Chewy Gingersnaps Cookies

Chewy Gingersnaps are a blast from my past. Soft, crinkled molasses cookies spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves, they were a childhood favorite.

Scroll down for all sorts of delicious holiday cookies plus my tips for making perfectly crackled and chewy ginger cookies!

Chewy Gingersnaps Cookies

My mom would buy the occasional box of gingersnaps for us girls to munch on when we were growing up. It didn’t take long before there were only crumbs remaining. It was my best friend’s mom who introduced me to homemade, chewy gingersnaps. Well, maybe not her mom, but HER.

Mary had a tendency to get in a bit of trouble. I remember being addressed as “Elizabeth,” and sent home after she took a pair of scissors to  her blue jeans to mimic those raggedy demins fashionable in the late 1970’s. I’m sure her mother wasn’t thrilled when we raided their deep freeze and ate more than our fair share of frozen gingersnaps. That stash was certainly being stored for some future occasion.

They tasted incredible even cold and rock hard. I finally had my mom ask her dear friend, and Mary’s mother, for the ginger cookies recipe. I bake up at least a double batch each year to add to my holiday goodie boxes. Check out more of my best cookie exchange recipes.

These soft and chewy ginger cookies are my MOST requested recipe. If you’re a fan of gingersnaps, you’ll love these.

Tips for making Perfect Ginger Cookies!

The original recipe called for shortening, but I’ve always made these gems with butter. But butter has changed over time. There is more water in some of the less expensive brands which then causes the cookies to spread.

PRO-Tip: My tip is to use a European-style butter or, at the very least, a name brand vs. generic. Less expensive brands tend to have a higher percentage of water and less fat. The cookies won’t be as puffy if you don’t use a good quality butter.

More tips for puffier cookies:

• Chill the dough well before rolling into balls. I chilled this batch overnight and they baked up perfectly.
• Place dough balls on a cold baking sheet.  Allow used baking sheets to thoroughly cool before baking another batch.
• If your cookies are still too flat, add a couple tablespoons of extra flour to your dough.
• As I mentioned above, use a European-style butter like Kerrygold or Plugra, or at least not a generic or store brand.

Here are a couple of things you may need to make this Ginger Cookies Recipe:

• KitchenAid 5-Qt. Artisan Stand Mixer
• Medium cookie scoop
• Half Sheet Pan, 13″x18″
• Parchment Paper Baking Sheets

More Cookie Exchange Recipes

• Gingerbread Cookies from Bless This Mess
• Chocolate Crinkle Cookies by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Gingerbread Snowflake Cookies by Grumpy’s Honeybunch
• Spiked Eggnog Cookies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Holiday Truffle Cookies
• Triple Ginger Cookies
• Amish Sugar Cookies
• Deep Fried Rosette Cookies
• Chocolate Crackle Cookies
• Stained Glass Cookies
• Candy Cane Cookies with White Chocolate
• More of the Best Cookie Recipes

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Chewy Gingersnaps

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★★★★★

5 from 13 reviews

These chewy gingersnaps are a childhood favorite and my most requested recipe!

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 12 mins
• Total Time: 27 minutes
• Yield: 36 1x
• Category: Dessert, Cookies, Holiday
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• Granulated sugar

Instructions

1. Cream (mix) together butter and brown sugar. Mix in molasses and egg till well combined.
2. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour (I usually chill overnight).
4. Preheat the oven to 375º.
5. Scoop out dough with a medium-sized cookie disher (about 1½ tablespoons of dough). Roll dough balls in sugar and place on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 12 minutes.