Gingersnaps are one of my favorite holiday treats. Not too sweet, perfectly spiced, and they have a great texture. I roll them in cinnamon sugar before baking but you can enjoy them plain or flatten them out and drizzle with a glaze or royal icing. For another delicious Christmas cookie recipe, try my gingerbread men recipe, spritz cookie recipe, or chocolate crinkle cookie recipe!
What You’ll Need for This Recipe
Spices: Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are the standard spices in gingersnaps but you can add your fall favorites in too. Cardamom, nutmeg and mace are all great choices for the holiday season.
Unsalted butter: If you’d like to use salted butter then reduce the added salt by 1/2 tsp.
How to make gingersnap cookies
1. Set oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Sift the flour, ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together and then set aside.
3. Add the room temperature butter, brown sugar and molasses to the bowl or your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl if you’re using a hand mixer.
4. Beat together until creamed and fully incorporated.
5. Beat in an egg and the vanilla then scrape the bowl down and whisk once more.
6. Add the dry mixture in and beat on low until JUST combined. Use a spatula to fold in any errant butter or flour.
7. Use a cookie scoop to evenly portion the cookie dough then roll roughly one and a half inch balls of the cookie dough in your clean palms.
8. Roll the cookie dough balls in cinnamon sugar (optional). Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet at least two inches apart. You can flatten the balls of dough with a measuring cup if you like thinner cookies. Otherwise they will spread a bit but still retain some height. Bake at 350F for about 12 minutes and then allow to cool on the cookie sheet.
Pro Tips for this recipe
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don’t have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- If you like your gingersnaps to be thinner then flatten the dough out into a disk on the cookie sheet or roll it out and make cut outs. They will not hold shape perfectly but will still look great.
- Freshly grated and minced ginger and even candied ginger will give a nice added bite to this ginger cookie if that’s something you like.
- I packed these cookies will all my favorite spices but feel free to use what you have in the pantry and skip a few if you’re in a rush; they’ll still be delicious!
- You can roll the cookies in regular granulated sugar. I like sanding sugar because the crystals are larger and there’s more sparkle and crunch but both work well.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much ginger is in a ginger snap?
Ginger snap cookie recipes normally use about two tablespoons of ground ginger. You can add more or less depending on your desired spice level. Candied ginger and freshly grated ginger can also be used.
How long do they last?
These cookies will last for about 2 weeks at room temperature if kept in a sealed container or they can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Why are Gingersnaps called Snaps?
These cookies are meant to be very crispy and when eaten make a snapping sound.
Where did they originate?
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this gingersnap cookie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Gingersnap Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Bowl
Ingredients
For the Cookies
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 300g
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp cardamom
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup molasses dark
- 1 egg large
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
For Rolling
- 1/4 cup sugar Sanding or granulated
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and cloves into a large bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- Cream the butter, sugar and molasses in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using an electric mixer). Beat until lighter in color and fluffy.
- Add the egg while mixing on low, then add the vanilla. Scrape the bowl down and mix again until ingredients are completely distributed.
- Add the flour mixture in then mix on low to medium-low until just combined. Scrape bowl down one last time and use a spatula to fold in any remaining flour.
- Use a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon to potion out 1.5-2 inch balls. Roll each into a ball in your clean palms then roll in sanding or granulated sugar.
- Place balls about two inches apart on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet and bake at 350F for 12-13 minutes. The cookies' edges will be set but the centers will continue to bake/set after they're removed from the oven.
Notes
- Measure your flour correctly! Adding too much flour to the recipe is the most common mistake. The best, and easiest way to measure flour is by using a scale. If you don't have one then fluff your flour with a spoon, sprinkle it into your measuring cup, and use a knife to level it off.
- Freshly grated and minced ginger and even candied ginger will give a nice added bite to these cookies if that's something you like.
- I packed these cookies will all my favorite spices but feel free to use what you have in the pantry and skip a few if you're in a rush; they'll still be delicious!
- You can roll to cookies in regular granulated sugar. I like sanding sugar because the crystals are larger and there's more sparkle and crunch but both work well.
These are amazing! I made one batch and immediately made a second batch!
Hey John can you please write the recipes in grams, you put the flour in grams and the rest with cups. I really want to make these, last Christmas I was making your chocolate crinkle cookies Twice a week! Everyone loved them. Thanks
In my 46 years, I have avoided anything with clove like the plague. Yuck, just yuck,,, or so I thought. My hubby begged me to make these, and since I get my warm feels by cooking for him, started whippin in the kitchen. OMG JOHN!!!! These are soooooooo good! We both love them, and I think you just changed my life. AGAIN (snickerdoodles, cream cheese cookies, red velvet cookies, etc)