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Desserts | December 8, 2019

Soft Gingersnap Cookies

Soft Gingersnap Cookies are the best kind of ginger cookie! Made with butter, powdered ginger and molasses; this simple cookie will be your family favorite year after year! 

soft gingersnap cookies on blue plate

I love this recipe for Soft Gingersnaps because it can be made three different ways, depending on how you like your ginger cookies topped! The first option is to top the cookie with granulated sugar. This is often the easiest version of this cookie, because everyone has good old granulated sugar in their pantry! 

up close soft gingersnap cookies
uncooked soft gingersnap cookie with sugar

Raw, or Turbinado sugar is the second option for topping this Soft Gingersnap. What is Raw Sugar? I like the light brown appearance of this type of sugar. It has a hint of caramel flavor and is a fun way to make the top of your ginger cookies sparkle in a natural way! Turbinado sugar is sold in the grocery store near the granulated sugar.

Brown sugar is not a substitute for raw sugar, although both have a light brown color! Sometimes, you can find Turbinado sugar in the natural food section of grocery stores.

uncooke soft gingersnap cookies with powdered sugar

The last option is to use powdered or Confectioner’s sugar to top this cookie. If you use powdered sugar, the cookie will have an white appearance on top and as it bakes will crackle. If you like the look of a white cookie, try this option! 

Soft gingersnap cookies with powdered sugar on cookie sheet
six soft gingersnap cookies on cookie sheet

Soft Gingersnaps are perfect for make ahead! I think ginger cookies taste better after they sit for a while, and this cookie is no exception. I love to make the dough ahead and refrigerate or freeze the dough for easy baking later.

For best results, scoop the dough and place into a ziplock bag. I can usually fit 9-12 balls of dough into a gallon size bag. Seal and freeze until ready to use. When ready to bake, let dough thaw for about an hour before baking.

You can also go ahead and bake the cookies and freeze after baking. Let the cookie cool completely, then freeze. When you’re ready to serve, let thaw on counter top for a couple of hours. The key to success in baking a cookie and freezing is to under bake. Follow baking instructions carefully for perfect results! 

soft gingersnap cookies
 
soft gingersnap cookies on blue plate
4.92 from 12 votes
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Soft Gingersnap Cookies

Soft Gingersnap Cookies are a long time favorite for their soft chewy texture! We love this ginger cookie made with butter and molasses.

Servings 25

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 2 cups white sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses light or dark
  • 4 cups all purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon ginger powdered
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • granulated, raw or powdered sugar for coating

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and molasses, mix until smooth.
  3. Add flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon. Mix just until wet and dry ingredients are incorporated.
  4. Form dough into balls ( I used a 1-inch cookie scoop) and roll each ball of dough in granulated. raw or powdered sugar.

  5. Bake on ungreased baking sheet for 8 minutes or until set. Do not over bake.

  6. Cookies will be puffy when removed from oven, but will flatten as they cool. Tops will look cracked. Makes about 4-5 dozen, depending on size of scoop.

Recipe Notes

-You may make the dough and store in refrigerator up to one week until ready to bake, or freeze dough after shaping into balls. 

-When freezing cookies after baking, let cool completely. Lay cookies flat on a jelly roll pan or large container. Place cookies in single layers in pan, separate with wax or parchment paper. 

-Modifications for making in Spain (or other high humidity, low altitude area): 

1 egg, 1 yolk

1-2 tablespoons less molasses

2  tablespoons added flour

 

53 thoughts on “Soft Gingersnap Cookies

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  1. I'm not a fan of the ginger snap cookies but I made these for my husband and he said they are the best he's ever tasted! He loves, loves, loves them!! Thanks for making his FHE treat on Monday night the best ever!

    1. Yes, Lee, you can freeze the dough. Just make sure it’s sealed securely. Thanks for asking and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

    1. Hi Megan, the recipe makes 4-5 dozen cookies, so I probably wouldn’t double the batch, it may alter the dough consistency. Thanks for asking and for reading ABK!
      xo
      Si

  2. My daughter and I just made these cookies and they taste amazing! Only issue we ran into is that the outsides hardened when baking and never flattened out. So we ended up with delicious mushroom top cookies. Any ideas on what went wrong? We live at a lower elevation so maybe the flour ratio?

    Thank you for the best soft ginger snap cookies we’ve ever had! 😊

    1. Hi Samantha, it could be the flour ratio, but I’m thinking you might have overbaked them. When they’re done baking they will be a little puffy and then flatten out. Since you live at a lower elevation, the cookies won’t take as long to cook, so maybe take a minute or two off when you bake them next time. Hope this helps and thanks for asking!
      xo
      Si

      1. 5 stars
        Thank you Si for the helpful tips! We experimented and found 3 cups flour worked the best. I have easily made about 10 batches of these cookies in the last week. My whole family loved them and wanted to give them out to their teachers and co- workers. Thank you for sharing our new favorite Christmas cookie recipe!

  3. 5 stars
    I loved using this recipe! They were honestly some of the best cookies I’ve made. They only lasted 2 days in our cookie jar. I used granulated sugar and they were fantastic. Definitely a keeper!

    1. Thanks for sharing Emma! This is one of our favorite cookie recipes to make during the holidays and there are rarely any to spare.
      xo
      Si

      1. Hi Becky, they will turn out well baked on convection, I prefer regular bake so that they don’t get too firm on top. Thanks for asking and for reading ABK!
        xo
        Si

  4. 5 stars
    These are delicious, but boy did I make a fiasco of the process. I was trying to multitask and was talking to my mom on the phone about something kind of important. (Not a good choice!) Then noticed I’d put 3 eggs in instead of two—ok, I’ll just one and a half the recipe. Then couldn’t decide if I’d added all the flour or was a cup short still, so I baked one cookie, and it really spread and was flat. Added in the last cup of flour, and they’re great! So delicious! Next time I’ll make sure I’m able to focus on what I’m doing! I did use Demerara sugar instead of Turbinado because I had that on hand, but I think they’re fairly close.

    1. Haha! Glad to hear you were able to salvage the recipe Beckie, that’s happened to me a few times as well. Thanks so much for sharing and for reading ABK,
      xo
      Si

  5. 5 stars
    I made these soon after the recipe was posted! I rolled mine in raw sugar (the larger granules) and that was a fan favorite! These were very good the same day I baked them, but the flavor and consistency was even better the next day!

  6. 5 stars
    Made these for a Christmas get together and overheard my brother in law say they were the best gingerbread cookies he’s ever had 🙂

    1. So glad to hear that, Kaitlyn, these cookies are perfect for a crowd! Thanks for sharing and for reading ABK,
      xo
      Si

    1. Hi Holly,

      Yes you can bake them from frozen. Just turn the temperature down to 325 and place in oven. They usually take about 15-18 minutes depending on your oven at this temperature. If you bake at a higher temperature, sometimes the inside of the cookie is not done and the outside gets a little overdone! Watch them carefully the first time so you will be able to gauge timing in your oven!
      xo
      Si

  7. 4 stars
    Made these cookies for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner, and they were so good! I used 4 tablespoons less sugar, and added a couple tablespoons of flour. I used a glass to flatten the balls of dough and baked them on convection for 325 degrees for 8 minutes. They softened up when I put them in a ziplock container. Great with hot chocolate, just saying!

  8. 5 stars
    My kids and I CANNOT get enough of these delicious soft chewy cookies! I love to freeze the dough balls and cook 2 or 3 while the kids are going to sleep for a treat at the end of the day.

  9. 5 stars
    I absolutely adore soft cookies, so I was thrilled to discover these soft gingersnaps! They are incredibly easy to mix up and bake, and they pack just the right punch of molasses, ginger, and spices. I really love using blackstrap molasses in these to amp up that unique molasses flavor. (Sh, don’t tell! It’s my secret ingredient!!) I’ve also subbed in butter-flavored shortening in a pinch and have enjoyed those results as well.

  10. 5 stars
    These are the BEST gingersnap cookies. I didn’t think it was possible to love gingersnap cookies as much as I love these. I make them every Christmas and ALWAYS get asked for the recipe! I roll them in granulated sugar and they are divine. They also freeze well if you want to make them ahead of time!

  11. 5 stars
    Phenomenal gingersnap recipe!! They always turn out exactly how I like them! Amazing texture. I do a mix of some with regular cane sugar, some with the course turbinado sugar in the raw. I love them!