The Secret Ingredient for Soft, Tender Gingerbread Cookies

Is there a cookie that's more Christmas-y than a gingerbread cookie? The iconic holiday treats, often cut into people-shapes and decorated with frosting and candy, are beloved for their cute looks and their rich, spiced flavor. Gingerbread brings a sense of whimsy to the season and is the kind of cookie that's great for all ages to ake and decorate. They're great for cookie swaps, gifting, or just having at the house when you want a fun, festive treat.

The history of gingerbread dates back to ancient Greece and Egypt, where it was used for ceremonial purposes. The association with Christmas became widespread in Germany, however, where elaborate gingerbread houses were created. This was a tradition inspired by the Grimm Brothers’ fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. Today, gingerbread cookies are a holiday staple enjoyed worldwide and range from super simple cut outs to elaborate gingerbread cities.

But have you ever tried to make gingerbread from scratch? Traditional gingerbread cookie recipes include flour, molasses, brown sugar, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, butter, eggs, baking soda and a hint of vanilla extract. While that seems pretty basic, these cookies can go from soft and delicious to too hard in an instant if you're not careful.

In our quest for the perfect gingerbread cookie, we took to the internet, as one does. And in our search, we ran across a secret ingredient via two great bakers, Kayla Hoang of Sweet Temptations by Kayla and Melissa Griffiths of Bless This Mess.

When we read through Hoang's Soft Gingerbread and Griffiths' Easy Soft Gingerbread Cookies we noticed a surprising ingredient: vinegar. Both cookies looked great, but we wanted to dig into this secret ingredient a bit more before we gave it a try.

Related: The 200-Year-Old Christmas Cookie Recipe That's Wildly Simple

😋😋 SIGN UP to get delicious recipes, handy kitchen hacks & more in our daily Pop Kitchen newsletter 🍳🍔

Why You Should Add Vinegar to Your Gingerbread Cookies

Hoang's recipe calls for apple cider vinegar and Griffiths' recipe calls for white vinegar, but the idea is the same.

Vinegar can make cookies softer by acting as a tenderizing agent. Its acidity reacts with baking soda or baking powder in the dough (plus the molasses in gingerbread), creating bubbles. This reaction helps leaven the cookies, making them puffier. The acidity also weakens gluten formation in the flour, contributing to a softer texture. You don't add much vinegar to the dough, so you won't taste the ingredient post-bake—but you will notice that your gingerbread is softer and more tender.

Griffiths mentioned in her blog post that her recipe came from her sister-in-law, Beth, who graduated from culinary school with an emphasis in baking. Hoang is also professionally trained and has developed recipes and written about baking for a range of websites and publications (including Parade).

In her blog post, Griffiths goes on to say, "I’ve made this recipe at least 100 times and know that it’s perfect." The comments on the site also support that claim. "This is the best gingerbread recipe ever!" said one commenter. "From the incredible taste (even for non gingerbread lovers) to the amazing softness, they are top notch. Everyone asks me to make these this time of year. I will use this recipe forever!" Consider us sold!

Up Next: 

Related: My Husband's Grandpa Cracked the Code to the Best-Ever Snickerdoodles