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Ginger Snap Cookies are one of my favorite cookies. They're a favorite holiday cookie, but are great any time of year. They’re quick and easy to make and packed with spicy ginger flavor. These are perfectly crisp and crunchy, the way a gingersnap should be!
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I love a good ginger cookie and this ginger snaps recipe makes exactly the kind I like. While some are too soft or chewy or aren't sweet or spicy enough, these Ginger Snap Cookies turn out sweet, spicy, a little chewy in the center with a nice crisp edge.
They’re perfect on their own or with a glass of cold milk for dunking. They also make great cookies for ice cream sandwiches!
These Gingersnaps make great holiday cookies and are a welcome addition to any Christmas cookie platter, but they’re great any time of year! Because it's so easy, this is a great recipe for cookie exchanges.
How do you make them?
This gingersnaps recipe is super easy to make. Here’s how:
- Heat the molasses briefly in the microwave to warm it up and make it more liquid. Pour the warm molasses over the butter and mix to combine well.
- Add the sugar and mix it in.
- Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder and beat to mix well.
- Put the coarse sugar in a small bowl.
- Form the dough into balls and then roll them in the sugar so that half of the ball is completely coated in sugar. Arrange the sugar coated balls on the prepared baking sheet and press them flat using the bottom of a drinking glass. Sprinkle with more coarse sugar.
- Bake the cookies and when the baking time is up, immediately transfer them to a wire rack to cool. They will be soft when they come out of the oven, but they’ll crisp up as they cool.
Tips for Success
- If the dough is too sticky when you go to form the balls, pop it in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or so to chill it.
- You can mix the dough by hand with a wooden spoon, with a hand-held electric mixer, or in a stand mixer.
- You can use a small cookie scoop to scoop the dough if you want to ensure uniform size cookies, but it's easy to pinch off the dough and form it into balls with your hands, too.
- Use the bottom of a drinking glass or another flat, round object to press the cookies into flat disk. Be sure to apply even pressure with the glass so that the cookies are uniform in thickness. Use a butter knife to separate the cookie dough from the bottom of the glass if necessary.
- Be aware that the cookies may be very soft when you take them out of the oven, but avoid the urge to bake them for longer. They will become crisp as they cool and overbaking them will make them unpleasantly hard.
- For chewy gingersnaps, shorten the cooking time by a minute or two.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
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More holiday cookies you'll love
If you love this easy Ginger Snap Cookies recipe, you’ll want to try my other delicious holiday cookies. Rugelach are a Hanukkah classic, a flaky cream cheese pastry crust that's filled with anything from fruit jam and nuts to chocolate and other fillings. Rum Balls are a must-have on your Christmas cookie platter. Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies with Dulce de Leche, Pecan Pie Cookies, and Flourless Chocolate Cookies round out a cookie platter nicely.
Honey Cookies with orange and cinnamon are perfect for celebrating Thanksgiving and for the fall season in general. Black Sesame Cookies are always an interesting addition.
For a different type of spice cookie, try these Cardomom Cookies. And jam-filled Hamentashen and poppyseed filled Kolacky and layered Toffee Cookies are beautiful and delicious additions to any holiday cookie platter.
If you want to cook multiple batches of cookies at the same time but only have one oven, you can make Air Fryer Cookies, like these Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies.
Apple Galette and Apple Cider Donut Cake are also great Fall dessert recipes!
Ginger Snap Cookies
Robin Donovan
Ingredients
- ½ cup molasses
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 3 tablespoons coarse sugar like turbinado
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Heat the molasses for 1 minute in the microwave.
- Put the butter in a heat-safe bowl and then pour the warmed molasses over it. Stir or beat to mix well. Add the sugar and mix to combine.
- Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and beat to mix well.
- Put the coarse sugar in a small bowl.
- Form the dough into 1 to 1 ½-inch balls and then roll them in the sugar so that half of the ball is completely coated in sugar. Arrange the sugar-coated balls on the prepared baking sheet leaving 2 to 3 inches in between.
- Once all the balls have been formed and coated in sugar, use a juice glass or another flat, round object to press the dough balls down into flat circles, about ¼-inch thick. Sprinkle additional sugar on top of the cookies, pressing it in a bit if necessary to make sure it stays put.
- Bake the cookies for 6 to 8 minutes until they are set but still soft and not visibly browned. Immediately transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool. They will be soft when you take them off the baking sheet, but they’ll become crisp as they cool.
Nutrition
Thanks for this recipe! Just a quick note: Your list of ingredients mentions baking soda, but your instructions (Step 4) states baking powder instead. I went with baking soda. 🙂 Just thought you might want to change the recipe.
Thank you for point out my mistake! I fixed it!