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These chewy Gingersnap Cookies are bursting with flavor and so easy to make! With no chill time required, you can be munching on classic Christmas cookies in no time.
Holiday baking season is upon us and folks, and I’ve been baking up a cookie storm!
Although my family doesn’t have young children let’s be honest, us parents – a.k.a. the real Santa – need a plate of cookies on Christmas Eve. Amiright?
I’ve been baking all our old favorites in an effort to decide which ones are going to be included on Santa’s cookie platter this year – and these gingersnap cookies definitely make the cut.
My teen has been helping too. They may be too old to believe in Santa, but with that knowledge comes the wisdom that buttering up mama with quality baking time together is 100% a way to make “Santa” happy.
There are many things to recommend this gingersnap cookies recipe! These cookies are:
- Easy. No complicated ingredients or instructions here.
- Fast. This recipe comes together in about 10 minutes and the cookies bake for 11-12 minutes. That means you can go from no cookies in the house to a plate full of gingersnaps in less than an hour.
- Bursting with flavor. Every bite of these cookies is full of holiday spice. Ginger is the star, of course, with cloves, cardamom, vanilla, and cinnamon complimenting the ginger flavor.
- Soft and chewy. There is some debate as to whether gingersnaps should be crunchy or chewy. We prefer them chewy so that’s the kind of cookies this recipe makes. 🙂
- No chill time. One of the reasons these cookies are so fast is that you don’t need to chill the dough before baking. Easy-peasy.
- Christmas classics. Holiday baking doesn’t get more timeless than this. Whether you’re making gingerbread men or gingersnap cookies, something ginger-y needs to make an appearance!
Gingersnap cookies get their name from how easy the recipe is – they come together in a snap! Some people also say the name comes from these cookies being crunchy, which means they will snap when you break them in half. That doesn’t apply to this recipe because we like ours thick and chewy.
Ingredient Notes
Below are some notes on the ingredients for gingersnap cookies. For specific amounts, be sure to scroll down to the recipe card.
- Cinnamon Sugar – I use my homemade cinnamon sugar for this recipe.
- Dry ingredients – Flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Spices – Ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. I like these cookies with 1 tablespoon of ginger, but if you want even more ginger flavor you can use 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- Unsalted butter – At room temperature.
- White sugar
- Egg
- Molasses – Use unsulphured dark molasses. I use Grandma’s brand molasses.
- Vanilla extract – Use pure vanilla extract, not imitation.
- Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and kosher salt. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the room temp butter with the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add remaining wet ingredients. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
- Add dry ingredients. Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and mix on low-speed until well combined. Pause to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure there are no dry bits of batter left.
- Shape the cookies. Pour the cinnamon sugar onto a small plate. Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into a ball, then roll the cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place each ball on your prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2-3 inches of space between each ball of dough. Note that you will need to bake these cookies in batches.
- Bake. Place your baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 11-12 minutes, until the tops are slightly cracked. The cookies will still be soft when they are done.
- Cool. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
How to Store
Let the cookies cool to room temperature, then store them in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days. You can extend their shelf life to a week by placing the container with the cookies in the fridge.
You can also freeze the baked gingersnap cookies by letting them cool, then wrapping each cookie in saran wrap. Place the wrapped cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container and store them for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter when you want to eat some.
Want to freeze your cookie dough for spur-of-the-moment gingersnap cravings? Here’s how to do it:
- Follow the recipe up to the part where the cookie dough is rolled into balls, then coated with cinnamon sugar.
- Place the balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Put the sheet in the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough balls are hard. This will take about 2 hours.
- Transfer the frozen cookie dough balls to an airtight, freezer-safe container. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
When you want to make gingersnap cookies with frozen dough, simply place them on a prepared baking sheet and bake according to the recipe instructions below. You will need to add about 2 minutes to the baking time to account for the dough being frozen.
These chewy Gingersnap Cookies are bursting with flavor and so easy to make! With no chill time required, you can be munching on classic Christmas cookies in no time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 16-18 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar, for rolling*
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger**
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsulphured dark molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Prep your tools. Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silpat. Set aside.
Combine dry ingredients. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and kosher salt. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the room temp butter with the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add remaining wet ingredients. Add the egg, molasses and vanilla extract. Mix until combined.
Add dry ingredients. Carefully pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer bowl and mix on low-speed until well combined. Pause to scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a spatula to ensure there are no dry bits of batter left.
Shape the cookies. Pour the cinnamon sugar onto a small plate. Scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll into a ball, then roll the cookie dough ball in the cinnamon sugar. Place each ball on your prepared cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches of space between each ball of dough. Note that you will need to bake these cookies in batches.
Bake. Place your baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for 11-12 minutes, until the tops are slightly cracked. The cookies will still be soft when they are done.
Cool. Let the cookies cool for 10 minutes, then remove them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
*Make your own by combining 1/2 cup white sugar with 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon. Check out my post on the perfect cinnamon sugar ratio for more info.
**I prefer this recipe with 1 tablespoon of ground ginger, however, my family likes it with 1 1/2 tablespoons of ground ginger for extra ginger flavor. They are big ginger fans!
Last Step:
Please share a rating and comment if you enjoyed this recipe! Your feedback helps this little blog thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Keywords: gingersnap cookies, christmas cookies, ginger cookies
Very good! These had just the right amount of spice. They were chewy and felt holiday-ish without the spice being too much. 5 stars.
★★★★★
Wonderful! So glad you loved these gingersnap cookies as much as we do. 🙂