Tender on the inside and oh-so-chewy on the outside, this Ginger Cookie Recipe is perfectly spiced too. I bet these will be your favorite Holiday Cookies after the first bite.
There is something unique about deep molasses flavor when combined with warm spices. Would you agree Ginger Cookies top them all?
Like I agree Shortbread Cookies and Sugar Cookies have their own place on the Holiday Tray. But nothing like Gingerbread Molasses Cookies, period! Find all the Cookie Recipes on Greedy Eats at one place.
Ingredients required to make these Cookies:
Other than few cookie staples like flour, butter, sugar and egg, you will also need these following ingredients to make the molasses cookie magic happen.
Spices: We are definitely using a lot of ginger. Some cinnamon, cloves and also a hint of nutmeg. I urge you to not skip nutmeg and you will thank me later.
Molasses: Molasses come in so many varieties. They vary from lighter molasses to blackstrap molasses. Always reach out for dark molasses or un-sulphured ones. They are also called as “robust” molasses. Do not bake with Blackstrap molasses, they are too intense for these cookies.
Little extra sugar to roll cookies: Now we will need some extra sugar and we will roll cookie balls in this sugar before baking them. This coating will give cookies a slightly crispy layer on top. You will love that texture!
Brown Sugar: Other than molasses, it is brown sugar that makes cookies super soft and chewy texture. This is also why we are using less granulated sugar and more brown sugar.
How these cookies come together:
We will begin by creaming butter and sugars together. Cream them good for about 2-3 minutes. Then add in an egg, molasses and mix them well too.
Now add sifted dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix just until flour disappears into the dough.
Chilling the Dough: Once your dough is formed, it's time to chill it. Now this can be done in two ways. One is to place entire dough to chill in the fridge. The other one is to make balls out of the dough and then chill them.
This latter step is convenient as it quickly chills the dough, since it is divided into small portions. Once the dough balls are chilled, keep them for about 5 minutes at room temperature. That way granulated sugar will stick easily to them.
Plus you will not have to wait for an entire huge ball of cookie dough to come to room temperature before you can scoop it.
Do not avoid chilling this dough. With all the liquids used in the dough, you definitely need to chill if to prevent over-spreading of cookies.
Also chilling the dough makes sure it develops a better flavor and your cookies get a perfect texture.
Bake in a preheated oven till the cookies look puffy and are baked through.
Tips to make perfect Cookies:
Measure your flour correctly: Seriously, measuring the ingredients can make or break a bake. Over measuring the flour can lead to dry cookies and under measuring will make them flat. You want neither of those. Beast way to measure is to incorporate a weighing scale.
Sugar Coat them: This thin layer of sugar does so many wonderful things to it. Firstly it creates those signature crinkly tops that sparkle. Secondly, you will appreciate the texture contrast it provides to your cookies.
Do not skip dough chilling: Chilling the dough makes sure the cookies get a deep flavor since all the spices get a chance and time to meld in together well. Also your cookies will spread less when the dough is chilled for good 2-3 hours.
Lemon Icing:
There is no denying that lemon and ginger is a match made in heaven. We are combining the two in these cookies by dipping them in pink colored lemon icing. Why?
Because they look super cute that way and while you are at it, sprinkle some cute sprinkles when the icing is wet.
Why did my cookies not crack?
If your cookies are not cracking on top after they are baked, chances are your dough was a little too wet. Make sure you are adding measured molasses and brown sugar to the dough.
Also rolling the dough in sugar helps the outer layer of dough absorb some of the moisture. This results in a cracked top. Don't avoid coating the cookie dough balls in sugar before baking.
Why are my molasses cookies so hard?
Cookies generally go hard if they are over baked. Do not wait for your cookies to crack on top in the oven itself. Only bake them till their edges are set and they are puffy to look at. As the cookies come out of oven and they set, you will notice the cookies will get some cracks on them.
Can you replace molasses with honey in gingerbread cookies?
Honey has got just the same texture as molasses. So the substitution works in 1:1 ratio. But do remember that the depth of flavor in honey isn't as deep. So you will notice a difference there.
If you liked this recipe, please give it a star review! Also, tell me in the comments below, how it turned out for you! How did your family or guests like it?
How did you personalize it? And don’t forget to share your wonderful creations with me on Instagram at #greedyeatsblog Let's be friends on Pinterest and Facebook too!
Recipe
Ginger Cookie Recipe
Equipment
- Hand/stand Mixer
- Cookie tray
- Cookie scoop
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter (at room temperature)
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar (packed, light or brown both work)
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 large Egg (at room temperature)
- ⅓ Cup Unsulphured Molasses
- 2 teaspoons Pure vanilla extract
- 2 and ¼ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1 and ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ¼ teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
Lemon Icing:
- 1 and ½ Cups Confectioners' sugar
- 2-4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
- a few drops of Pink Food Coloring
- ¼ Cup Sprinkles of choice
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- Sift flour, salt, baking soda and all the spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg) in a bowl and set them aside. Alternately, you can whisk the ingredients till they combine well.
- In a large bowl, with a handheld/stand mixer (fitted with a paddle attachment), beat butter and both sugars together on high speed. Continue to beat until mixture gets creamy, it should take about 2 minutes.
- Next add in the molasses and beat until combined. Then add room temperature egg and vanilla in too. Beat mixture for about a minute, or until the egg is combined well. Don't get alarmed if the mixture looks slightly curdled at this pint. It will all come together as you add flour to it. Keep scraping down the sides and bottom of your bowl as needed.
- Now slowly mix sifted dry ingredients into the wet ingredients keeping mixer on low speed. Beat just until flour disappears into the dough. You will notice that the cookie dough is slightly sticky at this point. Cover dough tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour. You can keep chilling this dough in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If you chilled the dough any longer than 2 hours, allow it sit at room temperature for at least 30-40 minutes. If dough is very cold, your cookies may not spread in the oven when baked. Preheat oven to 350 deg F and line 2 baking sheets with silicone mat or parchment paper.
- As your oven preheats, start rolling the cookie dough into balls. I take about 1 tablespoon of dough for each ball, you can make use of a cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and coat it well before arranging them on the lined baking sheets. Place the balls 2-3 inches apart from each other to aid spreading.
- Bake for about 11–12 minutes or until the edges of cookies appear set. If the tops aren’t appearing cracked as pictured and the cookies look puffy, remove baking sheets from oven and gently bang them on the counter 2–3 times. This way cookies spread out and crack on top. Now return the trays to oven again and bake cookies for one additional minute.
To make the icing:
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk confectioners' sugar and lemon juice together. Add lemon juice a tablespoon at a time and add more as required, until a thick yet pourable icing has formed. Add pink food coloring, if adding and mix it in too.
- Dip half of each cookie in the lemon glaze. Top with gingerbread sprinkles, as desired. Allow the cookies to sit on a wire rack until icing has set, at least 30 minutes.
- Once baked, take cookies out of oven and let them set on the baking sheet for 5-7 minutes. Then transfer them to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
SONIA SEIVWRIGHT
I love the sound of this Ginger season! Chilling the dough really makes a difference in texture and flavor. Rolling the cookie balls in sugar for extra crunch sounds tempting. I can already imagine the delightful aroma in the kitchen. I’m definitely going to try making these soon! Thanks for the delicious recipe!
Barbie R.
Sounds so yummy. And I really like how you decorated them. Would make for a pretty plate at a holiday party
Emily
This recipe looks so delicious! I love ginger cookies, and I'll definitely be baking some of these over the holidays this year.
LisaLisa
These ginger cookies look so delicious and would pair well with some milk or hot tea. I'm trying this recipe!
Kristine
Is it the molasses that keeps the cookies soft? These ginger cookie recipe looks so good. I love how you half dipped them!
Leanne Wong
I'm in love with these cookies! Everything about them is both holly AND jolly!
Stephanie
There is not much that says the holidays more than baked ginger goods! These cookies are so delish and festive.
Beth
These are so perfect for the season! I love the classic holiday flavor and their super cute decorations.