Gingersnap cookies are a Holiday favorite with their crispy exterior and chewy inside! These cookies are SO easy to make and make a big batch – perfect for a cookie exchange.
Gingersnaps are one of my favorite cookies to make during the Holidays (check out my Christmas category for more cookie recipes)! I love the flavor, spiced but not overpowering, and the texture which makes this cookie so special.
This old recipe has been handed down for years in my friend’s family and makes the perfect cookie! They “snap” when you break them in half and have a crispy sugar-coated exterior but are a little bit chewy on the inside. Just perfect!
This ginger snap cookie recipe makes a big batch! It’s great for gift-giving, cookie exchanges, or even stocking your freezer because they freeze so well.
Ingredient Notes
Here is an overview of the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe.
- Shortening – Shortening makes cookies more tender and chewy, I recommend sticking with it to get the best texture. But you could also use butter or a mixture of the two, the cookies will be crispier and spread more.
- Granulated sugar – Only white sugar is used in this recipe, no brown sugar because we add molasses to the dough.
- Molasses – This recipe works best with dark molasses (cooking molasses in Canada), dark molasses is also often called full-flavor molasses or robust molasses. It gives the cookies flavor without overpowering the spices with sweetness. Make sure the molasses is unsulphured!
- Eggs and Baking soda – Provide leavening and make the cookies puff up which produces the cracks when they cool down
- Ground ginger and Cinnamon – Adds the distinctive flavor and makes the cookies so flavorful.
How to make this recipe
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found at the bottom of the page on the printable recipe card.
- Make the dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening and granulated sugar. Add molasses and eggs and mix until combined. In a separate bowl combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat until combined. The dough should be soft but not be overly sticky.
- Roll into balls: Pinch off small amounts of cookie dough and roll into 1-inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake until the cookies are rounded and slightly cracked. They will look slightly puffy.
- Cool: Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack. They will flatten and tops will crack more while cooling.
Expert Tips
- Instead of rolling the balls in sugar, you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar. To make cinnamon sugar, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 Tbsp of cinnamon.
- This recipe makes lots of cookies. Perfect for edible gifts! But you could also half the recipe, using the slider in the recipe card.
- If the dough is too sticky add some flour, one Tbsp at a time.
- A cookie scoop works well to divide the dough into balls. I use a Large #20 Cookie Scoop which holds 3 Tbsp of dough.
- Cookies will puff up in the oven and then crack while cooling down.
- They keep for 3 weeks stored in an airtight container in a cool place (I use cookie tins).
Recipe FAQs
Gingersnap cookies are crispy on the outside, they will snap when you break them, but slightly chewy on the inside. They are made with molasses, flavored with ground ginger, and rolled in sugar before baking for some extra crispiness. After baking the surface of the cookies will crack, this gives them their distinctive look.
The key difference between gingersnap cookies and molasses cookies is that gingersnap cookies are snappier and crisper in texture, versus molasses cookies that are chewy. Both cookies are made with ginger but molasses cookies usually contain less.
Light molasses (Fancy molasses in Canada) or Dark (or Full) molasses (Cooking molasses in Canada) can be used for these cookies. Dark molasses is less sweet and has more flavor which makes it the best choice for gingersnap cookies and gingerbread.
Storing
Ginger molasses cookies will last for up to 3 weeks when stored in a cool dry place. Keep them in an airtight container at room temperature.
Freezing
Cool the gingersnap cookies completely, then freeze in a bag or an airtight container. The cookies will keep for up to 3 months. To thaw, just let them sit at room temperature for a few hours.
More cookie recipes to try
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Gingersnap Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for rolling
- 3/4 cup dark molasses, or light (fancy) molasses
- 3 large eggs
- 5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine shortening and granulated sugar. Add molasses and eggs and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl combine flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Add flour mixture to wet mixture and beat until combined. The dough should be soft but not be overly sticky.
- Pinch off small amounts of cookie dough and roll into 1-inch diameter balls between your hands. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake until cookies are rounded and slightly cracked about 10-12 minutes. Let cookies sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling rack. They will flatten and tops will crack more while cooling.
Notes
- Instead of rolling the balls in sugar, you can also roll them in cinnamon sugar. To make cinnamon sugar, combine 1/4 cup sugar with 1 Tbsp of cinnamon.
- This recipe makes lots of cookies. Perfect for edible gifts! But you could also half the recipe, using the slider in the recipe card.
- If the dough is too sticky add some flour, one Tbsp at a time.
- A cookie scoop works well to divide the dough into balls. I use a Large #20 Cookie Scoop which holds 3 Tbsp of dough.
- Cookies will puff up in the oven and then crack while cooling down.
- They keep for 3 weeks stored in an airtight container in a cool place (I use cookie tins).
Pat Price says
Do you have to use a paddle or can you use a hand mixer?
Julia Foerster says
You can use a hand mixer.