Chewy Gingersnaps Cookies
Chewy Gingersnaps AKA Ginger Snaps were a childhood favorite. Those crinkled molasses cookies were spiced with cinnamon, ginger & cloves.
Scroll down for all sorts of delicious holiday cookies plus my tips for making perfectly crackled and chewy ginger cookies!
Chewy Ginger Snaps 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 1970s. 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 of 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.
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
- Holiday Truffle Cookies
- Triple Ginger Cookies
- Amish Sugar Cookies
- Deep Fried Rosette Cookies
- Chocolate Crackle Cookies
- Old Fashioned Butterscotch Cookies Recipe
- Stained Glass Cookies
- Candy Cane Cookies with White Chocolate
- Plus How to Host a Cookie Exchange
- More of the Best Cookie Recipes
The Recipe: Chewy Gingersnaps
These chewy gingersnaps are a childhood favorite and my most requested recipe!
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
- Cream (mix) together butter and brown sugar. Mix in molasses and egg till well combined.
- Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour (I usually chill overnight).
- Preheat the oven to 375º.
- 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.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
18Serving Size:
2 cookiesAmount Per Serving: Calories: 114Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 208mgCarbohydrates: 26gFiber: 1gSugar: 14gProtein: 2g
Ginger cookies are my FAVORITE during the holidays! I love how yours look. Putting them on my list to make this week!
I can see why these are such a hit. It’s nice to have classic favorites like this to be able to make whenever the craving strikes.
These look and sound terrific. But, I question if these cookies have no “snap” being they are called soft and chewy. Is there a way to make them have the gingerSNAP snap? Love your blog.
Hi, Annabelle,
I think if you baked them longer, they’d lose some of their chewiness. Otherwise, you could try my grandmother’s thin ginger cookies: https://www.thatskinnychickcanbake.com/ginger-cookies/
One of my all time faves! YUMMMM. xx
Así craqueladitas se ven genial!!
Un saludito
One of the yummiest cookies! I would eat them every day 😀
Oh my goodness these look delectable. I just love a gingersnap.
A classic cookie! Awesome, Liz. I’m going to check out the other cookies, too! 🙂
Maybe that’s what’s going on with my cookies, too much water in the butter? I made a simple batch of choco chip that turned out to be choco pancakes! Cookies have become my nemesis… Your gingersnaps would be great with my coffee this morning:@)
I love gingersnaps! In my case, it was my grandmother who baked many of them when I was a child. I like the recipe so much, it was the first one I posted on my blog when I started writing it.
And even though I seldom buy European butter, I’ve learned never to buy store-brand butter – it’s incredible what a difference it makes.