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Gingersnaps on wire cooling tray
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1 from 1 vote

Gingersnap Cookies

These classic gingersnap cookies have a delicious ginger molasses flavor with crinkly tops and a nice crunch. The recipe can be made from start to finish in very little time, thanks to the fact that there's no need to chill the dough. They're also a great make ahead cookie because the dough freezes beautifully. These are perfect for making around the holidays and gifting to friends and family, but they're equally delicious all year round dipped in your favorite coffee or tea.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time14 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Ginger Snap Cookies, Gingersnap Cookies
Servings: 34 cookies
Author: Fiona Dowling

Equipment

  • Cookie Sheets

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour (250 grams) for thicker cookies, use 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2-3 teaspoons ginger powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 taspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter (168 grams) softened but not starting to melt, it should still feel slightly cool to the touch
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 grams)
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup molasses (60 ml) see recipe notes for measuring tips
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar (67 grams) for sugar coating

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line cookie trays with parchment paper or baking mats.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.
  • In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and 1 cup sugar until combined. You should no longer see lumps of butter.
  • Then mix in the egg, vanilla and molasses. Continue mixing until combined and you no longer see pieces of egg. The mixture shouldn't look curdled.
  • Sift the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Beat the ingredients together, starting with the mixer on a low speed and gradually increasing to medium speed. If you want slightly thicker cookies, mix in up to 1/4 cup more flour. The dough will be sticky either way.
  • Pour the 1/3 cup sugar for the sugar coating onto a small plate.
  • Scoop the dough into balls with about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough each (I use a cookie scoop). Drop each dough ball onto the plate of sugar and roll the dough ball in the sugar so that it's evenly coated.
  • Place the dough balls 2 to 2.5 inches (about 5-7 cm) apart on the lined cookie sheets.
  • Bake 1 sheet at a time in the middle of the oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes for slightly chewy cookies or 12-14 minutes for crispier cookies.
  • Cool cookies on the cookie sheets for at least 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to continue cooling.

Notes

  1. Molasses: Be sure to use unsulphured cooking molasses. Molasses labeled light, fancy or cooking molasses is perfect for this recipe. Do not use blackstrap molasses. It is far too bitter for baking. To measure molasses, lightly grease a liquid measuring cup. Pour molasses into the cup until you reached the 1/4 cup line when looking at eye level. By greasing the cup, the molasses will easily pour out, instead of sticking to the cup. 
  2. Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge. Cookie dough balls can be frozen in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen, as directed in the recipe.
  3. Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie, assuming the recipe yields 34 uniform cookies. 

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 50mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 1mg