Gingersnap Cookie Recipe

Name: Gingersnap Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 3/4 cup butter (unsalted); 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1 egg; 1/4 cup molasses; 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

Published on December 8, 2021 Updated on January 3, 2022 by Eden

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This gingersnap cookie recipe creates the most flavorful, gingery, and snappy cookie! This is a classic gingersnap recipe and has the exact texture and flavor as the ones we know and love! Check out all of our favorite cookie recipes too!

These cookies are great year-round but are especially festive during Christmas. They’re one of our favorite Christmas cookies and would be perfect for gifting or for a cookie swap or a cookies and cocktails party. Them with our Roly-Poly Santa Cookies or our festive Gingerbread Spritz.

Also, check out our Chewy Ginger Cookies too! They’re made with ginger syrup and candied ginger.

A year-round favorite all over the world, gingersnap cookies are particularly popular around the holidays. With spices that warm you up from the inside, these treats are perfect for dunking into hot cups of tea on chilly winter days. You can relish them just as they are too.

These gingersnap cookies have the perfect chew and snap texture. A crispy, buttery edge and a slightly chewy center. Gingersnaps are traditionally a hard cookie, which is good but these are perfection.

Serve them with homemade eggnog or hot chocolate.

How to Make Gingersnap Cookies
How To Store Gingersnap Cookies
How to Freeze Gingersnap Cookie Dough
Tips for Making the Best Gingersnap Cookies
How To Make Gluten-Free Gingersnaps
Frequently Asked Questions
How Long Do Gingersnap Cookies Last?
Where Did Gingersnaps Originate?
Why Are Gingersnaps Called Snaps?
Gingersnap Cookie Recipe

How to Make Gingersnap Cookies

Everything you need to know to bake the best gingersnap cookies!

Helpful Supplies

Cookie Scoop – Using a cookie scoop yields perfectly shaped cookies that are the same size.

Silpat – A non-stick surface that makes for easy cleanup. This replaces the need for a greased cookie sheet.

Ingredients

Unsalted Butter
Granulated Sugar
Light Brown Sugar
Egg
Molasses
All-purpose Flour
Baking Soda + Salt
Ground Ginger + Cinnamon + Cloves

Tips – Molasses is a unique sweetener, however, if you’re in a bind or need to switch it out for any reason you can try one of these molasses substitutes. No matter what you use, the texture of the cookies and flavor will be slightly different.

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light.

Add in egg and molasses and mix.

In another bowl sift together, flour, salt, baking soda, and spices.

Cover the dough and chill until firm. 30 minutes to 1 hour or overnight.

rolling cookie dough in a bowl full of sugar

Roll 1″ balls in a bowl full of sugar.

Place 12 cookies on a lined baking sheet.

Bake in a 325-degree oven for 12 minutes until the edges are light brown.

Let the cookies rest on a cooling rack.

How To Store Gingersnap Cookies

The best way to store delicious gingersnap cookies is to put them in an airtight container once they’re cool.

You can also put a little piece of bread into the cookie tin or airtight container to soak up any excess moisture. This helps them retain their just-baked crispiness.

If you get an adequate number of cookies and find that you have some cookie dough to spare, no problem. You can place the leftover dough in the fridge for about four days before baking a fresh batch.

Or you can freeze the extra scoops of dough on a sheet pan before moving them to a Ziploc or freezer bag, just like you would freeze individual berries when they’re in season. The next time you get a craving, you’ll be good to go and just 15 minutes of oven-time away from satisfying it.

Tips for Making the Best Gingersnap Cookies

For a chewy cookie, bake for 10 minutes.
For a crisper cookie, bake for longer, about 15 minutes.
When your cookies aren’t as crisp as you’d like after storage, pop them back in the oven at 300 °F (148.89 °C). A few minutes of recrisping on a wire rack should do the trick.
Spice to your preference. Some gingersnap lovers prefer a subtle level of spiciness, and others hanker after a strong taste of ginger.
Use good quality ingredients when baking. If you can, use orangic flour, eggs and butter for the ultimate cookie.

How To Make Gluten-Free Gingersnaps

Most gingersnap recipes use all-purpose flour. But you can try a gluten-free flour blend instead. Gluten-free flours that work include nut and oat flours as well as coconut or garbanzo flours.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Do Gingersnap Cookies Last?

The baked cookies should keep well for at least five days and up to a week, provided they’re stored properly. Frozen cookie dough will last for about two or three months in the freezer. Ask about order

Where Did Gingersnaps Originate?

There’s a lot of history baked into the humble gingersnap. While colonial-era Americans did make them, they weren’t invented on our side of the pond. Gingersnaps come from Germany originally and medieval monks baked them as early as the 13th century.