn't use cookie cutters at all, and it was a sticky mess!! however, the cookies tasted great. just wondering what happened...

These cookies taste wonderful, have a great texture, but best of all, the dough was easy to work with. I chilled it for exactly an hour, and it rolled out perfectly. I iced these using Butter Icing For Cookies, from this site. They were heavenly!

Don't need another gingerbread cookies recipe anymore! Those are - Perfect, easy, budget friendly and very tasty as well. I didn't change a thing in this recipe and they turned out beautifully. Why to spend so much time and effort to try and try other gingerbread recipes if this one is THE ONE you'll ever like! Thanks.

Wow are these good!! I make for bake sales (non profit) and these are a big hit. Last Christmas I didn't have time to decorate all of them so I sold some decorated & some not. The undecorated sold faster, everyone wanted a shortcut during the busy season and this filled the bill. A wonderful soft cookie that freezes well. Flavorful enough I was able to decorate with unflavored Royal Icing which makes transporting a breeze.

Just the way my daughter likes them, soft and a lighter taste than your regular gingerbread. Update: the next day, I can really taste the molasses which I think is a bit much for our taste, so next time, I will cut back on that (Dec.21)

Loved these. So simple, great taste and puffed up nicely while still holding their shape.

I made dozens of these frosted with "Sugar Cookie Frosting" from this site also and gave them as Christmas gifts. They were eaten up!

I used this recipe to mass-produce gingerbread houses last Christmas! I totally recommend it!! :)

i thought these turned out nicely. my preschool-age daughters had a great time helping roll out the dough, cutout the shapes, and decorate. the taste was agreeable with everyone in our family too. i did implement a couple of minor ingredient tweaks: substituted butter for lard, and only used 4 cups of flour. even after cutting down the flour, the dough was a bit too dry and crumbly. next time i may try 3 1/2 cups of flour instead (perhaps lard absorbs more flour than butter?). i may double the ginger next time as well, as i like my gingerbread a little more ginger-y. all-in-all, this recipe is a keeper. we'll be making these cookies a holiday tradition in our home!

The dough was easy to work with, and the result is very good. However, I suggest adding more of all of the spices.

At first a little bland but then they grew on me.

I don't understand the raves about this recipe. While the texture and appearance are nice, the cookies are extremely bland - taste like bread. Not worth eating. I had to drastically revise the recipe to give the cookies any flavor - substitute half brown sugar, triple the cinnamon and ginger, plus add a generous amount of clove, cardamom and nutmeg. This gave more flavor. Even so, I will look elsewhere for a more flavorful recipe with more molasses and spice flavor and zing.

This is THE BEST gingerbread cookie recipe I've ever tried. Dough is easy to work with, they puffed up nicely & held their shape, came out soft, tasted great! Make these! The only thing I altered was I used butter instead of lard, and I add a pinch of cloves, b/c I like that flavor, but they would be great without it too.

I think that gingerbread reminds me of laying tile in our kitchen, no it reminds me of the fact that I need to walk my dog, no really it reminds me that Ungle Gerg always tells me to take things more seriously

Delicious! If you want an easy recipe for soft gingerbread cookies, look no further!

What a wonderful recipe! I had never made gingerbread cookies before, and this dough came together easily, and the cookies when baked stayed soft and flavorful. I did add a bit more ginger than the recipe calls for, and we loved it. Definitely worth a try!

Nice crunchy cookie. I think I could have baked them less for a softer cookie, but they're great the way they turned out. Just added some simple frosting (powdered sugar and milk), yum!

Yum! They were perfect! I made them for christmas and gave them as gifts (with other cookies) and everybody loved them! To me, they were awesome because they were not too spicy, just enough for me :) They're even better with frosting...I will to them again for sure! Thank you soooo very much!

Awesome recipe! I used 1/2 c crisco and 1/4 veg oil and it turned out great. Rolled between parchment paper. Decorated with Royal Icing. This recipe is a keeper!

I love this recipe! This is the second year I'm using it, and I have tried other recipes before. This simple recipe makes a light, sweet gingerbread - exactly the way I like it. It's also super easy. Makes great gingerbread houses, and my Mormon family members really appreciate its origin :)

Tried this recipe and shared it with a friend who was born & raised in Quincy, IL and was looking for a good gingerbread cookie recipe. This is great! Thanks!

I made these last year and they were delicious, perfect gingerbread cookies.

My favorite gingerbread cookies. A little work intensive, but worth it.

This is a great recipe. Not sure why everyone complains of it taking a long time to make. I made up the dough while my son was in school and then we baked them together. Fun for kids to decorate. Most importantly... delicious cookies! Thanks for the recipe.

Delicious!! This recipe halves nicely, also. I got lots of compliments! I sprinkled white sugar on top just before putting them in the oven to add a little sweetness and decoration.

WOW a delicious tasting cookie! I used an electric mixer to blend the sugar, lard, molasses, eggs and water in very large bowl. I added the flour mixture 1 cup at a time to make mixing less messy and easier. I did judge doneness by looking at the center of the cookie. My kids loved these compared to the really crunchy, spicier cookies. My mom enjoyed them too and she's NEVER eaten my gingerbread before. They will make great gifts and a great tradition at Christmas - Thanks for posting this recipe they are amazing with hot cocoa or a little rum and eggnog!! nom, nom, nom...

Thanks for the great recipie. My ancestors were in Nauvoo. It is neat to think that I am introducing something to my children that links us even closer to them. Especially when it is as yummy as these cookies.

These cookies lacked in the flavor department. They baked up beautifully, but the taste was not there. Need to add a lot more spice .

This made nice looking cookies, but they had a strange aftertaste. Perhaps better for the tree than for eating.

UGH. I omitted the baking soda like suggested to keep the shape. It came out exactly as it was cut. I added just a touch dark brown sugar. It came out bland and tough. Sticky and difficult to roll/cut. Not making again.

These cookies are great. My son loves gingerbread and begs for me to make them. I added allspice and nutmeg to the cookies for extra flavor. Thanks for the great recipe.

I assumed that these would be amazing and was very excited. I followed the recipe and they were extremely heavy and bland. They tasted like flour and had very little flavor. I am not sure what is responsible for the recipe's failure if not due to too much flour, but I didn't have to refridgerate these cookies because the dough was already firm. I suppose the recipe simply calls for too much flour, but it was a waste of my time. I was not impressed.

I thought these were great. I was worried the dough would be too sticky but it was not. They were great for using all sorts of cookie cutters including stamps. The only change I made was two tbs of cinnamon instead of one. The flavor is mild so next time I might spike it with a little more spice although it was probably just the right level kids- my daughter really liked them.

I used this recipe the first time I ever made gingerbread cookies and they turned out delicious! My only modification was using butter instead of lard. Will use again.

I made this with my daughters, and it was super easy. Only thing I changed was to use Crisco instead of lard. And I agree with some of the others, they are not too spicy, but it was just perfect for my picky kids and husband.

Pretty much perfect. Thanks!

These took a while to make, but the end result was worth it. My only complaint is that they could be softer. I used shortening instead of lard. I will be using these in Christmas baskets as gifts.

My favorite gingerbread cookies. The dough freezes for later use really well too.

Soft, chewy cookies. Didn't get hard even after being out a couple of days. VERY easy to roll and cut. Didn't have any problem with dough sticking to anything, even without flouring sheet or cookie cutters. Great recipe. Will use over and over. Thank you!

These cookies are very good. I did change the spices based on others' comments to 1 T ginger and 1 t each of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. My kids loved decorating them with the Royal II icing on this site!

I like a spicier gingerbread. I did use canola instead of the lard. They didn't stay too soft either. I might make again or look for something else.

Yummy!!! Wasn't to sure at frist but, then I couldn't stop eating them... very addictive!

I like spicier gingerbread so I doubled the amount of cinnamon & ginger, added 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp ground cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, and STILL it was bland. And I mean really, really bland. Not even super sugary icing helped.

Very easy recipe to follow. They turned out fabulous and firm but soft. They were excellent for gingerbread houses. I did make some minor changes after reading some of the reviews. I used shortening instead of lard because it was what I had on hand. I also added 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1/4 tsp. of cloves for extra spice flavor, but I like that it has less ginger than most other recipes because usually I think Gingerbread has too much ginger. I also used only five cups of flour and then floured dough as needed to keep from stinking. I thought this made the flavor turn out perfect without being too bland or too spicy.

These just taste like lard. They need a lot more spice and flavor for my liking. I increased the ginger to 2.5 tsp and it still wasn’t close to enough.

Made 83 cookies (I had some small cookie cutters and big ones) Totally awesome, several days later still SUPER soft & delicious. Big hit with the fam!

Fantastic, and I originally made these in a college dorm kitchen--which means anyone anywhere can make them. Everyone I've ever made these cookies for has loved them, and I now get requests for these each December.

Super tasty cookies. I gave them out to friends for Christmas, then made them again for a Christmas party and they got snarfed down. I didn't think they were a lot of work. I didn't have any problems with them.

They came out beautifully. Nnice and fluffly and they stayed saoft. Unfortunately they were vrey bland in the flavour department. I will make them again, but I will double up the spices in the cecipe and add cloves and allspice and nutmeg.

I made a double batch of these for the cookie decorating day at our fire hall! Everyone loved them! I found the dough a little tricking to work with, but after working it with my hands and softening it, it rolled out great. I did double the amount of cinnamon and ginger, and the end result was perfect, flavourful, soft gingerbread men!

I was disappointed in these cookies. It was my first time making homemade gingerbread and they were kind of tasteless. I even added extra spices. They didn’t have that yummy ginger snap to them.

They definitely need more than 10 minutes - they were not done at 10 minutes even though they looked and felt like they were done and they had absolutely no flavor.

I loved this recipe! It would be so fun to make with children. The dough was perfect and easy to work with. If you think this could use more spices, by all means add more. It won't effect the quality of the dough any. I increased the ginger to 2 tsp because my husband really likes ginger. If you need to substitute for the lard, you need to use butter or shortening--NOT oil. Lard, butter, and shortening all solidify at room temperature. Think about what oil will do to the dough--UGH! No wonder people end up with a sticky mess! I left the dough in the fridge overnight and the cover came off, leaving the dough dry and hard on top. I was worried, but a few sprinkles of water and the dough was perfect again. I did put the dough back in the refrigerator for about 15 minutes somewhere in the middle because it was getting a bit sticky. I thought it was awesome to be making a recipe my own ancestors (who were in Nauvoo) probably used. This will definitely become a new tradition!

The cookies needed more spicing

these are the most amazing gingerbread cookies!

Super easy to handle dough. I did kick up the spice because we love spicy gingerbread.

Love this recipe! I replaced the lard with Crisco Butter Flavor shortening and whisked it until it was mixed well. I also added an additional tsp of ginger, a quarter tsp of cloves and a dash of nutmeg. I prepared the dough but didn't bake for over a week and the dough was still perfect. This is now my go-to gingerbread cookie dough! Love it!

I'm a very novice cookie maker and this recipe made me look good!

nice to work with and nice soft cookies but flavor was lacking for my taste.

Dough was ok for rolling and baking but there is too much molasses. The cookies came out dark and tasted too strongly of molasses.

I'm not usually a fan of gingerbread but I love these. They are more mild so if you are looking for a spicy gingerbread you may want a different recipe.

I love this Gingerbread cookie recipe! They are very soft and have just the right amount of spice. I make these cookies every year at Christmas. They also freeze well, so you can make them ahead and pull them out the day of a party to thaw and they are still soft and yummy;)

I made these for the first time today and was very impressed with how puffy they got while still maintains the shape. They are very mild in flavor, but I think with they will make a good vehicle for the sweet icing. I followed the recipe exactly—even the lard (I’m a big fan of using lard anyway). My only critique is that they are not super gingery. I think next time I’m going to up my spices to get more of a kick. But my kids loved them, so that’s a win! And it was kind of fun to use this recipe since I have relatives who established Nauvoo (which has nothing to do with the quality of the recipe. It’s just nice).

I come back to this recipie every year. Soft and delicious everytime.

The perfect gingerbread cookie. Soft, workable, holds its shape well, and yummy! We add a 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, otherwise no changes.