This Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies Recipe is packed with warm spices, rich molasses, and just the right amount of sweetness. These cookies are cozy, comforting, and absolutely irresistible. They're perfect for holiday cookie exchanges, gifting to friends, or just enjoying for yourself!
Ginger Cookies are baked to soft and chewy perfection with a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, and molasses. Roll them in sugar and a little extra ginger for that crackly, sparkling finish. Prefer crispy edges? Just bake the cookies a minute or two longer to adapt them to your texture preference!
If you're looking for more delicious cookies check out my Brown Butter Cookies, Pumpkin Pie Spice Cookies, or Chocolate Chip Cookies without Brown Sugar.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- The blend of warm, cozy spices. The nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and clove work together to give you a bite of nostalgic, holiday flavor. I use the same spices in my Soft Molasses Cookies.
- The perfect chewy texture. The molasses makes these cookies soft and tender but you get a bit of bite from the firm edges. If you want crisper cookies you can bake them for longer or try my Pie Crust Cookies.
- The sweet and spice balance. The chewy ginger cookies have a slight spice to them while also being sweet enough to feel like a treat! These Soft Gingerbread Cookies have some of that spice as well.
- They taste like the holidays. The nostalgia of these cookies with draw anyone in. This French Apple Pie gives a similar nostalgic feeling.
What Makes Ginger Cookies Soft and Chewy?
Ingredients That Affect Texture
The secret to soft, chewy ginger cookies comes down to moisture + method.
- Molasses attracts and holds moisture in the cookie dough, helping the cookies to stay soft and chewy after baking. You can also use molasses for extra flavor like I do in my Gingerbread Macarons.
- Brown sugar adds both sweetness and chew thanks to its molasses content.
- Butter contains water that creates steam in the oven keeping the ginger cookies lighter and more tender.
Techniques For Chewiness
- Chilling the dough before baking helps the cookies to spread less while baking, keeping them thick and chewy.
- Creaming softened butter together with the sugar creates little air bubbles that add lightness to the cookies.
- Underbaking the cookies. Remove the cookies from the oven while the centers still look underdone. They will finish baking on the pan and not dry out in the oven.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Molasses. I use unsluphered light molasses. If you use dark or blackstrap molasses you will get a much different tasting cookie.
- Ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, ground cloves will all work together to give the cookies that perfect warm taste. I use nutmeg and cinnamon in my Eggnog Mini Cheesecakes.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Adjust the spice. Add more ginger for an extra kick, or less for a milder flavor.
- Add chocolate. Drizzle white, milk, or dark chocolate on top for extra richness. I drizzle chocolate and caramel over the top of my Turtle Pie.
- Add crunch. Mix in chopped pecans or walnuts. I use pecans for crunch in my Pecan and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- Add icing. Finish with a simple glaze for added sweetness. Like the simple icing on my Apple Pie Filled Cinnamon Rolls.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
Step-By-Step-Instructions
STEP 1: In a large bowl combine the butter and both sugars. Beat until fully combined. Add the egg and molasses and mix to combine.
STEP 2: In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
STEP 3: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Chill the dough balls for 30 minutes. If you love cookie dough you should check out my Edible Cookie Dough Recipe.
STEP 4: Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a small bowl combine the sugar and ginger. Mix to combine.
STEP 5: Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough out and roll it into balls. Roll the dough balls in the sugar mixture and space 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Expert Baking Tips
- Chill your cookie dough. Chilling cookie dough prevents the cookies from overspreading and keeps them soft and chewy.
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer ensures that you are baking your ginger cookies at the perfect temperature.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. The ingredients will combine much easier.
- Weigh your ingredients. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
- Shape after baking. Shake a cookie cutter around hot cookies to make perfectly round edges.
Recipe FAQ's
The cookie dough was probably too warm when you baked the cookies. This is why I recommend resting the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes before baking.
Gingerbread cookies are great for cut out cookies and decorating. Molasses cookies have extra chewiness and depth of flavor. Ginger cookies have more spice and warmth.
It adds a rich flavor and moisture for a tender, chewy cookie.
I use light unsulphered molasses. I usually grab the Grandma's brand if it's available.
Room Temperature: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Refrigerator: If stored correctly in an airtight container the Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies will last up to 1 week in the fridge.
Freezer: I recommend scooping the cookie dough and freezing it on a baking sheet, then transferring them to an air-tight container. That way you can pull out one or two cookies whenever you’d like them. I leave them sitting out at room temperature for about 30 minutes and then bake them normally. The dough will last up to 2 months.
You can also bake the cookies and then store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
More Recipes You'll Love
If you tried this Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I so appreciate hearing from you!
Recipe
Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
For Cookies:
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- ⅓ cup (66 grams) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (53 grams) light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup (113 grams) molasses
- 2 cups (240 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground clove
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
For Sugar Coating:
- ¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
For Cookies:
- In a large bowl combine the butter and both sugars. Beat until fully combined. Add the egg and molasses and mix to combine.
- In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Chill the dough for 30 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees (F). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a small bowl combine the sugar and ginger. Mix to combine.
- Using a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the dough out and roll it into balls. Roll the dough balls in the sugar mixture and space 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Notes
- Chill your cookie dough. I know skipping this step is tempting (you want your cookies as quickly as possible and I can’t blame you for that!) but don’t do it! Chilling cookie dough prevents the cookies from overspreading. This can cause them to be thinner, and crispier, and change the overall flavor of the end product.
- Don’t use cold ingredients. Ensure that all of your cold ingredients are at room temperature before making your cookies. The ingredients will combine much easier.
- The provided nutrition information is an estimate. The calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
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