Gingersnaps

This ginger snaps recipe is the perfect combination of warm spices and molasses for moist, soft, and chewy gingersnaps that melt in your mouth.

If I asked you what your favorite cookie recipe was – and your answer has historically been Chocolate Chip Cookies, Sugar Cookies, or even Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies – I need you to hear me when I say that THESE GINGER SNAP COOKIES WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

Hands down, they are THE BEST ginger snaps you’ll ever eat, mostly because they are soft and chewy. Some ginger snaps recipes produce crisp, crunchy cookies that will literally snap in your hands. Not these!

These soft ginger snap cookies melt perfectly in your mouth and will make you want a glass of milk (or Hot Chocolate!).

WHY MAKE THIS GINGER SNAPS RECIPE

These gingersnaps are a must-bake for my cookie list. Here’s why:

• Way yummier than store-bought. These are not like Grandma’s iced gingersnap cookies you buy at the store (and the ones I grew up eating). Those are hard and tasteless, while these are moist, flavorful, and addicting.
• PACKED with flavor. This ginger snaps recipe uses both ginger and molasses, giving a deep, warm, spicy and sweet cookie.
• Better for you. Just like all cookies in the Crumbs lineup, I’ve made some improvements to the classic ginger snaps recipe! Less sugar, better flour, and still plenty of flavor!
• Easy! Some ginger snaps recipes are hard… lots of mixing and rolling and chilling and all kinds of steps that can trip you up. This recipe is simple, straightforward, and practically foolproof!

BETTER THAN OLD-FASHIONED GINGERSNAPS RECIPE INGREDIENTS

Here’s what you need to make this gingerbread snaps cookie recipe.

• Butter. Softened butter that is at room temperature will cream together best with the sugar.
• Granulated Sugar. I use coconut sugar for ginger snaps. Note that it won’t be as light as white sugar.
• Egg. One large egg helps hold everything together.
• Molasses. You’ll typically find unsulphured molasses at the grocery store, but you can use blackstrap molasses to lower the sugar even more.
• Flour. I use all-purpose einkorn flour for this gingersnap cookies recipe.
• Ginger Powder. Also known as dried ground ginger, it’s one of the major flavor players in gingersnaps – after all, it’s in the name!
• Additional Spices: Ground Cinnamon + Ground Cloves + Salt. For that warm, cozy flavor.
• Baking Soda + Baking Powder. To keep the gingersnap cookies chewy but not dense, we’ll use both of these leavening agents.

HOW TO MAKE GINGER SNAPS

Step 1. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the room temperature butter and sugar on medium-high until it’s light in color, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the paddle attachment.

Step 2. Add the egg and molasses and beat again on low speed, until incorporated well, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and the paddle.

Step 3. Add the dry ingredients (flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, cloves, and salt) and beat on low speed until JUST combined. Stop mixing AS SOON AS the dry ingredients disappear.

Note: Overbeating cookie dough leads to tough cookies, instead of soft and chewy cookies.

Step 4. Place the dough in the refrigerator to chill for one hour.

Step 5. Line a large baking sheet with a silpat mat or parchment paper and, using a cookie scoop, scoop two scoops of dough per cookie onto the baking sheet. Leave about 2-3” of space between each cookie. (If you’re using these USA baking pans and these silpat mats, you’ll get 12 cookies per pan.)

Step 6. Measure 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl. (I use and recommend these small glass bowls.) When you’ve scooped all the cookies, working with one at a time, roll the scooped dough into a ball using the palm of your hands. Roll the cookie dough in the sugar so it’s coated well. Place it back onto the baking pan.

Repeat the process for all the cookies and place the pan of gingersnap cookies in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

Step 7. Preheat the oven to 375F. Bake the cookies for 9-11 minutes, JUST until the edges start to turn darker in color.

Step 8. Remove the gingersnaps from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before placing them on a wire rack to cool completely.

Store gingersnaps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

GINGER SNAPS RECIPE TIPS

To make the best soft and chewy ginger snaps, here are a few tricks you need to know upfront:

• These cookies require a one-hour chill time. This is SUPER important. The butter is at room temperature, combined with the molasses, which means extra soft dough. Keep this in mind as you go to make this gingersnap cookie recipe.
• Be sure to incorporate ALL the butter. You don’t want to see any stray pieces of butter in the dough. Be sure to scrape down the bowl and paddle well and often.
• Roll the gingersnap dough. I like to use this cookie scoop when making cookies, just so they’re all nice and uniform (and the kids don’t argue over who gets the bigger cookies). You can use one scoop or two for your cookies, but either way, you’ll want to roll the dough together to make a ball.
• Don’t skip rolling the dough in sugar! The coarse sugar crystals give the cookies a really pretty, cracked, sugary crust on top. These cute little bowls make this really quick and easy.
• Using a prepared baking sheet, chill the cookies a second time for 15 minutes. This helps keep the cookies from spreading too much, so plan accordingly!

HOW TO FREEZE GINGERBREAD SNAPS COOKIE RECIPE

• To freeze the raw cookie dough, I recommend portioning out the dough on a cookie sheet so that you can pull out as many cookie dough balls as you need to make cookies that night. Wait to roll the dough in sugar until you’re ready to bake the cookies.
• If you freeze baked cookies, make sure you double-wrap them so that they don’t get freezer-burned and start to dry out on you. I recommend freezing in quart-size freezer bags and then again in gallon-size freezer bags. Remember that you can use plastic bags more than once to keep your waste down. You can also freeze the cookies in an airtight container.

For all my best tips on freezing baked goods, check out my guide here.

TRACKING GINGERSNAPS AND OTHER COOKIES

Whether you’re making cookies at home with the kids or enjoying a holiday party with friends, here are some guidelines to follow to stay within your nutrition goals and not deprive yourself or feel guilty for eating some treats.

1. You made the cookies yourself and followed a recipe that has nutrition info available (like this one!).

Calculate the total number of calories by multiplying the calories per serving by the number of servings according to the recipe card. Then divide the total by the number of cookies you made, and you have your calorie count per cookie. Do the same for any other macro information you need.

2. You’re at home but don’t have a recipe or nutritional information available.

Weigh your cookie on a food scale and note how many grams the cookie weighs. Then choose an entry in your fitness tracker that BEST FITS the cookie and includes the weight if possible.

3. You’re not at home and don’t have a recipe or nutrition info.

First, determine the size of the cookie.

• Grocery store cookie (no bigger than the palm of your hand)
• Bigger than grocery store (bigger than your palm, into your fingers)
• Large bakery-size cookie (almost to your fingertips)

Use these ideas for estimating:

• Grocery store size – use Nestle ready-to-bake chocolate chip, Pillsbury ready-to-bake sugar cookie (no icing), or Lofthouse sugar cookies (with icing).
• Bigger than grocery store size – use a Subway cookie entry that fits the flavor you ate.
• Bakery size – find a cookie entry for Panera Bread, Mrs. Fields, or Great American Cookie Company.

While the macros and calories may not be a perfect match, they’ll get you close enough to stay on track with your goals.

GINGER SNAP RECIPE FAQS

MORE DELICIOUS HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES

• Christmas Cookies Roundup
• Healthier Cut Out Sugar Cookies
• Oatmeal Peanut Butter Cookies
• White Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
• Healthy Thumbprint Cookies