Holiday Cut-Out Shape Cookie Recipe (Perfect for Hippos, Too)
Every year, my son and I pull out the flour, sugar, and spices, ready to roll up our sleeves for the ultimate holiday treat: soft, chewy gingerbread cookies. But in our house, there’s a twist. Forget those perfectly symmetrical gingerbread men; we’re making gingerbread hippopotamuses. 🦛
Why hippos, you ask? Because we want a hippopotamus for Christmas, of course! It’s a tradition that started on a whim but has stuck around, making our holidays that much sillier and sweeter.
These cookies are soft enough to bite into without breaking a tooth (important for hippos and humans), perfectly spiced, and incredibly fun to decorate. Whether you make gingerbread men, reindeer, or yes, even hippos, this holiday cookie recipe will be a new family favorite.
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 5 cups all-purpose flour
Directions
- Cream together butter and sugar. Add salt, vanilla, spices, and molasses and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth.
- Sift together baking soda and flour and mix into mixture.
- Separate into two balls and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate overnight.
- Roll out to 1/4 thickness. Cut out shapes or roll into a log and slice in circles.
- Bake at 400°F for 6-7 min.
Cool, then decorate with your favorite frosting. Ours is a vanilla cream-cheese icing that I dye in a bunch of holiday colors. Then, it’s time to get a little artsy.
A Note from My Kitchen
Every year, as the smell of gingerbread fills the house, I get to watch my son’s creativity run wild. Some hippos wear bow ties, others have festive scarves, and one year we even had a hippo superhero. It’s messy. It’s joyful. And it’s become a tradition we both cherish.
So, if you happen to hear the song “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” while you bake your soft gingerbread cookies, just know you’re in good company. We’ll be over here, giggling and making hippos out of cookie dough.
Happy Holidays and Happy Baking! ❤️
