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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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.
How exactly were these complicated? The recipe is actually rather simple.
Given the ratio of positive comments vs negative, it stands to reason that something happened when you baked these – it sounds like your oven temp is off or you didn’t let them bake enough. Or, you didn’t chill them long enough. If followed to the letter (and your equipment is working properly), these would have come out perfectly.
I loved this recipe and the taste of the cookies were amazing!!! Everyone just devoured them…
I just wanted to ask, for me personally they were a bit on the too sweet side. So I wanted to decrease the sugar a bit. Would you decrease white sugar or brown or molases? Or maybe I shouldn’t sugar coat them at the end? But I believe this is what helps make them crispy… Thank you u so much..
Hi, I’d cut both the brown sugar and granulated sugar by just a bit. I wouldn’t reduce them by too much or the cookies will lose their crispy texture.
Best, crunchy cookie. Delicious and easy to make
Cookies came out perfect!! This is my new go to ginger cookie recipe!
Absolutely delicious recipe.I only like crunchy cookies.
Jen,
I made ginger cookies and replaced the molasses with Lyles Syrup because I did not have e any. The dough was too soft and I added 1/4 c of flour; I still was not too roll them. I assume this was because of my replacement of the molasses. The taste was very good. I am an avid fan of your recipes and have your book too🙂
Hi Jennifer,
These cookies are amazing! Your recipes are a hit everytime. They smell amazing while baking too.
Your banana bread and both chocolate chip cookies are made weekly.
I love Le Creuset epecially that stunnung blue🤞
Thankyou for such an amazing website😃
I’ve made these cookies many times and the taste and texture is true to the recipe. Gingerlicious! Even as I write this, I want to make them again. I do use coarse Turbinado sugar to roll them for extra crunch. A perfect recipe.
If you love the flavor of an old fashioned ginger cookie, this is the perfect recipe. It is crunchy on the outside and chewy inside. I’ve added it to my Christmas cookie baking list!
Hi,
Love your site and as a totally novice baker has been successful with all your recipes.
Got stuck on the ginger cookies. I watched them rise in the oven and then fell flat and started to bubble. Left with paper thin ginger snaps. Tasted snappy/ good but not like the pic in the recipe. Trying to figure out what I did wrong. Help?
Hi Linzi, Sorry to hear you had a problem with these! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe?
I do not believe so but will give it another bash. FYI love the cookery book.
Hope you have better luck with these when you make them again!
Maybe you over softened the butter? Or you didn’t chill the dough long enough (absolutely required) If the butter is too soft, its often the cause of cookies that go flat too soon – as the butter melts too soon & they don’t set properly. It needs to be soft, but still cool.
I made the cookies ALMOST as written. The only changes I made was to add finely chopped dried ginger pieces and 1/2 tsp of finely ground black pepper. These are the best crispy gingers snaps I’ve ever made. They are crispy but tender – DELISH.
The spice mix is perfect, not too much ginger or other warm spices.
BTW Jenn I’ve also made and shared your onion brisket recipe – it’s another winner.
Thanks for all your hard work testing and trying for all.
HAPPY 2021
Paula
Edmonton, Canada
💗
Just made these cookies. My husband kept buying ginger snap cookies from our local grocery store. I promised him I would try to make his favorite cookies. I did and my batch came out just as perfect as the pic. Followed the recipe to the letter. No more store bought ginger snaps in this house. Thanks
Loved these ginger cookies! They reminded me of hermits I had as a child. I had to make do with dark brown sugar and salted butter so I dropped the salt in the recipe. I experimented and added raisins to some and loved the addition. I froze half the batter to cook when my kids are home st Christmas. Will add chocolate chips to some other ones to see if I like that. They taste great plain. My husband and I did not feel it needs the sugar dipped before baking and will eliminate that for the next few batches. It does look pretty but we are trying not to eat too much sugar. Thank you for this recipe.
I really love these cookies! They are the perfect texture and just crispy enough. I am making my third batch in this week, and have given many away to neighbors, they’ve gotten rave reviews. The first time I made them exactly as the recipe, the next two times, ai left out the pepper, and added 1 extra teaspoon of ginger.
I made these (made it with maple syrup since that’s what I had but was still a hit!!) and was wondering if I could make these bars or maybe your luscious lemon bars with the ginger cookies as the crust? Any thoughts on how the flavor would turn out, or modifications I should make?
Hi TJ, I love lemon and ginger together, but I’m not sure these cookies would work. I’d go for a gingersnap crust, similar to the one used here.
I’m making these now. I slightly pressed the top down then proceeded to bake. They flattened to a thin wafer. The 3 cookie sheet I placed the balls in the oven and they look better; more like your photo.
These look yummy! What is the difference between these cookies and your recipe for Old fashioned Ginger Spice Cookies?
Hi Bridget, These cookies have more butter and granulated sugar than the Ginger Spice Cookies. Using more butter makes the cookies flatter/less puffy and the granulated sugar increases their crispiness. Hope that clarifies!
Hi Jenn (:
What a lovely recipe. I made it just now, and the cookies are delicious. The flavor profile is complex and packs a true punch (I added even more ginger, and 1/3-1/2 tsp of cayenne). I was looking for a recipe for crispy gingersnaps, as opposed to chewy ones, that so many seem to prefer, and yours is the closest I’ve got. My question is as follows: I really want to try and imitate the texture of the store bought gingersnaps – they’re much crunchier and dense, though they’re also pretty flat. The crispiness in your recipe is very nice and airy/fluffy, and I am looking the create that crunch that you can literally almost chip a tooth over. I was wondering what can create that effect. I read elsewhere that using shortening creates a harder texture? Would really appreciate your input. Just as a side note – how do you think it would be best to sub the egg in this recipe. I made mine with a flax egg, but wondering whether that’s optimal.
Hi Nathaniel, glad you like these! Unfortunately, I don’t know how you would adapt this recipe to get the texture you’re looking for. For the best results, I’d suggest looking specifically for a gingersnap cookie recipe. Sorry I can’t be more helpful!
You were plenty helpful with creating this recipe. I’ve been lauded nonstop in the last few days, by people who tried this cookie. It’s wonderful as is. Thanks again! (:
Hi, I was going to ask how to make them softer. I can tell you how to make them really hard but not sure I know the answer exactly. The only thing I can think of is I whipped the butter by hand and not for as long as directed. I only cooked them for 9 mins before they started to burn. They are very hard. The first time I made them they were softer. So I am asking the opposite. How do you make them soft?
Hi Teresa, If you’re looking for a softer cookie, I’d use this recipe. I developed them to be softer and chewier. Hope you enjoy!
Just made these. 5 star!! Easy and delicious. I used a small ice cream scoop (slightly bigger than melon scoop) they turned out great. Family loved them.
Amazing. Probably the best ginger cookie I’ve ever tried (i’m a huge foodie). I only did half the batch cutting all ingredients in half. Instead of molasses I used 2 TBSP honey. Also, I cut a bit on sugar using only 1/4 brown sugar and 2 tsp white granulated sugar. I used 1/8 tsp of nutmeg and 1/8 tsp of cinnamon instead of the all spice. AMAZING. Everyone loved them at home. I baked them for 15 minutes, turned off the oven and left them there for 5 more minutes. They came out perfectly so I pressed them A bit with a knife to give them the edgy rusty look.
Great tasting Ginger Cookie. Mine came out very flat. I did refrigerate the dough 3 hours. It seems like 2 sticks of butter is a lot. I have a similar recipe that calls for 3/4 cup of butter. Are they suppose to be flat?
Hi Sharon, These are flat, crispy cookies. If you’d like to try a puffier version, this one is a favorite of mine.
Fantastic Cookies!! I love anything ginger and I’m always getting recipe ideas from this wonderful site. These cookies were so easy to make and they were delicious. Made them and waited an hour to bake and they did not disappoint. All three generations were gobbling them up.
This is a great recipe. Second time I made them, I accidentally left out the egg and molasses. The resulting cookie was still excellent! Sort of like a short bread. So good in fact that the third time I made them, I purposely made the “short bread” version.
Great recipe! Made them about 6 times now and Have played with the ingredients, ran out of Molasses this time so put golden syrup in…..great! Always put fresh ginger in and double the powder ginger, I love them really spicy, also they never flatten enough for me so I now roll them out flat and cut with cookie cutter, dont always get the crinkly top but thats fine but I do get a really crispy cookie. Cant go wrong with the taste.
Hi Jenn,
I just baked these cookies. Perfect as usual. The first batch came out golden, crispy, flattened and very nice. But some cookies of the second batch burnt out, and all came out brown, although i had turned the oven off in between and then preheated it to 180c, i kept the dough in the fridge before rolling. Same balls size as first batch. What could have went wrong? Any advices for the future? Thanks
Hi Berna, sorry you had a problem with the second batch! Because it was the same dough and the only variable that changed was the oven being turned off and back on, I suspect that it had something to do with the oven – – not sure exactly what happened there but don’t think it had anything to do with what you did to the dough. Sorry I can’t provide more specific guidance!
This recipe is an absolute delight. Quite honestly, this recipe under-promises and over-delivers.
Thank you!! It is such a help to have careful, photographically illustrated step-by-step guide.
I read your reviews and many mention troubles with balled dough that won’t melt down into biscuits, don’t have the cracks in them and other such hassles. For those reading these reviews, know that if you follow Jenn’s recipe to the letter, this is a fool-proof, incredibly simple bake. Fantastic, quick recipe to have in your arsenal.
The result is delicious, professional looking, dunkable cookies.
If you prefer metric, convert your cups and tablespoons to grams using conversion tables – Google them.
AboutI saw several suggestions for other sources of ginger. I took those hints and used all of them. I added an extra half teaspoon of ground ginger, as well as a healthy knob of fresh ginger which I minced in a garlic press (use both flesh and juice), and also chopped up a good few candied ginger pieces and threw those in for good measure. The result was delicious and not overpowering at all.
I also didn’t have any Allspice to hand so used a Mixed Spice (local South African brand – Robertsons’s) – it is a mix of Coriander, Nutmeg, Cinnamon & Cloves – was nervous it would be a mistake. It wasn’t.
I usually struggle with keeping the size of the balls even or similar and this can sometimes cause cookies to bake at different rates. So, this time I weighed my entire dough batch, then divided that weight by the 36 cookies your recipe designates as the approximate yield. In my case, each biscuit would then weigh 25 grams. I created each ball and weighed each one as I did so.
The result – 36 identical cookies which I carefully baked at precisely 180°C for EXACTLY fourteen (14) minutes – perfect cookies.
That was fun. And yum! Many thanks and kind regards.
I tried this recipe and my family loved them so much we have made them at least 5 times in the past month or so!! Followed recipe exactly as is, delicious!! Printed it out for a save in my recipe book of favorites, thank you!
made these about two weeks ago and they were really nice. the first ones didn’t flatten out as much as the photos on here and also didn’t get those cracks, but boy were they good. i was a little disappointed when the first batch stayed thick and then burnt a little underneath, but even with the black underneath they were delicious and really hit the spot.
the next batch i squashed a little and the rest of the dough i froze and baked about 2 hours ago. i forgot that they don’t flatten out, so the first batch stayed fat and got burnt underneath (i think i have a problem) then the second ones i flattened and baked. afterwards i popped them all in the oven again to dry out more (especially the fat ones) and then now i’ve eaten 4 i think.
i love ginger cookies. i’ll definitely be baking these again. (eaten 5 now)
The cookies didn’t flatten as much as I expected – they stayed puffy. I used black strap molasses and split the brown sugar – half swerve and half light brown. I kept everything else the same. The flavour was good but I think next time I will also add fresh grated ginger and/or some ginger chunks.
With all due respect it is tough to leave a fair star rating unless you are following the recipe exactly as it was intended. Tweaking it is your choice. I bet if you try the way it is printed and with regular molasses, you will be happy. 🙂
I made these last week and they are fantastic. My husband likes crisp cookies and these delivered. I made them exactly as written with no modifications. Yum!
My husband asked me to make him some cookies to have with his tea. He asked for a crispy cookie over a soft one. I found this recipe after a quick google search and decided to make it. The cookies turned out awesome! Crisp on the outside and slightly soft on the inside which made for a great tea dunker. My kids loved them as well and have eaten up most the batch. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Followed recipe exactly. Cookies were good but not as gingery as I would have liked. If I make them again I would add some grated fresh ginger, some finely chopped candied ginger and perhaps a bit of orange zest to kick the flavor up a notch.
Do you think the recipe would turn out the same if I was to use a granulated sugar substitute like Swerve or Splenda – or would that affect the texture?
Hi Jennifer, I wish I could be more helpful but I don’t have any experience baking with sugar substitutes. Sorry!
Hi Jenn! There seems to be a lot of sugar in the recipe—would omitting the brown sugar affect the crispness or is the brown sugar for taste?
Hi Hayley, I wouldn’t omit the brown sugar, but you could cut it back by 2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup. Please LMK how they turn out!
I was looking for an easy-to-follow recipe as well as a great tasting ginger biscuit! I found both!!! They were so simple to make and are an absolute hit! The perfect combination of spicy and crisp….
Followed the recipe to the letter…Smoked out the house. total waste of ingredients. This recipe does not work.
Hello —
I made the old fashioned ginger spice cookies from your cookbook and they were great. Yesterday I started making the ginger cookies on the website. The recipes are very similar but the website rolls in regular sugar and the book in raw sugar. What is the difference and is one better than the other?
Hi Lauren, This recipe makes thin and crispy cookies; the one in the book makes soft and chewy cookies. The book version is my personal favorite but if you like crispy cookies, I’d go with these.
Absolutely the best cookie ever. No matter who I make them for they always ask for the recipe. Who can blame them? Last year I made some for our USPS driver as a Christmas gift. He loved them and actually requested more for this Christmas. Done. I did make one change to the recipe. Rather than droll powdered ginger I added 4 Tablespoons of grated candied ginger. Huge hit! A keeper. Thank you. It’s impossible to eat just 2! 👍 Whoever I give these cookies to, gets the recipe as well.
These turned out ok but not enough to give as a gift. Mine did not flatten out the way your picture looks. They stayed plump. Otherwise, they tasted ok but not as good as your usual quality recipes.
Delicious buttery taste, not too much spice. I baked mine for 12 minutes. Another go to recipe. Thank you Jen!
Hi Jenn
My crispy ginger cookies didn’t work, and I don’t know why. They were flat, dark and not at all crinkled. I followed your directions exactly and made no substitutions. I did use Crosby’s fancy molasses which is quite dark, and that would explain the colour difference. The flavour was great! I read some reviews after I made them and other people have had the same trouble. Any suggestions? Love your recipes!!
Hi Bonnie, Glad you like the recipes! 🙂 The cookies are supposed to be pretty flat (if you take a peek at the pix you’ll see). Was the dough a little warm before you baked the cookies? (The warmer the dough is, the flatter the cookies will be.) And the lack of crinkles doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — these cookies may look a little different each time you bake them. If you want to try a different ginger cookie, I have this one as well (this recipe will give you cookies that are a bit softer and chewier).
These cookies are the very best! I’ve never before have been a fan of gingersnaps because they usually are too spicy, and I don’t care for ginger generally. But after getting some imported store-bought ginger cookies as a gift that I fell in love with, I thought maybe I could find a recipe I’d like at least half as much. I’m so glad I stumbled onto this one! Just the right amount of spices, and they smell divine while baking. These are my family’s new favorite. I’ve already made two batches in less than a week (at their request), and these gingersnaps go perfectly with a cup of tea. Jenn, you made a believer out of me!
A -F****ing-Mazing!!! New fave recipe ever!
Hi Jen! How does this recipe compare/differ from your Old Fashioned Ginger Spice cookies? I made those several times last year. Is this recipe milder? My son loves everything gingerbready. 🙂
Hi Erin, These cookies have more butter and granulated sugar than the Ginger Spice Cookies. Using more butter makes the cookies flatter/less puffy and the granulated sugar increases their crispiness. Hope that clarifies!
Absolutely the best crispy ginger cookies ever. Thank you so much for providing the right mix and process to arrive at the precise blend of crispy and spice.
I must agree with the reviewer who urged you to use metric units of measurement. Ask ten people to measure a cup of flour and you will get ten widely varying amounts. In baking especially, precision is everything. I measured out the flour in this recipe according to your spoon and level technique and weighed the results: 322 grams. Only later did I discover that your metric conversion feature gave the amount of flour as 290 grams. By that point I had mixed in 32 grams of flour too many. If you really want people to successfully replicate your recipes, you might consider abandoning, at least for baked goods, the use of volumetric measurements for flour and other similar ingredients. As an added benefit, it is much easier and less messy to weigh out such things as honey, molasses, nuts, dried fruits etc.
I woulda been better off NOT exchanging flours and turning it into a ‘health cookie.’ What I realize is this: the ones I made taste good, but I messed w/ the flours. I’m certain Jenn’s recipe is far better. I’m sure they taste like the ginger cookies of my youth, when we got them. CChip cookies were the fad then. sigh. If I never see another one again, I’ll be will be glad, and we didn’t have them that often. haha!
Thank you, Jenn. I learned a lot and love your site, your encouragement and the fact that you love your work. That’s really cool and totally healthy esp since we spend 40-50 hours a week doing it!! Look forward to doing something else soon!
Great cookie with rich, earthy spices and the subtle kick of black pepper – definitely a grown up kind of cookie to have with morning coffee or bedtime tea. Mine came out darker bc I used black strap molasses. Rolled the dough in turbinado sugar and minced crystallized ginger for extra pop of flavor.
Wrapped the remaining dough in Saran Wrap after forming into a log and slicing into 1/2 rounds and then cutting the rounds in half so that I can fit it into my freezer and just take a glob of dough and roll it into a ball when I want to bake it.
Best ginger cookies I have ever had. Nice combination of spices. Rich and buttery flavour. BBQ guests couldn’t stop eating them. Definitely a keeper recipe. Not sure if rolling them in sugar is totally necessary flavour-wise….
This recipe did not work for me, there is a bitter aftertaste i don’t quite understand and the clove is overpowering.
The bitter aftertaste comes from the molasses. If you use dark molasses, it is more bitter and not as sweet as light molasses.
Perfect recipe! Even without the allspice(forgot to add it lol!). They were crispy, not too spicy and my kids loved them too. This is going to be added to my “go-to” recipe collection. Ps: they cook fast so keep an eye on them!
My go to ginger-snap recipe. Delicious!