These are Gingersnap Cookies with attitude: ultra crunchy with punchy ginger flavor. Puffy, buttery and small enough to devour in two bites, they're completely irresistible!
Gingersnaps are a must make cookie at Christmas time, but until I tried this recipe, they stood in the shadows of cookies I preferred. The problem was they were a little bit boring and didn't have quite the level of crunch I was looking for. But these are different.
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Ingredients You Need to Make Gingersnap Cookies
- Sugar: granulated white sugar
- Baking Soda
- Ground Cinnamon
- Ground Ginger
- Real Vanilla Extract
- Butter: salted or unsalted
- Unsulphured Molasses: not blackstrap molasses
- Egg: cold from the refrigerator
- Flour: whole wheat flour
- Raw Sugar: or Demerara sugar to coat the dough balls
I have Stella Parks to thank. Her recipe amps up the traditional cookie with more spice than would have ever occurred to me. "I love gingersnaps with the burning heat of a thousand suns," she says. And she means it.
Because I love gingersnaps with the burning heat of only five hundred suns, I've toned down the spices a bit (which also simplified the recipe): nixing the fresh ginger, reducing the ground ginger, and adding a bit of cinnamon. They're the best version of this cookie I've ever tasted and the ideal component for making one spectacular Gingersnap Crust for Pumpkin Chiffon Pie.
More Delicious Holiday Cookies
- Soft Sugar Cookies
- World Peace Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- Coconut Macaroons made with Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk
How to Make Gingersnap Cookies
Mix sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, butter and molasses on low in the bowl of a stand mixer until just combined. Increase heat to medium and mix until pale and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Reduce speed to low and add flour, mixing until you have a soft dough.
Scoop dough into 1-tablespoon portions and roll first between your palms and then in sugar to coat on all sides. Arrange sugar coated dough balls 2-inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets.
Bake in the center rack of a 350˚F preheated oven 22 minutes, until puffed and brown. Remove from oven and place cookies on baking sheet to wire cooling rack to cool for 2 hours. Serve or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 weeks.
Crispy Gingersnap Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar 200g
- 1 ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsalted butter 1 ½ sticks, at room temperature
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses not blackstrap, 60g
- 1 large egg cold
- 2 ½ cups whole wheat flour 340g
- raw sugar for finishing
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to the middle and preheat to 350˚F.
- Line two half sheet pans with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, butter and molasses. Mix on low until just combined then increase to medium and beat until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes, scraping down the sides as necessary. Add egg and beat 2 minutes more. Reduce speed to low and sprinkle in flour; continue mixing until you have a soft dough.
- Add raw sugar to shallow bowl for coating dough balls.
- Scoop dough into 48 level, 1-tablespoon portions (I recommend using a 1-tablespoon scoop). Roll each portion into a smooth round and place in raw sugar; turn to coat all sides and place on prepared baking sheets 2-inches apart (do not flatten).
- Bake (one baking sheet at a time) until puffed and brown, about 22 minutes. Transfer cookies on baking sheet to wire cooling rack to cool for 2 hours to allow cookies to crisp up completely. Serve or store baked cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Notes
- Refrigerate unbaked, portioned dough for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 2 months. Bring to room temperature before rolling in sugar and baking.
Marissa, these cookies look stunning and so festive. Indeed, I was considering to make gingersnap cookies soon because I recently bought some, and guess what? They were basically tasteless - too much sugar, no ginger flavor whatsoever. Definitely homemade cookies, including these ones, will not disappoint!
Thank you, Ben! I hope you'll try these during the holidays - I promise they won't disappoint.
Gahhh - ginger snaps are a weakness of mine during the holiday season! I absolutely love them and yours look SO dang good!!! I’m drooling!! Definitely trying this recipe soon!!
I love to hear that, Cheyanne! Thank you!
Now these look amazing! Like you, I enjoy gingersnap cookies, but they never jumped ahead of other classic cookies. However, now I'm craving a batch of these homemade gingersnap cookies. That crunchy sugar topping....
They're pretty addictive, David...haha. I hope you'll give them a try!
They turned out perfect with raw sugar coating!
Thanks, Angie!