Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

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Soft, chewy, sweet, and spicy. That’s how I’d describe these perfect little gingersnap cookies! They’re the perfect addition to your holiday baking lienup!

I feel like ginger cookies are the definition of Christmastime, am I right? Funny story – when I was a kid, I never ate these cookies; they just sounded or looked or smelled weird and I was completely unadventurous when it came to food (aka a very picky eater), so I never even bothered to try them. Such a shame; years were wasted.

When I finally tried gingernsaps (as an adult, when I could bake them myself), I discovered that I love them. In fact I love any and all ginger cookies! Now not a Christmas (or a Christmas in July) goes by in this house without gingersnap cookies.

To make these gingersnap cookies, you’ll start by creaming the butter and sugar together until they are nice and smooth. Then you add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and get those mixed in. Then you stir in the baking soda, sea salt, and spices all together.

After that, you add the flour, half at a time and stir it up until a nice firm dough forms. It should still be soft and a little sticky.

This next step is what makes this recipe my favorite (…besides the cookies, that is), using a cookie scoop, you just scoop the dough out and place it on a lined baking sheet. Yes, that’s right NO ROLLING! Scoop and plop. Then you just sprinkle the tops of the cookies with some granulated sugar and into the oven they go.

Things to remember when making these gingersnap cookies:

1. You can make the whole recipe (even doubled) in one bowl – no need to make things complicated (or messy) with extra gadgets.
2. The cookies will puff up slightly while baking, but they will flatten out as they cool off.
3. There is no rolling required for this recipe, but if you’d like to get your hands dirty, you can also roll them into balls and then roll them in granulated sugar before placing them on the cookie sheet.
4. The cookies will be soft in the center; this recipe does not make crunchy cookies. If you end up with crunch cookies, they might be slightly over-baked.
5. The cookie dough doesn’t freeze very well, but the cookies do.
6. These cookies are best if eaten within a day or two, but they will last up to one week in an airtight container.

As I mentioned above, while the cookies are baking, they will puff up slightly; don’t worry, once they start to cool off, the tops will fall and create that cracked and crinkled look that we all love so much.

And the cookies, these little gingersnap cookies have THE best texture.  They are soft and chewy on the inside, but the edges are a little crispy. And since you sprinkle the tops of the cookies with sugar, the outside of the cookie has a little snap to it, but they’re definitely not break-a-tooth-hard. They’re just perfect, actually.

If you’re a ginger cookie fan, you’ll want to bake up a batch…or 3 of these gingersnap cookies this year!

Gingersnap Cookies

A traditional soft and chewy gingersnap cookie that's perfect for the holiday season!

5 from 12 votes

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Course: Sweets & Dessert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 40 cookies

Calories: 83kcal

Author: Kristine

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2-1/4 cup flour

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, cream butter and sugar together until smooth.
• Add egg, molasses, and vanilla extract and stir to combine.
• Add spices, salt, and baking soda and mix well.
• Slowly add flour, half at a time, and mix until fully incorporated.
• Using a 1.5 TBS cookie scoop, scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets two inches apart. 
• Bake for 10 minutes, rotating halfway through.
• Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes prior to transferring to a  wire rack.
• Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week or freeze.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 0.9g | Fat: 3.7g | Saturated Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 72mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 6.2g | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 0.5mg

Did you make this recipe? We want to see!Mention @kristineinbetween or tag #kinbetween!

And don’t forge to add these peanut butter kiss cookies, these easy pecan snowball cookies, or these perfect cutout sugar cookies to your holiday baking list, they’re very popular too!