If you want a truly indulgent Christmas cookie, try these bakery-style gingerbread white chocolate chip cookies. They’re large, chewy with slightly gooey centers, and perfectly spiced with gingerbread flavor—loaded with white chocolate chips just like a favorite café or bakery.
These bakery-style gingerbread cookies are inspired by the oversized, gooey cookies popular on Instagram and TikTok. They’re intentionally large—soft and slightly underbaked in the middle—with a warm gingerbread spice and plenty of white chocolate chips. They make a festive treat for gifting or sharing at holiday gatherings.
Since the original publication, the recipe has been adjusted slightly to produce thicker, chunkier cookies that spread less while retaining the same delicious flavor and texture. The original version is noted in the recipe notes below.
Making Bakery-Style Gingerbread Cookies
These cookies are straightforward to make, but a few key steps and techniques will help you achieve that bakery-style result: thick centers, crisp edges, and gooey middles. Below are the essential tips and a clear step-by-step process.
- Whisk the dry ingredients: Combine flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Whisking first ensures the spices are evenly distributed through the dough. Adjust the ginger to taste—use 1 1/2 teaspoons for a stronger ginger flavor.
- Cream the butter and sugars: Beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until mostly smooth. This recipe uses cold butter (cut into cubes) to encourage crisp edges and a gooey center—cubing the butter makes it easier to mix.
- Incorporate egg and flavoring: Beat the egg, molasses, and vanilla into the butter mixture. A single tablespoon of molasses enhances the gingerbread profile without overpowering the cookie texture.
- Combine wet and dry: Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir a few times by hand to avoid flour clouds, then finish mixing on low. The dough should be slightly resistant as the dry ingredients incorporate.
- Fold in white chocolate chips: Gently stir in the white chocolate chips or chunks.
- Portion the dough: Form dough balls about 1/4 to 1/3 cup each (a large scoop that holds roughly 4 tablespoons). Slightly overfilling the scoop gives a generous, bakery-size cookie (each ball weighs about 3½ ounces / 100 g).
- Freeze: Place dough balls on a plate, cover, and freeze at least 30 minutes. For longer storage (up to 2 months), transfer dough balls to a freezer bag.
- Prep to bake: Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats. Place dough balls about 2.5–3 inches (6–7.5 cm) apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake: Bake one sheet at a time in the center of the oven for 14–17 minutes, or until the tops look set and small cracks start to form. The centers will remain slightly gooey.
Recipe Tip
Cool cookies on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They continue to set on the hot sheet; removing them too soon can cause them to fall apart.
A Note from Fiona
Why You Should Make These Gingerbread Cookies This Christmas
I adore these bakery-style gingerbread white chocolate cookies because they’re rich, warmly spiced, and generously studded with white chocolate. Their large size and stackable shape make them ideal for holiday gift boxes or cellophane bags, and they look store-bought—except better, because they’re homemade.
More Bakery-Style Cookies to Try
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Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
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Pistachio Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Thick Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Nutella Stuffed Cookies
Bakery Gingerbread White Chocolate Cookies
Equipment
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Cookie sheets
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (219 grams)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger (use 1½ tsp for stronger ginger flavor)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (cold, cut into cubes)
- ¾ cup brown sugar (I used dark)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon molasses (NOT blackstrap)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup white chocolate chips (180 grams) or chunks
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until you no longer see lumps of butter.
- Beat the egg, molasses, and vanilla into the butter mixture.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Stir a few times by hand first, then beat on low until combined.
- Turn off the mixer and stir in the white chocolate chips.
- Form the dough into balls about 1/4 to 1/3 cup each (a large cookie scoop works well). Each ball weighs roughly 3½ ounces (100 g).
- Place dough balls on a plate, cover, and freeze at least 30 minutes. For longer storage up to 2 months, place dough balls in a freezer bag.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line cookie sheets and place frozen dough balls about 2.5–3 inches (6–7.5 cm) apart. Do not let dough warm before baking.
- Bake one sheet at a time in the middle of the oven for 14–17 minutes, or until the tops look set and small cracks form.
- Cool on the sheet for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. For perfectly round cookies, while still warm on the sheet, press gently with the rim of a very large mug to shape.
Notes
- Doubling: You can double the recipe—use a large bowl to mix.
- Flour: Measure flour accurately to avoid dry cookies. Spoon into a measuring cup or weigh in grams for best results.
- Smaller cookies: Use 1.5–2 tablespoons of dough per cookie and bake at 350°F (180°C) for 8–11 minutes. Freezing is not required for smaller cookies.
- Make-ahead: Freeze formed dough balls in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen as directed; do not thaw first.
- Storage: Store baked, cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies are best fresh.
- Nutrition: Nutrition information is an estimate per cookie assuming 8 uniform cookies.
- Original recipe differences: The original used 1 2/3 cups flour (current uses 1 3/4 cups) and baked at 350°F (180°C). The current recipe uses 375°F (190°C).