Soft Gingersnap Cookies
These ultra soft and chewy Gingersnap Cookies are made with molasses and five kinds of warming spices. This recipe features a no-chill dough that can go straight from the mixing bowl to the oven!
About These Cookies
Come Christmas, it’s all about the cookies in our house. From cut-out sugar cookies to classic gingerbread men, I’ve constantly got the oven running to bake a fresh batch of cookies.
While it’s fun to experiment with new recipes each year, there’s something to be said about sticking to the classic cookies you grew up eating.
These soft gingersnap cookies are one such recipe for me. They’re as timeless as a Christmas cookie can get, and they’re so simple to prepare.
The cookie dough is flavored with five kinds of spices, and molasses keeps them super moist.
Add this easy gingersnaps cookie recipe to your rotation this year — I guarantee you’ll want to make them each Christmas from now on!
For an extra special treat, serve them alongside a homemade gingerbread chai latte!
Tools You’ll Need
This is a traditional cookie recipe that can be prepared without any special equipment:
- Measuring Cups and Spoons — For measuring the dry ingredients and spices.
- Liquid Measuring Cup — For measuring the molasses.
- Kitchen Scale (Optional) — Not necessary, but I prefer to weigh my flour when baking.
- Baking Sheets — I use two for this recipe; as one sheet bakes, I load up the second one with more cookie dough balls.
- Parchment Paper — Make sure to line the baking sheets before adding the cookie dough balls.
- Mixing Bowls or Stand Mixer — A stand mixer makes this recipe ever quicker to prepare, but two mixing bowls can be used as well.
- Wire Whisk — For combining the dry ingredients.
- Silicone Spatula — For scraping down the sides of the bowl.
- Medium Cookie Scoop — For scooping the cookie dough.
- Wire Cooling Rack — Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Recipe Ingredients
Gather the following ingredients to make the best gingersnap cookies:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Spices (Ground Cinnamon, Ginger, Allspice, Black Pepper, & Cloves)
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter
- Granulated Sugar
- Dark Brown Sugar
- Egg Yolk
- Vanilla Extract
- Molasses
- Turbinado Sugar (for dipping)
For the complete ingredient list and detailed instructions, scroll to the bottom of this post for the FREE printable recipe card.
Ingredient Notes
- Baking Soda — Here are some appropriate baking soda substitutes, if you’ve run out.
- Butter — Here are my favorite ways to soften butter quickly.
- Egg Yolk — Here’s how to separate eggs, if you struggle with that.
- Molasses — Use an unsulphured molasses for this recipe, NOT blackstrap molasses. The Grandma’s brand works well.
How to Make Soft Gingersnap Cookies
You can have a fresh batch of spiced gingersnaps ready in about 30 minutes! The cookie dough doesn’t need to be chilled, which is a huge time saver around the holidays.
- Combine the dry ingredients: Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and spices in a mixing bowl.
- Combine the wet ingredients: In a stand mixer (or second mixing bowl), beat together the softened butter and sugars, then add the egg yolk, vanilla, and molasses.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet: Add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time, stopping to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl as needed.
- Scoop the cookie dough into balls: You want heaping 1.5 tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each cookie dough ball in turbinado sugar before placing on a lined baking sheet.
- Bake until soft and chewy: I prefer baking one sheet of cookies at a time, rotating halfway through the bake time (10 to 11 minutes total).
How can you tell when the gingersnaps are done? For soft and chewy cookies, you want them to look just a little underbaked when you remove them from the oven.
The above is simply a quick summary of this recipe. Check out the full recipe in the free printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for all the detailed instructions.
Tips for Making This Recipe
- Measuring the molasses — Use a liquid measuring cup to measure. Molasses is very sticky, so I like to spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray for easier measuring.
- Measuring the flour — For best results, weigh the flour rather than using traditional measuring cups. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cups for the most precise results.
- Need to chill the cookie dough? This recipe does NOT require chilling the cookie dough before baking it. If the cookie dough is stored in the refrigerator or freezer, it will need to sit out until room temperature before baking.
- Shaping the cookie dough balls — I suggest occasionally moistening your hands in a bowl of cold water, then shaking off the excess. This helps prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Bake only one sheet at a time — Use the middle rack of the oven. If you bake 2 sheets at a time, the gingersnaps won’t brown evenly on the bottom.
Recipe FAQs
Got questions about how to make this recipe? Here are the answers to a few commonly asked questions. Feel free to leave any other questions in the comments on this post and I’ll respond with answers.
What type of molasses should I use?
Use light unsulphured molasses for this recipe, not blackstrap molasses. The Grandma’s brand is the most popular type of light unsulphured molasses, but any brand will work.
What spices are used in gingersnap cookies?
For a well spiced, soft gingersnap cookie, I always use a mixture of ground cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
The cinnamon and ginger add the most flavor, but the addition of allspice, cloves, and black pepper make for a more nuanced tasting cookie!
How do you make gingersnaps soft rather than crispy?
I used a few baking tricks to create soft and chewy gingersnap cookies:
- Dark brown sugar contains more molasses than light brown sugar, which adds moisture to the cookies and keeps them soft.
- Half a cup of actual molasses adds flavor, richness, and moisture; this also creates the soft and chewy texture.
- The cookie dough is scooped into heaping 1.5 tablespoon balls and baked for just 10 minutes. The larger size and shorter bake time combines to make soft cookies!
Can I bake these gingersnaps for longer to make this crispy and “snappy?”
Yes! I learned this by mistake when my kids made this recipe. They accidentally forgot to set a timer for the cookies and wound up baking the gingersnaps for a few minutes longer than they should have.
The resulting cookies were still delicious, but they were crispy and snappy without being too dry!
Can the cookie dough be chilled before baking?
Yes, you can chill the raw cookie dough for up to 48 hours before scooping it into balls and baking it.
However, the dough needs to be brought back to room temperature before baking the cookies.
Storage Instructions
Let the cookies cool to room temperature on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container or zip-top bag. They’ll last up to 5 days on the counter.
Baked cookies can also be frozen for 3 months. The raw cookie dough can also be scooped and frozen for up to 3 months. (Here’s how to freeze cookie dough!)
Desserts That Call for a Gingersnap Cookies
As written, this recipe makes pillowy soft gingersnaps.
If a recipe calls for a gingersnap crust, I suggest baking your cookies just a couple minutes longer to make them crisp and “snappy” — perfect for crushing and using in a crust!
- Mini Sweet Potato Tarts
- Layered No-Bake Pumpkin Cheesecakes
- No-Churn Pumpkin Ice Cream with Gingersnap Swirl
Try Making Gingersnaps at Home!
Next time you’re looking for a soft gingersnap recipe, give this recipe a try!
Did you love the spices in this recipe? Leave a comment below and give it a review for others to see what you thought.
On Instagram? Share your photo and tag me with @goodlifeeats and #goodlifeeatsrecipes. I’d love to see a photo of your soft gingersnap cookies!
More Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes:
Ultra soft on the inside with a crisp sugary crust on the outside, these Pumpkin Molasses Cookies are a simple but delicious fall dessert!
The classic cookie is made even better with the addition of brown butter! Brown Butter Snickerdoodles still have the tang of a traditional snickerdoodle, but are even more nuanced in flavor.
Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars are super festive with red and green funfetti sprinkles in the bars and crushed candy cane pieces on top!
For a unique twist on gingerbread cookies, try these Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies! They’re great for gifting and cookie decorating parties!
These Almond Crescent Cookies are a unique Christmas cookie recipe that your family will love! These Swedish cookies feature buttery crescent cookies studded with chopped almonds, a sweet almond flavor, and a delicate dusting of sweet powdered sugar.
Don’t see what you’re looking for here? You can always head over to check out the recipe index to look for more recipes.
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Soft Gingersnap Cookies
These ultra soft and chewy Gingersnap Cookies are made with molasses and five warming spices. This recipe features a no-chill dough that can go straight from the mixing bowl to the oven!
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 ¼ ounces or 319 grams)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened (½ sticks)
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
- ⅔ cup turbinado sugar (for dipping)
Instructions
Before Preparing the Cookies
- Place an oven rack in the center most position before baking. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment; set aside.
Preparing the Cookie Dough
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, black pepper, and salt. Stir until thoroughly combined with a wire whisk. Set aside.
- Add the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar mixture on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically using a silicone spatula.
- Decrease the mixer speed to medium-low, then add in the egg yolk and vanilla extract, beating until incorporated - about 30 seconds. Turn the mixer off, scrape down the sides with a spatula, and add the molasses. Turn the mixer back on to medium speed and beat for 30 more seconds.
- Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add the flour mixture ½ cup at a time, letting it incorporate before adding the next portion. After all of the flour has been added, turn the mixer off and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a silicone spatula. Turn the mixer back on and beat for 30 more seconds on medium-low speed.
Rolling the Gingersnap Cookies
- Add the turbinado sugar into a rimmed dish. Set aside.
- Measuring cookie dough in heaping tablespoons. Roll the dough between the palms of your hands to create 1 ½-inch balls. Gently roll the cookie dough balls into the turbinado sugar until coated on all sides.
- Then, transfer the sugar coated cookie dough balls to the parchment paper lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between cookies.
- Continue until all of the cookie dough has been used.
Baking the Gingersnaps
- Bake only 1 sheet of cookies at a time for best results. Place a baking sheet in the preheated oven on the center rack and bake for 10 - 11 minutes, rotating halfway through baking.
- Cookies are done when they are lightly browned, puffy, and have set edges but soft centers. The cookies should look slightly underdone between the cracks on top of the cookies.
- After baking, let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack with a spatula. Then, cool to room temperature.
Notes
Measuring the molasses — Use a liquid measuring cup to measure. Molasses is very sticky, so I like to spray the inside of the measuring cup with cooking spray for easier measuring.
Measuring the flour — For best results, weigh the flour rather than using traditional measuring cups. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, spoon the flour out of the bag and into the measuring cups for the most precise results.
Need to chill the cookie dough? This recipe does NOT require chilling the cookie dough before baking it. If the cookie dough is stored in the refrigerator or freezer, it will need to sit out until room temperature before baking.
Shaping the cookie dough balls — I suggest occasionally moistening your hands in a bowl of cold water, then shaking off the excess. This helps prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 24 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 163Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g
GoodLifeEats.com offers recipe nutritional information as a courtesy. This provided information is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although GoodLifeEats.com makes every effort to provide accurate information, these figures are only estimates.
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