Iced gingerbread oatmeal cookies are a festive holiday twist on classic iced oatmeal cookies, combining cozy gingerbread spices with a soft, chewy texture and a smooth vanilla icing.
Made with molasses, warm spices, and pulsed oats, these cookies deliver nostalgic Christmas flavor in every bite. Perfect for cookie trays, holiday gifting, or cozy winter baking, they’re easy to make and ideal for sharing throughout the Christmas season.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
• Festive Flavor: A delightful blend of gingerbread spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, molasses) for a cozy, comforting taste.
• Irresistible Texture: Mega chewy oatmeal cookies with buttery soft centers and slightly crisp edges, achieved by pulsing the oats.
• Easy to Make: Simple prep with a quick chill time, making them a manageable holiday baking project.
• Perfect for Gifting: The icing sets nicely, making these cookies easy to stack, transport, and gift.
🛠 Tools You’ll Need
• Food Processor or Blender (for pulsing oats)
• Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer (with paddle attachment, for creaming butter and sugar)
• Large Baking Sheets (preferably Nordic Ware)
• Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper
• Medium Cookie Scoop (for uniform cookies)
• Wire Rack (for cooling cookies)
• Measuring cups and spoons
🥄 Key Ingredients
For the Cookies:
• Old-Fashioned Whole Rolled Oats – Pulsed for the perfect chewy texture.
• All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda, Salt.
• Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Nutmeg, Ground Cloves – The signature gingerbread spice blend.
• Unsalted Butter – Softened to room temperature.
• Brown Sugar & Granulated Sugar – For sweetness, moisture, and chewiness.
• Large Egg – At room temperature.
• Unsulphured or Dark Molasses – Adds deep, rich gingerbread flavor and moisture (avoid blackstrap).
For the Spiced Vanilla Icing:
• Sifted Confectioners’ Sugar – For a smooth, lump-free icing.
• Pure Vanilla Extract.
• Milk – To adjust icing consistency.
• Small pinch each of Ground Cinnamon and Ground Ginger – For extra spiced flavor in the icing.
🍪 How to Make Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
- Prepare Oats: Pulse old-fashioned oats in a food processor 10–12 times until a mix of chopped oats and oat flour forms.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Whisk pulsed oats, flour, baking soda, salt, and all spices (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamed (about 3 minutes). Add egg and molasses; beat until combined.
- Combine & Chill Dough: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky. Cover and chill for 30–45 minutes (or up to 4 days).
- Preheat Oven & Prep Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Scoop & Bake: Scoop dough (about 1.5 tablespoons per cookie) and place 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Bake for 12–13 minutes until sides are lightly browned and centers look soft.
- Cool Cookies: Remove from oven, cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
- Make Icing: Whisk confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon milk. Add more milk, a tiny bit at a time, until a very thick icing forms. Whisk in a small pinch of cinnamon and ginger.
- Ice Cookies: Lightly dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing, or drizzle it on top. Garnish with extra cinnamon if desired. Allow icing to set for a few hours.
💡 Tips for Success
• Pulse the Oats: This is the secret to the chewy texture. Don’t skip this step, even with quick oats.
• Chill the Dough: Chilling is crucial to prevent spreading, especially with the sticky molasses. It also deepens the flavors.
• Use a Cookie Scoop: A medium cookie scoop ensures uniform size and even baking, and makes handling the sticky dough easier.
• Don’t Overbake: Bake until just lightly browned; the centers will look soft. They will continue to set as they cool, ensuring a soft and chewy interior.
• Adjust Spices to Taste: Feel free to slightly adjust the spice levels, especially cloves, to your preference. A little extra can add a stronger gingerbread kick.
🆘 Cookie Troubleshooting Guide
Problem: Cookies spread too much.
• Likely Cause: Dough not chilled enough, butter too soft, or too much baking soda.
• Solution: Ensure dough is chilled for the full recommended time. Use softened but not melted butter. Double-check baking soda measurement.
Problem: Cookies are dry or crumbly.
• Likely Cause: Overbaking, or too much flour.
• Solution: Bake for the minimum recommended time until just set. Use a kitchen scale for accurate flour measurement.
Problem: Icing is too thin or too thick.
• Likely Cause: Incorrect milk-to-sugar ratio.
• Solution: Add milk one teaspoon at a time until desired thick consistency is reached. If too thick, add a tiny bit more milk; if too thin, add more sifted confectioners’ sugar.
Problem: Icing doesn’t set or is sticky.
• Likely Cause: Too much liquid in the icing.
• Solution: Ensure you add milk very gradually. The icing should be very thick to set properly. Humidity can also affect setting; allow ample time in a dry environment.
👩🍳 Pro Chef Tips
• Make Ahead Dough: The cookie dough can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. This is great for holiday meal prep.
• Freezing Options: Both baked and unbaked cookie dough balls freeze well for up to 3 months. Bake frozen dough balls for an extra minute without thawing.
• Gifting: These beautifully spiced and iced cookies are perfect for holiday cookie exchanges or edible gifts.
• Flavor Variations: Experiment with adding a touch of orange zest to the dough for a citrusy gingerbread twist, or a sprinkle of flaky sea salt on top of the icing for a sweet and salty contrast.
☕ Perfect Pairings: What to Enjoy with Your Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies
• Hot Coffee or Espresso: The robust flavor of coffee complements the warm spices.
• Chai Tea Latte: Enhances the spiced notes of the cookies.
• Warm Milk: A comforting classic, especially for kids.
• Eggnog: A festive pairing that highlights the holiday flavors.
• Mulled Wine or Cider: Perfect for a cozy winter evening.
📦 How to Store
• Room Temperature: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.
• Freezer: Freeze baked cookies (with or without icing) or unbaked cookie dough balls in an airtight container or freezer bag for up to 3 months.
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Iced Gingerbread Oatmeal Cookies 🍪🎄 Chewy Christmas Cookies with Spiced Vanilla Icing
Description
Chewy, soft, and spiced oatmeal cookies with a rich gingerbread flavor, topped with a sweet vanilla icing. A perfect holiday treat.
Ingredients
Cookies:
Icing:
Instructions
-
Prepare the Oats
Place the oats in a food processor and pulse about 10–12 times until you get a mix of textures—mostly chopped oats with a bit of fine oat flour mixed in. This texture is key for chewy cookies.
-
Mix the Dry Ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the pulsed oats, flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
-
Cream the Butter and Sugars
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and molasses, then beat on high speed for about 1 minute, until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again if needed.
-
Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and mix on low speed just until incorporated. The dough will be thick and slightly sticky.
-
Chill the Dough
Cover the dough and refrigerate for 30–45 minutes (or up to 4 days).
👉 If chilling longer than a few hours, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before scooping, as it will be quite firm.
-
Preheat and Prep
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
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Scoop and Bake
Scoop about 1½ tablespoons of dough per cookie and place them 3 inches apart on the baking sheets.
Bake for 12–13 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden but the centers still look soft.
-
Cool
Remove cookies from the oven and let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Note
🍥 Make the Icing
In a medium bowl, whisk together confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and 1 tablespoon of milk. The mixture will be very thick at first.
Gradually add just enough milk (usually about 1 more tablespoon) to create a very thick icing.
Whisk in a small pinch of ground cinnamon and ginger, tasting and adjusting if desired.
Dip the tops of the cooled cookies into the icing or drizzle it over the cookies. Sprinkle with extra cinnamon for garnish if you like ✨
Let the icing set for a few hours before stacking, storing, or gifting.
Oats Tip 🌾
Pulsing the oats is the secret step for the perfect texture.
- If you don’t have a food processor, use a blender.
- No blender? Roughly chop the oats with a knife.
- Even if using quick oats, they still need to be pulsed (just fewer pulses).
🚫 Do not replace pulsed oats with oat flour.