Ginger Cookies are soft cookies with a warm, spicy flavor that is perfect for the colder months. They are flavored with ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and molasses and rolled in sugar and ginger for an extra punch of flavor and texture.
Ginger Cookies are a warm and flavorful dessert baked to soft and chewy perfection with a blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and molasses. These cozy spiced cookies can be soft and chewy or baked a little longer to become crisp, whichever you prefer! They are rolled in sugar and ground ginger for a crunchy texture and added spice.
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
- These soft ginger cookies have a warm, spicy flavor. The combination of the spices gives a warm flavor profile that is so delicious. I use the same spices in my Soft Molasses Cookies.
- The baking time in this recipe gives you soft and chewy cookies, but if you prefer a texture more like a ginger snap you can bake them for longer. You can get some more crisp cookies with my Pie Crust Cookies.
- The flavor balance between the warmth of the spices and the sweetness of the molasses and sugar will keep you coming back for more. These Soft Gingerbread Cookies have some of that spice and molasses flavor profile as well.
- These cookies feel like the holidays to me. The nostalgia will draw anyone in! This French Apple Pie gives a similar nostalgic feeling.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- Molasses will help to keep the cookies soft while also adding flavor and color to the cookie dough. I also use molasses in my Gingerbread Macarons.
- 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.
- Measuring the all-purpose flour correctly is very important. I suggest weighing your flour out. If you want to use a measuring cup, make sure you spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with a knife. Don’t use the cup to scoop directly from the flour.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- You can add more or less ginger to your cookies depending on how much a spice factor you want.
- For some added chewiness you can add chopped crystallized ginger to the cookie dough before baking.
- To cut the spice a bit and add some richness you can drizzle the cookies with melted chocolate. You can use white, dark, or milk chocolate. I drizzle chocolate and caramel over the top of my Turtle Pie.
- If you'd like some crunch in the cookies you can add chopped nuts to the cookie dough, such as pecans or walnuts. I use pecans for crunch in my Pecan and Chocolate Chip Cookies.
- To cut the spice a bit and make these a bit more like classic decorated gingerbread cookies you can add a simple icing on top. 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. 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.
- Use an oven thermometer. Most ovens run either hot or cold. Using an oven thermometer ensures that you are baking your marshmallow cookies at the perfect temperature.
- 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.
- Weigh your ingredients. One of the most common baking mistakes that I see is measuring incorrectly, especially with flour. The best way to get accurate measurements every time is to weigh them with a kitchen scale.
- Use a cookie cutter to shape your cookies after baking. If you shake a cookie cutter around the cookies when they are fresh out of the oven they will be perfectly round and more visually appealing.
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.
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 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 these Ginger Cookies 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
Ginger Cookies
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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