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These gingersnap cookies are packed with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses, then rolled in sugar for that beautiful crackly top. Bake them until the edges are crisp and the centers have a little chew, or give them a few extra minutes for a true old-fashioned SNAP.
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Pin ItI’ve made these more times than I can count, especially around the holidays. After years of baking cookies, this is still one of my favorite Christmas recipes because they’re simple, beautifully spiced, and your entire kitchen smells incredible while they’re baking.
And I’m not the only one who loves them. This recipe has been rated nearly 50 times, and readers have been making and loving them for years.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Great recipe. I chilled the dough overnight and baked the next day. Dough was easier to work with. My friends that love gingersnaps love this recipe.”
— Jan
If you love warm, spiced cookies, try my chewy ginger cookies, gingerbread cookies, and snickerdoodle cookies, too.
Why You’ll Love These Gingersnap Cookies
- Crisp OR chewy: Bake them a little less for chewy centers or a little longer for that classic gingersnap crunch.
- Full of ginger and spice: Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves give them that warm, old-fashioned flavor.
- Crackly sugar tops: Rolling the dough in sugar gives the cookies their sparkly, crackled finish.
- Made for Christmas: Warm ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and that incredible molasses smell make these one of my favorite holiday cookies to bake.
Gingersnap Cookie Ingredients
Unsalted butter: Let it soften to room temperature so it creams easily with the sugars.
Granulated + brown sugar: I use both in the cookie dough. You’ll also need extra granulated sugar for rolling.
Egg: One large egg binds the dough together.
Molasses: This is what gives gingersnaps their deep color and classic flavor. I use Grandma’s Original Molasses. I don’t recommend blackstrap here because the flavor is much stronger and more bitter. If you’re out of molasses, see my guide to molasses and substitutes.
All-purpose flour: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off rather than packing it in.
Baking soda + salt: Baking soda helps the cookies spread while the salt balances the sweetness.
Ginger + cinnamon + cloves: These warm spices give gingersnaps their signature flavor. If you love that ginger flavor but want a softer cookie, try my chewy ginger cookies. I also use those cozy holiday spices in my gingerbread cookies.
How to Make Gingersnap Cookies
Cream the butter and sugars: Beat ¾ cup softened unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and molasses: Mix in 1 large egg and ¼ cup molasses until combined.
Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon cloves.
Make the dough: With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix just until combined.
Chill: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight.
Roll in sugar: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then coat each one generously in granulated sugar.
Bake: Place up to 12 cookies on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12–15 minutes. Start checking them at 12 minutes and leave them in longer for a crisper gingersnap.
Cool: Let the cookies cool before serving. They’ll continue to firm up as they cool.
Eden’s Gingersnap Cookie Tips
Use a cookie scoop: Portion the dough evenly so the cookies bake and spread at the same rate. Then roll each portion into a 1-inch ball before coating it in sugar.
Use the right sugar: I get the most consistent results with C&H granulated and brown sugar. Organic brown sugar works too, but I’ve found the cookies spread a little more and bake flatter.
My go-to flour: I use King Arthur All-Purpose Flour for consistent results. Measure it by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off rather than packing it in.
Don’t skip the chill: Refrigerate the dough for at least 30 minutes. This makes it easier to roll and helps control the spread.
Don’t worry about perfect cookies: Depending on your ingredients, some cookies may spread more or look a little different. They’re still absolutely delicious! The buttery, chewy center, crisp edges, and ginger-molasses flavor are SO good, even when every cookie doesn’t look exactly the same.
Let them cool: The cookies continue to firm up as they cool, so don’t judge the final texture straight from the oven.
Chewy vs. Crispy Gingersnaps
This is the great gingersnap debate: should they actually snap?
Technically, a classic gingersnap is crisp, but I love one with crisp edges and a little chew in the center, too. Luckily, you can get either texture with this recipe.
- For a chewier center: Start checking the cookies around 12 minutes.
- For a classic crisp gingersnap: Bake closer to 15 minutes and let them cool completely.
If you’re making a Christmas cookie tray, make a batch of both and let everyone choose a side!
How to Store Gingersnap Cookies
Let the cookies cool completely, then store them in an airtight container at room temperature for 5–7 days.
Make ahead: You can make the dough the day before and refrigerate it overnight. Then roll it in sugar and bake the cookies when you’re ready. One less thing to do when the kitchen is already covered in Christmas cookie chaos!
Gingersnap Cookies FAQs
Both use warm spices and molasses, but they’re different cookies. Gingersnaps are round, rolled in sugar, and can be baked until crisp, while gingerbread cookies are made from a dough that can be rolled and cut into shapes.
I use Grandma’s Original Molasses for its classic molasses flavor. I don’t recommend blackstrap molasses for this recipe because it’s significantly stronger and more bitter. If you need an alternative, see my molasses substitute guide.
Make sure your baking soda is fresh and your oven is fully preheated. Also, avoid over-measuring the flour, which can make the dough too dry and keep the cookies from spreading properly.
The dough may have been too warm. Chill it until firm before rolling, use a cool baking sheet for each batch, and make sure you’re measuring the flour accurately.
Both are made with molasses and warm spices, but the biggest difference is texture. Gingersnaps are traditionally baked until crisp and snappy, while molasses cookies are usually softer and chewier.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Holidays
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Cookies & Brownies
Easy Jam Thumbprint Cookies (6 Ingredients)
Holidays
Christmas Wreath Cookies
If you’re baking for the holidays, try my thumbprint cookies, Christmas sugar cookies, snowball cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies.
You can also browse all of my Christmas cookie recipes for more holiday baking ideas.
If you make these gingersnap cookies, leave a star rating and comment below. And tell me: Team Chewy or Team SNAP?
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Gingersnap Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, unsalted, room temp.
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugars: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat ¾ cup softened unsalted butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and ½ cup light brown sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and molasses: Add 1 large egg and ¼ cup molasses and mix until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Mix the dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon ground cloves.
- Make the dough: With the mixer on low, gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Mix just until combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Don't overmix.
- Chill: Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or until firm enough to roll. You can also refrigerate the dough overnight.
- Prep for baking: Preheat the oven to 325°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Shape and roll: Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then generously coat each ball in granulated sugar. Arrange up to 12 cookies per baking sheet, leaving room between them to spread.
- Bake: Bake for 12–15 minutes. Start checking around 12 minutes for cookies with a little chew in the center, or bake closer to 15 minutes for a crisper gingersnap.
- Cool: Let the cookies cool briefly on the baking sheet, then transfer them to a wire rack. They will continue to firm up as they cool.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Best Ginger Snap recipe ever! I followed the recipe exactly as it is listed and they came out perfect! Thank you for sharing your recipe with me!
Cheryl
Absolutely perfect recipe. I had to substitute brown sugar for molasses as I didn’t have any at home but they turned out amazing. I definitely ended up with more then 24 cookie, closer to 40 but I’m not complaining.
That is great to hear Bree! Thanks for leaving a nice review and so happy you loved them!
I was looking for a cookie with a little bit of “attitude” to liven up the book club dessert table and this recipe fit the bill. I made one minor change by adding a cup of chopped crystallized ginger at the end. (I cut back a little on the sugar because the crystallized ginger was coated in sugar) I baked them a little longer so the edges would be crispy to hold up to dunking in coffee or milk because you just have to dunk your ginger snaps. The crystallized ginger added a bit of chewy bite to an otherwise well spiced cookie. This recipe is a keeper. Thank you. I noticed when I was adding it to my recipe box that the step of adding the dry ingredients to the wet mixture is missing. I automatically did it without thinking but you might want to fix it.
Wow! These are excellent. Crispy and flavorful! the knucklehead that said they tasted like salt must have rolled them in salt instead of sugar. Can’t wait to try more recipes from sugarandcharm!
Is it OK to use blackstrap molasses or will the flavor be way too strong? I can’t find light or dark in my country…
It should work but yes the flavor will be stronger and the color will be different to!
my sister would bake a lot for my grandparents. they would make special requests and would pay her for the baked goods. the last request my grandma made was ginger snap cookies but she passed away yesterday. he asked us to make ginger snap cookies so that it will make him think of my grandma because of how much he loved her! thank you so much for this recipe!
Oh Abby! I am so sorry about your grandma, sending your family love! I’m glad you loved the cookies 🙂
Great recipe. I chilled the dough overnight and baked the next day. Dough was easier to work with. My friends that love gingersnaps love this recipe.
Really good recipe, made just under 4 dozen
Excellent cookie recipe!
What type of molasses light, dark or black
we use Grandma’s Molasses for these.