Crispy Ginger Cookies
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These ginger cookies have just the right blend of spices and a buttery-crisp texture.
Adapted from Stars Desserts by Emily Luchetti, these ginger cookies have just the right balance of spices—ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and black pepper—and a buttery-crisp texture. They are wonderful any time of day, even for breakfast with a cup of coffee, and they make your house smell heavenly as they bake. With their sparkly golden color and crackled tops, these cookies are tailor made for the holidays.
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Crispy Ginger Cookies
These ginger cookies have just the right blend of spices and a buttery-crisp texture.
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Scant ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup molasses, such as Grandma's Original
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup of the granulated sugar, brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy, 3-5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and beat for about 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl; add the molasses, mix well and scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the dry ingredients, then mix on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix. The dough will be very soft; refrigerate it for about one hour, or until firm enough to roll.
- Set rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart (they will spread), then flatten slightly with your fingers. Bake for 10-14 minutes, until set and golden on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. (As they bake, they will puff up and then flatten. Do not remove them from the oven until they are flat.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the dough between batches. The cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The Cookie Dough can be Frozen for up to 3 Months: Scoop the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To Freeze After Baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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The ginger cookies were way to soft and tasted horrible. I followed everything that the recipe claimed.
I love these. The last batch is in the oven as I type this. I’ve already eaten 1/2 dozen. My color is darker (the color of molasses) and there’s no crackly top. Either way the texture is amazing and flavor warming (even though it’s mid nineties). Thanks
They taste good. But.
My cookies didn’t flatten neither did they crack.
All of my neighbors are gluten free. I want to make this recipe. Do I need to change anything besides using 1:1 Gluten Free King Arthur Flour? Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth, no other modifications necessary – hope everyone enjoys!
These cookies are just delicious. I love the crispy edges and the softer centers. Everyone in the family loved these spicy cookies. They are perfect with tea or coffee. We like the soft version of molasses cookies too. So good.
Absolutely Delicious! Crispy, crunchy and perfectly spiced. So flavorful. This recipe makes the house smell so good. The cookies themselves hold up really well–retaining a wonderful, spiced aroma and crunch. I love to pack these up and send them as gifts. Always a holiday treat to savor. Thanks, Jenn.
The flavour of this cookie is incredible! You would be hard pressed to find a better one!
Thanks for sharing all that you do. I love using your cookbooks. You have changed the way I cook and bake.
These were unbelievable! Easy to make and came out perfectly. Ty!
These cookies are outstanding!!! thank you so much. Can i make the dough ahead of time and keep in the refrigerator for 2 days before baking? Thank you
Yep!
These cookies do taste delicious, but mine did not have the lovely textured surfaces, which I was rather disappointed by. Not sure what went wrong…
Hi Tracey, The textured surface is a little unpredictable. Sometimes I get that surface when I bake them and sometimes I don’t. I’ve even experienced part of a batch having crackly tops and part not. So the bottom line is that you didn’t do anything wrong.
I made these once before in a different oven, and they came out great — my ideal thin, crispy but slightly chewy ginger cookie — so I know this recipe is a winner absent user error/ bad oven conditions etc. But this time they puffed up but never really flattened and the texture is now not quite right and they are too thick. My oven this time is harder to see through, so I had to open it at the 11 minute mark to see if they’d flattened (they hadn’t) and then kept having to check every few minutes but they never did so eventually I just took them out so they wouldn’t burn. I’m sure letting all the heat out was the problem, but I wonder if there’s anything to be done if you can’t see through your oven’s window (besides trying to clean it! I don’t think there is a light?)
Hi Tania, yes, I suspect opening the oven several times/letting the heat escape is what cause the problem. I think your best bet would be to clean the window. 🙂
These are the very best Ginger Cookies I’ve ever had! Followed the recipe exactly with excellent results. Thanks for another winner!
Just delicious! I should have let the dough chill as long as stated, but I was too impatient! Still worked very well even if a bit more “messy” to deal with. Rolling the dough in the sugar made them easy to deal with and I got a little more than 5 dozen 3” cookies from the recipe! Will definitely make these over and over again!
I’ve tried this recipe twice. The flavor is good except maybe a little too sweet. I also think they are more soft than crispy even though the outside has some crunch. I’d like them more crispy.
Too much butter and not enough spices in this recipe.
can we skip molasses or is there a substitute for it?
Hi Hemlata, there’s no perfect substitute for molasses. You could use either honey or maple syrup, but the flavor of the cookies will be a little different. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you make them!
I absolutely LOVE these cookies! They are crispy around the edges, with a little soft chew in the middle. And the spices are just enough to be tasty without being overpowering. I’ve made many dozens of these since I found this recipe.
Delicious! I reduced 25% of the sugars, and used ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, star anise, and black pepper. I had to flatten them down with a glass because they were too tall. Great recipe!
Great recipe. Perfect spice ratios.