I am in love. With these soft and chewy ginger spice cookies.
These are the kind of cookie that you need in your cookie jar. And if you don’t have a cookie jar, it’s the type of cookie you should buy one for. I didn’t even know I was a ginger-spice-molasses type person until I ate these. I looked at the recipe and it looked pretty basic so I was trying to think of something to snazz them up. I thought about sandwiching them with cream cheese frosting, adding orange zest, dipping them in white chocolate etc. But that all changed when I took a bite of a cookie warm out of the oven and I knew that these little beauties needed to stay exactly like they were. Some ginger cookies are soft, some are puffy and cakey. These are are chewy. They’re a little on the thinner side and they crisp just around the edges and then get soft and perfectly chewy in the middle. My kind of cookie.
These cookies are so simple and inexpensive–you probably already have everything in your house, and if you don’t, you should because they’re pantry staples. You’ll need flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and table salt.
You’ll also need an egg, some molasses, and some butter-flavored shortening.
Yes, we are aware that shortening is a controversial ingredient. My position is that a) it’s nearly trans fat-free and b) there are a few recipes where shortening usage (in my opinion) is a must–pie crust, fried chicken, and these cookies and c) if you’re eating any of those foods often enough to cause health problems, it’s probably less about the trace amount of trans fats and more about the fact that you’re eating pie crust and fried chicken and cookies in alarmingly large quantities. You’re welcome to substitute something else for the shortening, but if you come back and say, “I used coconut oil and my cookies tasted gross, kind of coconut-y” or “I used butter and my cookies fell flat and were as hard as rocks” or “I used the tears of virgin unicorns and now my friends and family say that virgin unicorns don’t exist and I have become a social outcast,” I might be a little bah-humbug-ish.
Anyway.
Preheat your oven to 350 F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper (these sheets are fantastic!) or Silpat liners. Cream your shortening and sugar together for a couple of minutes until it’s light and fluffy.
Add your molasses…
and your egg..
and then mix until combined. While the egg/sugar mixture is mixing, whisk together your dry ingredients.
Then add them to your creamed shortening mixture.
Using a standard-sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough…
and then roll the dough ball in sugar.
and then place it on baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough.
If desired, you can use a flat-bottomed cup or mug to gently press them down.
Aside from measuring out brown sugar, I’m not sure there’s a more satisfying cooking task.
They will puff up a bit while baking and then flatten out when they cool.
Perfect for stacking, packing, and snacking.
My breakfast of champions: a Diet Coke and one (okay, three) of these cookies
And I know I said they shouldn’t be messed with, but the one thing they’re practically begging for is to be turned into ice cream sandwiches. Under cook them just a bit and then smoosh them with pumpkin ice cream, or homemade vanilla with cinnamon would be awesome. And we also have this scrumptious variation!
Ginger Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter-flavored Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups flour lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners. Set aside.
- Combine sugar and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and molasses and beat until completely incorporated.
- While the sugar mixture is mixing, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add them to the creamed shortening mixture and mix until combined.
- Using a standard cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place 12 dough balls on each cookie sheet. If desired, use a flat-bottomed glass or mug to gently flatten the dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see crackling on the top. Be sure not to overbake! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheets.
Notes
Questions & Reviews
Great submit, very informative. I wonder why the other specialists of this sector do not notice this. You should proceed your writing. I am sure, you have a great readers’ base already!|What’s Taking place i am new to this, I stumbled upon this I’ve found It positively useful and it has helped me out loads. I hope to give a contribution & aid different customers like its helped me. Great job.
My recipe made exactly 4 1/2 dozen with one batch! Didn’t know if you still needed the yeild! 🙂
I”ve made this recipe for years w/ the exception of oil instead of crisco (which is what I usually use in cookies). The oil doesn’t make them flat and I LOVE these at Christmas time. Thanks for sharing this recipe w/ the world!! Sometimes I even roll them in red or green sugar for the holidays.
Perfecting my second batch of these for a cookie exchange in two weeks. My family is loving it. I used half butter and half shortening. Also, I brushed half of the cookie with fresh orange zest and then dipped that half in white chocolate. My family likes these the best. Thanks!
Our kitchen is egg free, dairy free and gluten free, so I made these with a few adjustments – and they still turned out great!
Spectrum brand shortening instead of Crisco
Flax gel to replace egg (1 T. ground flax + 3 T. warm water)
Bob’s Red Mill GF flour mix to replace white flour
plus 3/4 tsp. xanthan gum
Thanks for the great recipe!
I made these cookies and the pumpkin ice cream for Thanksgiving. I set them out for people to eat separately or make sandwiches out of them. Everyone loved them!! I was so happy how they came out, thanks so much for a different idea!
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for these cookies! My FAVOURITE cookies EVER! My only change to the recipe is that put like 3 times the spices and mix them up a bit. So good and spicy!
I would like to make these for some friends and family at Christmas. How long will they keep for? (I mean how many days before Christmas should i bake them?)
I also have a couple of questions regarding the recipie/instructions –
What’s shortening? It’s not on the recipie list but is mentioned in the directions.
And what kind of measurements are ‘T’ and ‘C’ please?
Thanks.
Hi Mat,
T = tablespoon
t = teaspoon
In the ingredient list, “Butter flavored Crisco” is the same as shortening. It is a type of fat used in baking. Do you live outside of the US? If you don’t have access to shortening you could use margarine or butter. I do think the shortening helps keep them soft and gives them a good shape. They are best fresh, but you could make them a couple of days ahead if you store them well in an airtight container. You could also bake them farther in advance and freeze them. Let me know if you have any more questions!
i would like to say these were chewy and perfect but they turned out flat and stuck together.
Simply delicious-no changes recommended!
Love, love the taste of these cookies! I followed the recipe exactly, but my cute little sugared dough balls never flattened. Help! They crackled on top, but remained soft and plump. I used a shiny, substantial aluminum baking sheet with no silpat. Any suggestions, friends? Thanks for all of your wonderful recipes!
That’s totally weird lisa! Are you at a crazy elevation or something?
Ha! No, I am in Minnesota. 🙂 I have a thermometer in the oven, too. How funny is this?
I made these exactly as directed. They looked perfect and the texture turned out as advertised with crispy edges and chewy centers. That said, these are not my favorite tasting ginger cookies. I think the crisco is what ruined it for me. I would recommend making these but substituting real butter for the crisco.
I had a friend that made these cookies once for me years ago…only she doesn’t’ share recipes. I have been trying to find it ever since/recreate it. This is the prefect replica of them…THEY ARE DELISH!!!! Your pictures are beautiful…and the recipe is so good I made a 2nd batch right away!!! YUMMY! Thanks so much
I made these today. So yummy and just the right texture. Perfect cookie for a rainy fall day. These will definitely become a family favorite! Thanks for the recipe!
I made gingersnap oreo cookies last week and used a pumpkin spiced cream cheese frosting and they were delicious!
These have been a favorite for Christmas since I was a kid. My recipe is identical, except I use butter (still perfectly crispy-chewy), and I skip the cloves in favor of a little extra ginger 🙂
these cookies have been a favorite for Christmas since I was a kid. My recipe is identical, except I use butter (still perfectly crispy-chewy), and I skip the cloves in favor of a little extra ginger 🙂
Lisa…do you use a 1:1 ratio of butter or is it less? I finally figured out a way to get my choc chip cookies perfect w/butter, but I have to use half as much. I was wondering if it’s the same for these cookies….thanks!
Mary
I’m craving this taste of Fall so much I used my Weight Watchers etools to figure out the points. These are 3 points plus per cookie ( 36 cookies per recipe). Woohoo! I can work that in to my day – just have to exercise some self control OR use all 29 points and eat cookies all day : ) lol
These are my favorite type of cookie, I make them every Christmas.
Butter in cookies is so much better than shortening. The key is to thoroughly chill your dough. If you do that, the cookies will stay almost in balls the whole time they’re baking. I use a baking stone, bake them at the minimum time on the recipe (I always use a thermometer in my oven, too—you’d be surprised how far off even the most expensive ovens are!) and take them out. I use a spatula and gently press them down to get the air out, and they are perfect every time. I don’t do many things well, but cookies are one thing I **do** do well. 🙂 Try them with butter, and don’t add more flour. Molasses cookies will be very sticky, but this problem is resolved by chilling the dough. When you roll them, don’t handle them more than you have to so the fat stays solid. If they get hard to roll, put them back in the freezer or fridge for 10-15 minutes until they’re cold again.
This is absolutely true – I have been making cookies for years and everyone wants to know why theirs always flattens and mine aren’t and I always tell them the same thing – the butter has to be stiff. If you have a stand-up mixer with a paddle, you can cream the butter just until it’s not lumpy and get the same result.
I am looking forward to making these. Time to go to the grocery store!
And they are just as yummy without the salt.
Growing up, my Grandpa and Grandma always had Gingersnaps in their camper and in their boat – we didn’t know that they were called Gingersnaps until we were older, we just always knew them as Grandpa Snow cookies. These look super yummy and like something nostalgic at the same time. Thank you for sharing!
Just like my mom’s recipe—the BEST!!! Get a little daring and dip half in chocolate or white chocolate. The combo with the spices will make your taste buds sing!
I baked about 7 different treats at Christmas this year, but THESE were the biggest hit of all. My family loved them! I was absolutely smitten with the Candy Cane brownies, but my boys begged for more of these. Thanks for sharing. I have a feeling I'll be making them year round!
I just made these (amazingly enough, i had EVERYTHING on hand!) for some last minute gifts, and I had to hurry and package them up before i ate all of them! I was able to get 30 cookies out of the batch (definitely could have gotten 31 or 32 had I not eaten some of the dough) using a cookie scoop.
I love these kinds of cookies too, but I'm anti-Crisco. I found a similar variation years ago which calls for oil instead (doesn't flatten for me…nice and chewy!) The brown sugar does something nice for them.
2-1/4 cups flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
¾ cup cooking oil (I use canola or extra virgin olive oil)
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling cookie-dough balls in)
Mix half the flour with everything but the rolling sugar, then beat the other half of the flour in. Bake sugared 1" balls at 375 F for 8-10 minutes, or use a small ice cream scoop for larger cookies, and bake a few minutes longer, until crackled on top.
I want to try your orange zest & white chocolate version with these!
I made these the other day and the whole process was just a comedy of errors.
Once I started I realized I was almost out of sugar. Not wanting to go to the store I used what I had and made up the other 75% by using brown sugar. When I moved to the dry ingredients, I realized I was out of flour! Not much to do but head out to the store (after lunch and nap time), both kids in tow. Got home, started making them again when I realized I couldn't find my GINGER! So I substituted pumpkin pie spice.
All that being said, as soon as I took a bite I was hooked. My husband made me sit down and copy the recipe over from the scrap of paper I had written it down on, to my book of recipes right then and there. These were worth all the trouble it took me to make them and then more. My new favourite cookie!
I love ginger snaps . . . one of my all time favorite cookies, and this recipe is Easy and Super Yummy! My four year old son and I made some today . . . SUCCESS! THANK YOU!
two forks- sure, plain crisco would be fine!
have you made these with plain crisco rather than butter flavored? i have so many sticks of plain crisco i'd love to use up!