Ginger snap cookies are a holiday favorite! If you love gingerbread men, you’ll enjoy these perfectly-spiced molasses cookies. Ginger snaps have crispy edges, cracked sugary tops, and slightly bendy middles.
Want a crisper snappier dessert? I’ve got you covered. I’ll show you how to make them nice and crunchy! Serve these Christmas cookies with milk, tea, hot chocolate or coffee. Enjoy these yummy treats year round.
ingredients
Common refrigerator and pantry items are all you need for ginger snap cookies. They’re easy to make and so delicious!
- Granulated sugar
- Light-brown sugar
- Butter
- Large egg
- Molasses
- Vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Sea salt
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
GINGERSNAP COOKIE RECIPE
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pull out wire cooling racks.
- STEP 1: In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until fully combined. Add egg, molasses, and vanilla extract. Mix well.
- STEP 2: Add baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves to the bowl. Mix briefly. Measure flour using the fluff-sprinkle-swipe method. Gradually add the flour to the bowl. Mix until combined. Do not over-mix.
- STEP 3: Use a small metal scoop to form 1-inch balls of cookie dough with a flattened top. One by one, drop balls directly into a small bowl of granulated sugar. Roll them in sugar until round and fully coated.
- STEP 4: Place the balls on a prepared baking tray, leaving 2-inches of space between each piece. Bake ginger snap cookies for 9 to 11 minutes, or until the edges have set and the middles are puffy and cracked.
HOW TO COOL GINGER SNAPS: Once removed from the oven, allow them to rest on the baking tray for 3 minutes. Transfer the treats to a wire rack. The molasses cookies will become firmer as they cool.
expert tips & FAQ
- HOW TO MAKE GINGER SNAP COOKIES CRISPIER: For crisper snappier treats, swap granulated sugar for brown sugar. Swap shortening for butter. Bake gingersnaps 2 to 4 minutes longer.
- WHY WON’T MY MOLASSES COOKIES DEVELOP CRACKS? There are several reasons: Old baking soda. Butter not creamed long enough to create pockets of air to assist baking soda. Dough was over-mixed and developed gluten, so it was not tender enough to crack. Cookie dough was not chilled in the freezer, so cookies spread too fast in the oven without enough time to rise and crack. The oven wasn’t preheated.
- HOW TO FREEZE UNBAKED COOKIE DOUGH: Place the sugared balls of cookie dough on a baking tray, leaving space between the pieces. Pop the tray of cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes or until frozen solid. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag, with parchment paper separating the layers of cookie dough. Remove excess air. Freeze up to 3 months.
- HOW TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES: After molasses cookies have cooled, arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray. Put the tray into the freezer for 30 minutes or until cookies are frozen. Layer the cookies between parchment paper. Put in a zip-top bag. Freeze up to 1 month.
- HOW TO GIVE GINGER SNAPS ADDED SPARKLE: As soon as the treats are removed from the oven, sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar. It gives these Christmas cookies a beautiful sparkly presentation.
more christmas cookie recipes
During the holidays, there’s nothing more satisfying than baking Christmas cookies for family and friends. The recipes below are perfect for cookie exchange parties!
GINGER SNAP COOKIES > RATE THIS RECIPE ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Friends say this is the best ginger snaps recipe! If you agree, give these molasses cookies a 5-star rating in the comments.
Ginger Snap Cookies
- Total Time: 45 Minutes
- Yield: 45 Cookies 1x
Description
Ginger snap cookies are holiday favorites. With crunchy edges and bendy middles, they’re irresistible! Make these molasses cookies for Santa.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light-brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick), at room temp
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap molasses)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
For rolling: granulated sugar
Instructions
RECIPE PREP: Adjust oven rack to the center position. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Pull out wire cooling racks.
- In a large bowl, beat granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add egg, molasses and vanilla. Mix to combine.
- In a medium bowl, measure flour using the fluff-sprinkle-swipe method. Add baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Mix briefly. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until combined. Don’t over-mix.
- Use a small metal scoop to form 1-inch balls of cookie dough with a flattened top. Drop pucks directly into a small bowl of granulated sugar. Roll them in sugar until they’re round and fully coated. Pop the tray of cookie dough into the freezer for 15 minutes.
- Bake 9 to 11 minutes, until cookies are puffed up, cracked, and the edges have set. Remove from oven. Let cookies sit on the baking tray for 3 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack. They’ll become firmer and crisper as they cool.
Stored cooled ginger snaps in a zip-top bag or cover tightly in plastic wrap. They’ll stay fresh at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
- HOW TO MAKE GINGER SNAP COOKIES CRISPIER: For crisper cookies, swap granulated sugar for brown sugar. Swap shortening for butter. Bake gingersnaps 2 to 4 minutes longer.
- HOW TO GIVE GINGER SNAPS ADDED SPARKLE: As soon as the treats are removed from the oven, sprinkle the tops with sanding sugar. It gives these Christmas cookies a beautiful sparkly presentation.
- HOW TO FREEZE UNBAKED COOKIE DOUGH: Place the sugared balls of cookie dough on a baking tray, leaving space between each piece. Pop the tray of cookie dough in the freezer for 30 minutes or until frozen solid. Transfer to a zip-top freezer bag, using parchment paper between the layers of cookie dough. Remove excess air. Freeze up to 3 months.
- HOW TO FREEZE BAKED COOKIES: Start with completely cooled cookies. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking tray. Pop the tray into the freezer for 30 minutes or until frozen solid. Layer frozen cookies between pieces of parchment paper. Put in a zip-top bag. Freeze up to 1 month.
- Prep Time: 20 Mins + 15 Mins of Freezer Time
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: German, Dutch, English
Keywords: Ginger Snap Cookies, Ginger Snaps, Molasses Cookies
Ginger Snaps > join the conversation
When was the last time you enjoyed freshly-made molasses cookies? Was it during Christmas? Share your thoughts on ginger snap cookies in the comments.
Cinamon and ginger cookies, a cup of coffee and study time = perfect!
Thank you so much for the recipe! The result was so great!
★★★★★
The perfect Christmas cookie. We love these every year.
★★★★★
Loved the crinkled top that this recipe produced – awesome!
★★★★★
These are totally my type of cookie! Made these, loved these. Perfect for this time of year :)
★★★★★
Those look just perfect! I can hear the snap just looking at them.
★★★★★
Delicious ginger snap cookies. I’m always trying to get that great cracked ginger cookie look and these worked out perfectly.
★★★★★
These look like the perfect ginger cookies. I can’t wait to try them.
★★★★★
These cookies were amazing. The flavor was perfect and my family loved them. These will be perfect for the holidays!
★★★★★