Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

The perfect sweet and spiced treat for the holidays. These Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies have just the right amount of ginger and molasses flavor. They’re easy to make and a great gift to share.

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Ginger Cookies are a must during the holiday season. This classic Christmas cookie is filled with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, and cayenne pepper. They’re cozy and I look forward to them every year.

If you love the flavor of ginger, you will love these buttery Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies. The inside has a soft rich flavor, while the outside is sugary and crisp.

These cookies are great gifts because they hold up well and stay soft and chewy for days. Plus, they sparkle which is perfect for the magical Christmas season. These are especially good warm out of the oven. Serve with a cup tea, coffee, or a big glass of cold milk. You will love them!



Ingredients For Ginger Cookies:

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Salt
  • Spices– ground ginger, cinnamon, all-spice, ground mustard, cayenne or black pepper
  • Softened butter
  • Granulated sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Egg yolk
  • Pure vanilla extract
  • Unsulphured molasses
  • Coarse sugar (optional)

What’s the difference between Sulphured and Unsulphured Molasses?

The biggest differnce is purity. Unsulphured molasses does not contain any sulphur dioxide to preserve it, so the flavor is richer and has a pure molasses flavor.

This recipe is pretty straight forward. If you want a slight heat, add cayenne pepper. It won’t make these cookies spicy, just a touch warmer. Black pepper can also be used to add flavor without any heat.

I like to roll the dough balls in coarse sugar but this is definitely optional. Granulated sugar can also be used to coat the cookie balls. They’ll just be less crisp on the outside.

How To Make Ginger Cookies:

Step 1. In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside

Step 2. Beat softened butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, then add molasses. Beat until well combined.

Step 3. Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until a soft dough forms. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30-minutes.

Step 4. Preheat oven to 375℉. Prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Add some coarse sugar to a small bowl. Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll into balls then coat gently in coarse sugar. Place on cookie sheet 2-inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Tops should be crackled and soft to the touch, and edges set. Let cool for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.



Tips:

  • Be careful not to overbake these cookies. You want to retain that soft and chewy texture. Each oven is different so start checking at 10-minutes.
  • Don’t skip refrigerating the dough. Chilling the dough will make the balls much easier to roll. The cookies will also bake up thicker instead of flat and thin.
  • Keep dough refrigerated in between baking times. The dough will soften very quickly once out of the refrigerator, so keep chilled while you bake each batch of cookies.

How Long Do Ginger Cookies Stay Fresh?

Ginger Cookies will stay fresh for up to one week in a sealed airtight container. I wouldn’t recommend keeping these in the fridge as they will dry out and loose their soft and chewy texture.



Other Holiday Cookies You Might Enjoy:

Let’s eat!🤍

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

The perfect sweet and spiced treat for the holidays. These Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies have just the right amount of ginger flavor, they're easy to make, and a great gift to share.
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 12 minutes
Chill: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 2 minutes
Servings: 34 cookies
Calories: 85kcal

Ingredients

Dry ingredients

  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground all-spice
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/4 tsp black pepper

Wet Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup 1 1/2 sticks salted or unsalted butter softened not melted
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1/4 cup coarse sugar for rolling dough balls in

Instructions

  • In a small bowl whisk flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
  • Using a hand or stand mixer, beat softened butter with granulated sugar and brown sugar until creamy. Add egg yolk and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, then add molasses. Beat until well combined.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture and beat until a soft dough forms. Cover and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for 30-minutes.
  • While dough chills heat oven to 375°F and prepare a large sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Add coarse sugar to a small bowl.
  • Use a small cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll into balls then coat gently in coarse sugar. Place on cookie sheet 2-inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Tops should be crackled and soft to the touch, and edges set. Let cool for 1-2 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

Tips:
    • Be careful not to overbake these cookies. You want to retain that soft and chewy texture. Each oven is different so start checking at 10-minutes.
    • Don’t skip refrigerating the dough. Chilling the dough will make the balls much easier to roll. The cookies will also bake up thicker instead of flat and thin.
    • Keep dough refrigerated in between baking times. The dough will soften very quickly once out of the refrigerator, so keep chilled while you bake each batch of cookies.
 
Nutritional facts are for 1 cookie.
 
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be understood as an estimate rather than a guarantee. The Menu Maid makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
 
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1 cookie
Servings: 34
Amount per serving  
Calories 85
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2.9g 4%
Saturated Fat 1.8g 9%
Cholesterol 13mg 4%
Sodium 68mg 3%
Total Carbohydrate 13.9g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0.2g 1%
Total Sugars 6.7g  
Protein 1g  
Vitamin D 2mcg 12%
Calcium 13mg 1%
Iron 1mg 4%
Potassium 82mg 2%

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal

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