Crispy Ginger Cookies
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Sugar, spice, and all things nice: these thin, crispy ginger cookies are what holiday dreams are made of.
These thin and crispy ginger cookies, a gem from pastry chef Emily Luchetti’s Stars Desserts, are truly something special. Featuring a spot-on mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and a bit of black pepper, these cookies deliver a sweet, buttery crunch with just the right touch of chewiness in the middle. They are a treat any time of day (yes, even breakfast), and they fill the house with the most heavenly aroma as they bake. With their deep amber color and slightly crackled tops, they’re perfect for the holidays. Think of them as the more delicious cousins of gingerbread men, offering a rich taste and a delightful texture that traditional holiday cut-out cookies just can’t match.
“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.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Ginger Cookies
Step-by-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt, and pepper.
Whisk and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine ½ cup of the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the egg.
Beat for about 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the molasses.
Beat until just combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be very soft; refrigerate it for about one hour, or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. 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.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and deeply 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 to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the dough between batches. The cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container; freeze for longer storage.
You may also like
- Old-Fashioned Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Gingerbread Men
- Crave-Worthy Sugar Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Christmas Wreath Cookies
Crispy Ginger Cookies
Sugar, spice, and all things nice: these thin, crispy ginger cookies are what holiday dreams are made of.
Ingredients
- 2½ 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, about 3 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 and beat until just combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the dry ingredients, then mix on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be very soft; refrigerate it for about one hour, or until firm enough to roll.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. 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. Bake for 10 to 12 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 to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the dough between batches. The cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container; freeze for longer storage.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze before baking, scoop the dough into balls and roll in sugar, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as needed directly from the freezer, allowing a few minutes longer in the oven. To freeze the cookies after baking, store the cooled cookies in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. 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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I had a hankering for ginger snaps and since the Millennials don’t buy those anymore, my grocery store stopped stocking them.
So I came here. I am a so-so baker and a five-star recipe can come out as 1 or 5 stars at my hands depending.
This produced store quality cookies. Really. Not only are they my favorite ginger snaps ever, they became my favorite cookies ever. The cinnamon, allspice and cloves put heat on the tongue, the pepper puts heat in the throat. They are astoundingly good.
I went off the ranch and added a thin slice of candied ginger to the top of each flat-pressed ball of dough and that put the cookies off the chart.
I will try more of Jen Segal’s recipes. This recipe impressed the hell out of me.
Just made 1/2 a batch and they are delicious!!! With my slightly cooler oven, I would probably bake them for an extra minute or 2 because I like them crisp throughout. At 14 mins, they are crispy on the outside, slightly chewy in the middle. Like other reviewers, the cookies didn’t have the same crinkly surface but that doesn’t affect the taste! I’m not a huge sweet tooth so in the future I may drop the sugar and up the ginger but that’s purely personal. For most people’s tastebuds, I think the recipe is perfect as is! Thanks Jenn!!! I’ll be baking these every year to come! =D =D
An excellent recipe, for spot between ginger snaps and cookies. The only thing is that they didn’t have that crinkly look on top even though I smushed the down a bit, and, they got a little brown and hard on the bottom?? Otherwise, a perfect ginger cookie! and thanks for the freezer tip — worked great!
Hi Jenn. We have made these crispy ginger cookies and love them.
We are wondering what the instructions would be to prepare these ahead, freeze them and bake at the time of the party.
Thank you
Glad you like the cookies! 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.)
Thank you so much for your quick response. Have a blessed holiday!
Thanks Jennifer. I have another question. When do I roll them in the sugar; before I freeze them or when I take them out of the freezer to bake?
Thanks
You can go either way here, Tori, but I’d probably roll them in the sugar before popping them in the freezer.
This is a delicious cookie. It has a nice buttery flavor with not too much spice. It has a nice combination of crisp and chew. I baked mine for 12 minutes. I didn’t get the cracked top but they are the bom!
I tried this today, with a lot of modification. First I only did half the recipe, then I subbed regular flour with a 50:50 mix of tiger nut and oat flour. Used 7 ground dates in place of sugar, a table spoon of honey in place of the molasses , nutmeg for the all-spice, 2 table spoons of coconut oil in place of butter, 2 table spoons of water for hold, flax egg (sieved it) in place of the egg and a 50:50 dry ginger fresh root ginger mix.
Turned out excellent!
My gosh, everyone loved loved it!
Loved that recipe could be made gluten free too.
I made these cookies today to mail to my son and a friend of his. I followed the recipe exactly (possibly the first time I’ve ever done this). They were excellent. I was planning not to taste them, I hoped they would all fit in the tins I was mailing them in as I am trying very hard not to eat cookies. But sadly (not) they didn’t all fit. They are absolutely delicious. Better than any bakery cookie ever. I will definitely make these again. But I will buy bigger tins the next time. In my oven I baked them 10 minutes and then watched them. Sure enough, they rose up and then went flat, took a total of 14 minutes. I let them sit for 4 minutes before taking them off the baking sheet. They came out perfect.
I made these cookies today to mail to my son and a friend of his. I followed the recipe exactly (possibly the first time I’ve ever done this). They were excellent. I was planning not to taste them, I hoped they would all fit in the tins I was mailing them in as I am trying very hard not to eat cookies. But sadly (not) they didn’t all fit. They are absolutely delicious. Better than any bakery cookie ever. I will definitely make these again. But I will buy bigger tins the next time.
Don’t you hate when they don’t all fit?! 😉
Glad you enjoyed them – hope your son does too!
Jenn I just made the Ginger Spice Cookies. While waiting for them to cool I came across this recipe for a crispier cookie. I’m wonder what makes them crispy the recipe is almost identical to the one I just made? I’m just trying to expand my understanding of baking science.
Hi Kerrie, the cookies in this recipe have more butter and granulated sugar than the other one. Using more butter will make the cookies flatter and the granulated/white sugar will increase their crispiness. Hope that clarifies!
I just finished baking the cookies and it was delicious. My daughter; who doesn’t like ginger, keeps asking if she can have more.
But I have one problem, my cookies don’t have crinkles like yours at all, what did I do wrong? I followed your instructions and didn’t change anything. Thank you so much.
Hi Sophia, Glad you (and your daughter) like these! The fact that you didn’t get those crinkles on the tops of your cookies doesn’t mean you did anything wrong; there’s a lot of variability in that and the cookies may look a little different each time you make them. I might suggest you try a different ginger cookie recipe (from my cookbook) next time. I’ll email it to you.
Wonderful crispy cookies. Recipe is easy, but be sure to let dough sit in frig, and let baked cookies rest about 3 minutes.
These came out crispy but they are not light brown like the photo. The molasses makes them dark brown. It would be impossible to come out this light with dark molasses.
wow I like the recipe and how there are so many reviews and answers, but I didn’t find one thing – what would happen if I used vegetable oil instead of butter (one of my kids has to be milk free…)?
Hi Patryk, Unfortunately, oil won’t work here. You might try margarine though.
Just made these for the first time…absolutely DELICIOUS!!!!!!!!!! The combination of spices and molasses are amazing!!!!!!!! A new favorite for my cookie collection!!!
These were so good. I have made them 3 times already since Christmas. They go very quickly. I made them exactly as the recipe stated. The only thing i did at the very end ( before baking) is used my finger to flatten out the top slightly as called for , then sprinkled more sugar on top. Even though I had rolled it in sugar prior. I also had to watch mine while baking at the 9 minute mark. The recipe called for 10-14 minutes and this is a good thing, because with my oven, they cooked at different times for some reason. Some looked good at 10 minutes and some took longer. This is probably my oven, but if you have never made them before, set the timer for 9 minutes and then watch them for a few minutes till desired look and flattened crispy cookie. They are really good though.
These ginger cookies are perfection! Just the right amount of spice. They do spread quite a bit so chilling them and being sure to leave ample room between cookies when baking helps. I made them about half the size as the recipe for my Christmas cookie assortment.
When will you be moving to the metric system. Cups, tsps, tbsps, and other medieval measures are not used by anyone outside of U.S. In case you’re interested we use grams , kilograms, litres and millilitres which are all based logically on the size of the Earth. The metre for example is one 10 millionth of the distance from the pole to the equator. One cubic metre of pure water weighs one metric ton which means that one litre of water weighs one kilogram. Interesting and logical. So much so that the metric system is used by NASA ” It’s the future” kind of thing.
Hi Ray, the majority of my recipes have metric conversions. To view them, scroll down to the recipe and immediately under the recipe title on the right side, you’ll see a little toggle. If you move it from “cup measures” to metric, you’ll see measurements that will work for you.
Hi Ray,
Instead of insulting people why don’t you just do the conversions on-line. It’s a “Google” kind of thing.
Hi Ray, its funny, I found YOUR tone to be insulting and passive-aggressive; by comparison Jenn replied in a perfectly informative, classy tone. Just saying.
Also not really a factually accurate statement. Cups, tbls and tsp are still used around the world. Just not lbs, oz, inches and miles etc in most countries that have converted to metric. Siri and Alexa are very helpful at converting for you on the fly!
Tasty batter but cookies spread out and became wafer thin. I chilled batter and they still thin.
Sorry you had trouble with these, Jess. You might like these ginger cookies better – they are thick and chewy.
I had this same problem the first time I made them. Tried again with freshly purchased baking soda and they came out perfect-I had to toss my old box. So maybe you had a similar problem?
I was wondering how many cookies the recipe yields? I hope I did not just overlook it. I need to make 6 dozen. Thanks
Hi Tamera, The recipe makes 36 cookies, so it sounds like you’ll need to double it. Hope everyone enjoys!
Everybody loved these. They hold up to travel too. I did not have molasses but did have a bottle of coconut nectar and this proved to be a fine substitute.
Can this dough be rolled out and cut with cookie cutter?
Hi Lulu, I think it would work just okay — you won’t get those nice crisp edges though.
This is the best gingerbread cookie recipe I have tried and they are easy to make. The first time I made them I followed the recipe exactly. The second time I made them I substituted whole wheat flour for half the all purpose flour and they came out and tasted just the same. Thanks for the recipe!
A great cookie especially considering how easy it is to make! I did not have allspice, pepper or molasses but the cookies still turned out great.
Personally when I have cookies I prefer chocolate, but if you’re in the mood for ginger this is a great recipe.
These cookies live up to their name. They are crispy and have a great ginger flavor. If you are looking for a soft, chewy cookie, this is not it. In addition to eating the just as they are, I have made them just to use as a crust of a ginger cheesecake. They crumble beautifully and hold that ginger flavor while looking like a graham cracker crust. You really must try these cookies!
Took these to a cookie exchange and everyone asked for the recipe. These were the most wonderful tasting cookies I’ve ever had.
Hi Jenn, I love your recipes. I’m looking for a chewy ginger cookie though, not really into the crispy ones. Do you have anything like that? Thank you!
Hi Brandy, I do have one with a chewier texture. I’ll send it to you separately through email.
Can you give me the recipe for the chewier ginger cookie too? what if I added chocolate chips to these cookies? Thanks in advance!!!
I just posted it on the site here, Tasha – I’d use the chewy version if you’d like to add chocolate chips. Enjoy!
The flavor is delicious. However, I made them twice thinking the first time I must have made a mistake. Both times they were totally flat discs. I spaced them 2 inches apart and some still ran together. Being a cookie baker for many years, I wonder what I did wrong? I followed the recipe as it was written.
Hi Marie, as you can see from the photos, my cookies are quite flat as well. Were yours even flatter? Was the dough a bit warm before you baked the cookies? (The warmer the dough is, the flatter the cookies will be.)
Wow! Amazingly addicting! Thank you for sharing! We made these for a get together and everyone loved them and asked for the recipe. We are adding these to our recipe book.
I was wondering how you would adjust for high altitude baking.
So glad you enjoyed them. Unfortunately, I know very little about high altitude baking, but hopefully these tips can help.
Outstanding! Incredible depth of flavor. Everyone raved. My husband said the cookie tastes like the holidays in his mouth. Another hit, Jenn!
Jenn, disappointed in my cookies. They are flat but they did not crinkle like the ones in your photos. What did I do wrong?? They had been in the fridge over night. By the time I made balls and rolled them in sugar were they too warm??
Hi Diane, So sorry you had trouble! Happy to help troubleshoot – first, did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
No, I followed your recipe exactly.
I was hoping that maybe you changed something because I’m really not sure what went wrong! 🙂 Because you weren’t thrilled how these turned out, I will email you a recipe for a ginger cookie recipe that will be in my cookbook.
These ginger cookies are perfection. It has the right blend of spices & with the addition of some finely chopped candied ginger, elevates to an even higher level. You won’t be able to stop at 1, 2 or more….I love Jenn Segal’s recipes!
Hi jen
Can I use honey to substitute molasses? I live in India where jaggery is readily available in a solid form, but not molasses as a liquid. Alternatively we do get seasonally a palm sugar syrup which is close to maple syrup in consistency. Do u think any of these would work?
Thanks
Vanita
Hi Vanita, there is no perfect substitute for molasses, so I think you could use either honey or maple syrup (I’m not familiar with palm sugar syrup), but the flavor will be a bit different. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you make them!
We welcomed fall with these terrific ginger cookies. Delicious! Thanks Jenn!
Jenn, We LOVE your recipes. My all-time favorite cookie came from a bakery in a small mountain town, and they no longer serve it. The cookie was a chewy ginger cookie with powdered ginger and chopped candied ginger, and maybe fresh ginger. Do you think I could modify this to make a chewy cookie, or do you know of such a recipe? Meanwhile, I will make this to partly satisfy my craving. Thank you!
Hi Judy, Shoot me an email at jennifer@onceuponachef.com and I’ll send you a chewy ginger cookie recipe from my upcoming cookbook :).
I love all your recipes. Haven’t made these ginger cookies yet. I’m thinking of adding some chopped candied ginger. I really like the flavor and chew of this product. Have you tried adding it to any cookies? Do you think it would work in these?
I think it’d definitely work, Wendy. Enjoy and please LMK how they turn out!
Hi I have seen recipes using butter and crumbling into the flour to make breadcrumbs. What’s the difference with using softened butter like this recipe and cold cubed butter.
Thanks
Hi Nina, That technique is definitely an unusual one for cookies.
Any idea of the carb count on these?
Hi Gail, I just added all the nutritional info for the cookies. Each cookie has 17 grams of carbs. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hi Jenn – I don’t have allspice. Could I just eliminate from the recipe or should I make a mix of cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg as a substitute?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try these.
Hi Mia, I’d add an additional 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Please let me know how they turn out!
Made these today with the substitutions you suggested. They turned out wonderful. Thanks Jenn! Five stars!
is the molasses – liquid black strap molasses or granulated molasses?
thanks
🙂
Regular liquid molasses (not black strap). I really like this brand.
Hi Jenn,
I am planning to bake these cookies with grape syrup (pekmez) in stead of molasses. I guess I would use the same amount (1/3 cups). Would you have any comments before I try.
Thank you very much
Zeynep
Hi Zeynep, I’m not familiar with pekmez (I had to google it). While it sounds like it will work as a substitute for the molasses, I don’t know enough about it to say whether or not you’d need to make any adjustments to the recipe- sorry I can’t be more helpful! I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out!
These are insanely good. I mean, out-of-this world good. People would eat at least two in one sitting. They are ridiculous. I was so sad when they were gone. I’ll just have to make another batch!
I made these cookies and they were the best ever! I will revisit many times. May even be #1 cookie in my collection. Out standing ! The crumb is amazing and the taste is spot on.
Jenn:
Just a question. Isn’t 2 sticks of butter equal to half a cup?
Marie
Hi Marie, One stick of butter equals a half cup so 2 is a cup.
So is it 2 sticks, which I think means half a cup of butter, or a cup of butter? I’m Canadian, we don’t do sticks, just regular measurements.
Hi Annie, 2 sticks is 1 cup. I went ahead and updated the recipe with metric measurements. You’ll find a button in the top right corner of the recipe where you can toggle between metric and cup measures. Hope that helps!
If one was to chill the dough in the freezer rather than the refrigerator to speed up the process, how much time would you recommend?
*Also, for a recipe that involves chilling dough, you might not want to have “Preheat the oven …” as your first instruction. It makes more sense to move it to after the dough is chilled. 😉
Thanks so much for catching that, Kelly — it has been corrected. As for chilling the dough in the freezer, it’d probably take half the time but keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too firm in spots. Hope that helps!
Made these this morning for a cookie swap party this afternoon. Oh my—I loved them and have been asked for the recipe. Will be sending more of my co-workers to your site.
I made these last year (as written) and they have been added to the holiday cookie list. They are so yummy… Thank You Jenn!
I was wondering if I could use whole wheat pastry flour instead of AP flour.
Hi EJ, Glad you like these! Whole wheat pastry flour will give these cookies a slightly different taste and texture than all-purpose flour, but I think it’s doable. (Keep in mind that I haven’t tried them this way.) I would suggest starting out by using 1/2 all-purpose and 1/2 whole wheat pastry flour and, if you’re happy with the results, you can further adjust the ratios the next time.
These cookies are perfect! I’ve tried several of your recipes and they are all wonderful! I’m so glad I found your website.
Do they still come out crispy if you add crystallized ginger chuncks?
Yes Karen, I think they would. Enjoy!
I made these cookies with white/wheat unbleached flour and used all the same ingredients. The cookies tasted great but they didn’t flatten, could it be from the flour I used? Thank
Hi Kim, I suspect it wasn’t the flour. It probably has to do with how long you chilled the dough: the cooler the dough, the thicker your cookies will be; the warmer the dough, the flatter your cookies will be. Hope that helps!
Could these be used to form the gingersnap crust for your Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust and Caramel Sauce Recipe?
https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/pumpkin-cheesecake-with-gingersnap-crust-and-caramel-sauce.html
Unfortunately, they won’t work, Jaimie. You’ll need gingersnaps, which are not as rich. Sorry!
Hi, I made your cookies with greatly reduced sugar and they came out great. Recipe called for way too much sugar for me. So, I cut the brown sugar to 1/3 cup, and then added two teaspoons of Swerve (non-glycemic white sugar substitute). No white sugar in mix, or for rolling (just not needed). I also cut the molasses to 1 heaping tablespoon. And increased the salt to a heaping 1/2 teaspoon. Everything else the same, though I increased the oven temp to 375. Cookies are delicious and still mildly sweet. And for me, much healthier. Thought I would share my successful alteration for those who like cookies but don’t want all that sugar.