Take a step back in time with a classic holiday treat! These simple and delicious Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies have been loved for generations — and you will soon discover why!
One bite from these gingerbread cookies brings back so many memories from my childhood! As a life-long Virginian, I’ve spent quite a bit of time in Williamsburg, and it’s still one of my absolute favorite parts of our state. If you want a real treat, visit Colonial Williamsburg during the holidays — it’s a truly magical place!
An annual holiday visit to Williamsburg was a family tradition in our home, since it was one of my grandmother’s favorite seasonal activities. In addition to the beautiful Christmas decorations, the music, and the festive spirit, I still remember looking forward to the delicious Cream of Peanut Soup at the King’s Arms Tavern and the old-fashioned gingerbread cookies from the Raleigh Tavern Bakery. Oh, that gingerbread is such a treat!
Even as adults, if my brother and I are ever in Colonial Williamsburg, we make a point to stop in the Raleigh Tavern to pick up some gingerbread cookies to go. There’s nothing better than the aroma of freshly-baked gingerbread cookies wafting through the kitchen, with a mug of warm cider on the side! They’re such a special, unique dessert. The gingerbread cookies are warmly spiced with a strong molasses flavor, but they’re not overly sweet and the texture is a perfect cross between a gingerbread cookie and a slice of gingerbread cake. They’re soft (not crispy like some gingerbread cookies), and they’re thick, chewy, and “cakey.” In my opinion, they’re holiday dessert perfection.
When I had a craving for the Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies earlier this season, I finally decided to try my hand at making them at home. That way I can have them any time I need a fix — without actually traveling to Williamsburg! I did some research online and ultimately adapted the Raleigh Tavern Bakery’s original recipe. The end result instantly sent me back to my childhood! I even sent a box of the gingerbread cookies home with parents shortly after I perfected the recipe, because I wanted my folks to put the cookies through a taste test. Did the treats taste authentic? Did they remind my parents of the original?
The final conclusion was “YES!”– these gingerbread cookies are the real deal! My dad told me that they’re the best cookies I have ever made (which is saying a lot, because I’ve made a lot of cookies over the years, and my dad has taste-tested just about all of them)!
I use a round biscuit cutter to make my big gingerbread cookies (because that’s how they’re done at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery), but you can use any shape cookie cutter that you like. If you prefer a classic gingerbread man that you can decorate, these work well for that style too. I just think that simple is best! A light dusting of powdered sugar and a warm cup of tea will instantly show you why these Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies have stood the test of time! I hope that you’ll give them a try this season and experience the magic yourself. It’s a holiday tradition that I’m happy to pass on to my own children!
Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies
Old-Fashioned Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup 2 sticks butter, softened
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour sifted
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with cooking spray or line with parchment. Set aside.
- Add sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add softened butter, evaporated milk, and molasses. Mix again until completely combined, starting on the lowest speed so that the liquid doesn’t splash out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and completely smooth.
- Put the mixer back on low speed and add the flour one cup at a time, stirring constantly until the flour is completely incorporated.
- The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to your fingers, so if it’s still too soft and sticky, add up to ½ cup additional flour, as needed.
- When the dough is smooth, roll it out to ¼-inch thickness on a very well-floured surface. Use a cookie cutter or a round biscuit cutter* to cut the gingerbread into desired shapes. I used a round biscuit cutter with a 3-inch diameter.
- Place shapes onto prepared baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden brown but still soft.
- Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe Notes
Recipe adapted from MakingHistoryNow.com
*I use a round biscuit cutter that measures 3 inches in diameter.
Need some help planning your family’s meals? When you join Simply Mailed, I will send you 3 quick-prep dinner recipes and a grocery shopping list each week (for less than $1 per week!!!). This super-affordable service takes the stress out of dinner, saves you time and money, and brings your family together at the end of the day. There are even options for smaller households of just 1 or 2!
Mmm these remind me of the gingerbread cookies my Grandma used to make, which she called ‘lebkuchen’ which is ‘gingerbread’ in German. I can see why you would always stop for these cookies, and I love that you made your own! Thick, chewy, and cakey sounds perfect. What a fun treat for the holidays!
These would totally remind you of your grandmother, Gayle! Traditional recipes are the best, in my opinion! 🙂
These cookies have my name on them. They’re so thick and chewy looking! YUM!
Yes!!! And not too sweet — they’re just right! 🙂
I’m so excited to try these, Blair! I love gingerbread, and these sound incredible! Also, I read a lot about your boys love for doughnuts- FYI Dunkin Donuts has a gingerbread cookie doughnut and a sugar cookie filled doughnut avail now 😊👍🏼❤️🎄 Happy Holidays to you all!
OMG — I need to make a trip to Dunkin Donuts ASAP!!! Those sound amazing! I’m the gingerbread lover (for sure), and the sugar cookie filled donut would be right up the kids’ alley! 🙂 Happy holidays to you as well!
Love going to Williamsburg and always have to stop at Raliegh Tavern for their gingerbread cookies and Queens cake. I will be anxious to try your recipe, thank you.
Awesome, Jo! I’m glad to know that I’m not the only one who stops there every time for the gingerbread! Now I want to try the Queens cake, though!
Ooh, these look so perfect! Gingerbread cookies are a favourite of ours at Christmas time – followed by my snowball shortcake cookies!
Those shortcake cookies sound amazing!!!
I’m adding these to my holiday baking list! Can you tell me what type molasses you use…dark or light? Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Hi, Kathryn! That’s great!
I use an unsulphured molasses that’s made by a brand named Grandma’s. You can see it here:http://www.grandmasmolasses.com/
I am making “cookies in a jar” for gifts. Do you think I can layer the dry ingredients in a quart jar and attach the recipe for the person to add the wet ingredients? Will they turn as yummy as yours look?
Hi, Phillis! Yes, it should work fine to put the ingredients in a jar as a gift. You’ll just need to make sure that they’re layered in the right order so that the recipient can add the ingredients in stages, as described in the recipe. You wouldn’t want them to just dump all of dry ingredients in a bowl at once. 🙂
Blair, can I make these now and freeze them? They look so good!
Absolutely! I have a stash in my freezer right now, and I just thaw a few on the counter (in a covered container) as I need them. 🙂 They’re PERFECT from the freezer!
I wanted to make these ahead of time. Should I make dough and freeze or cookies then freeze?
Hi, Caroline! Make them exactly as instructed, including baking them. Let the baked cookies cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze. They thaw perfectly (and I have a stash in my freezer right now, too)!
Were just there last weekend. Got these cookies and a big hot cider while we walked Duke of Gloucester Street. Heaven!
Oh, lucky you! That sounds heavenly!
These sound wonderful! I notice that egg is not listed as An ingredient. Sorry…just wanted to be sure this was correct. I plan to make them tomorrow. Thank you!
Hi, Pat! That’s correct — there’s no egg in the recipe. 🙂 Enjoy!
I, too, am a Virginian by birth and grew up on the Peninsula in Hampton. My family always went to the Christmas illumination in Williamsburg and we looked forward to the gingerbread cookies and cider. Thank you for publishing this recipe. I’m excited to make these while bringing treasured memories to our home in Maine .
That’s wonderful, Joyce! I’m so glad to be able to share the Virginia love with you — all the way up north. Enjoy a taste of your heritage!!! 🙂
I was sooo disappointed last summer in Williamsburg to find out they no longer offer the brownies or the gingerbread! I’m excited to try this. Just curious though, no eggs in this recipe?
Awesome, Nancy — I hope that you enjoy them! And yes — you don’t need any eggs for this recipe! 🙂
Blair, I just posted a photo. These are easy, delicious and just how I remember. My kitchen smells wonderful right now. Thanks again.
Joyce
Wonderful, Joyce! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying a happy memory! Merry Christmas!
Hi Blair, once again you’ve come up trumps! Normally i turn to you for savory dishes until i stumbled upon the photo of these cookies! They looked so delious i just had to try them. It’s just after midnight here in the Netherlands and i’m sitting in my warm cosy kitchen whilst waiting for my third tray of cookies to come out of the oven! I had not quite realised they would take so long to make or bake. But the wait is well worth it. I also had not noticed that the recipe is for so many cookies and they are huge :-). I plan to send the kids to the neighbours tomorrow with a tin full and pop some in the freezer (if the rest if the family don’t get thete first! Angela
Hi, Angela!!! I’m so glad that you’re getting a taste of Virginia — all the way in the Netherlands! That’s amazing! Enjoy the cookies, and Merry Christmas!
Does this recipe work for gingerbread man or tree cutouts?
Hi, Mary!
I’ve only ever used it for the rounds, since that’s how they serve it in Williamsburg. That said, I think it would be fine with cut-outs too, so long as they’re not too intricate. These make a really nice thick, cake-like cookie, so they will probably be puffier than traditional thin and crispy gingerbread cookies that you might otherwise use for cut-outs. They don’t spread too much when baking, though, so you should be fine using cookie cutters. Hope that helps!
These cookies turned out fantastic! They will be a new holiday tradition for our family. They are super easy and fast to make and truly do taste like old fashioned gingerbread that you remember from childhood. A couple of helpful hints…I found the dough still a tad too sticky after I had added all of the flour. So, i turned it out on a floured surface and very gently kneaded it a couple of times. Really just a very gentle two/three turns. I then rolled out to a good 1/4 inch (and kept re-rolling scraps). With a 3” diameter round cookie cutter, I got 24 cookies and used up all of the dough. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! Merry Christmas!
Great tips, Pat! Thank you!
Made these for Christmas giving. They were a big hit! I cut recipe in half the first time because I only had 1/2 c molasses. They still came out great, but I did have to add some extra flour. Even after rerolling the scraps several times, the cookies were still perfect! Thanks for a new holiday tradition!
Thanks for letting me know, Jan! I’m so happy that you’ve enjoyed the cookies! 🙂 Merry Christmas!
When I was a very little girl, my family lived near DC and we often went to Williamsburg. What I remember most distinctly was these cookies and the molassas cookies. Yes, there are vaugue memories if costumed people doing period accurate things and such, but the cookies. . .
I wondered if I had dreamed them – and then I saw your post. ❤ I’ve Pinned it and will DEFINITELY be trying them soon.
Oh, I’m so glad that these bring back fond memories, Anne! They’re definitely not a figment of your imagination. I hope that you enjoy them!
“1 ½ tsp baking soda” ?
Not baking powder?
Don’t you need an acid like buttermilk for baking soda?
No, the recipe works exactly as it’s written. 🙂
I just made these with the kids and they are really yummy! I was nervous about no egg and vanilla added but they are fantastic! I’ll be making another batch shortly after Christmas.
That’s great, Katherine! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! 🙂
The dough is impossibly sticky. I’ve baked long enough to know that if I add any more flour they will be horrible. Going to drop by spoonfuls and hope for the best. Wish I had tested the recipe before Christmas eve.
I love the cookies at the Inn in Williamsburg and was thrilled to find the recipe and plan to make them soon. Do you maybe have the recipe for the Shewsbury cakes you can purchase there. The large sugar cookies? Love Williamsburg and I wish I lived close enough to go during Christmas sometime.
Hi, Sheree! No, I don’t — but I’ll definitely work on a recipe for the coming year! Thanks for the suggestion!
Hello. I adore these Gingerbread cookies. I live strolling the streets of Williamsburg with one of these cookies, a cup of warm cider and stopping at one of the many bonfires during The Grand Illumination. Just perfect. One of the comments mentioned Queen Cake. I cannot find a recipe for it. I had some at one of the taverns and loved it but cannot find a recipe even in my Williamsburg cookbook. Do you or anyone posting here have a recipe? I sure would be grateful. Thank you and Happy New Year!
Hi, Bonnie! I will definitely share a recipe for Queens Cake in the coming months — I just need to perfect it. 🙂 Stay tuned!
I made these for the Christmas time to go along with all the other cookies I was baking. They was good, but not much in ginger flavor. I added what it was called for and you could not even tell that they was gingerbread cookies. I think it would need extra ginger added or use fresh grounded ginger to get the ginger taste.