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Up close of a pile of hojicha gingerbread cookies
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Hojicha Gingerbread Cookies

Celebrate the holiday season with a fresh batch of these hojicha gingerbread cookies. This spin on the traditional gingerbread cookie recipe is easy to make, fun to decorate, and delicious!
Course Dessert
Cuisine Asian Fusion
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 2 dozen
Calories 348kcal
Author Takes Two Eggs

Ingredients

  • 3 ½ cup (440 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 ½ tablespoon (10 g) Hojicha powder
  • 1 teaspoon (5 g) baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon (2 g) salt
  • 1 tablespoon (5 g) ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground all-spice
  • 1 tablespoon (6 g) ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground cloves
  • 10 tablespoon (145 g) unsalted butter room temperature
  • ¾ cup (150 g) light brown sugar packed
  • cup (200 g) molasses not blackstrap
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg room temperature
  • Optional cookie icing for decorating

Instructions

  • Whisk the dry ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, hojicha powder, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves until combined. Set aside.
  • Cream the butter with sugar and molasses. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of your stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the room temperature butter on medium speed for 1 minute or until smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat on medium speed until combined and creamy. Scrape down the bowl for even mixing.
  • Add the vanilla and egg. When the butter is combined with the sugar and molasses, add the egg and vanilla and beat on high speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • Mix in the dry ingredients. Working in 3 batches, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl and mix on slow speed until combined. Continue until all the dry ingredients are incorporated. The cookie dough should be thick and sticky.
  • Chill the cookie dough. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half into a disc about 1/2 inch thick with plastic wrap. Chill the discs for at least 1-2 hours or overnight.
  • Preheat oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Place your oven racks in the center of the oven. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
  • Shape the cookies. On a well floured work surface, roll out one of your discs until it is about 1/4 inch thick. If the dough cracks use your fingers to meld the dough back together. Cut the dough into shapes and place them about 1 inch apart on the baking sheet. Re-roll the dough scraps and repeat until all the dough is cut. Repeat with second disc.
  • Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for about 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are crisp around the edges. Rotate the pan halfway through. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing onto a wire rack.
  • (Optional) Decorate the cookies when completely cooled.

Notes

  • Use room-temperature butter. Using room-temperature butter will allow you to cream the butter much easier than cold butter.
  • Measure your dry ingredients with a scale. I will say this for every bake. The most accurate method of measuring ingredients is with a scale. That will yield the exact flavor that I have envisioned. If you don't have a scale, fluff your flour with a spoon, carefully drop it into your measuring cup and level it off. Do NOT pack the flour into the measuring cup.
  • Make sure to chill the dough! Chilling the dough allows the baking soda time to fully integrate into the batter. Moreover, the chilling time allows the dough to harden making it easier to mold into shapes.
  • If the dough is too sticky to roll out, you can either chill the dough again to firm up the dough or use another sheet of parchment paper to roll on top of the dough.
  • If the dough cracks, simply press the dough back together with your fingers to seal the dough back together.
  • Don’t overbake: Your cookies are done when the edges are slightly darker than the center and crisp. If you pull your gingerbread cookies just when the edges are done, then allow them to cool completely, it will yield an ideal combination of soft and chewy cookie
  • Cool completely before decorating! Wait until your cookies cool to room temperature before decorating. Decorating warm cookies will yield a gloopy mess!

Storage Instructions

You can store these hojicha gingerbread cookies in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.
Alternatively, you can freeze the baked hojicha gingerbread cookies in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 120mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 15g