Gingersnaps

Gingersnaps are one of those cookies I come back to every year because they deliver exactly what they promise: a deeply spiced, snappy bite with a crackled top that forms all on its own.

In truth, you know what I love about gingersnaps? Other than their snappy, ginger awesomeness? Markedly, the batter doesn’t require any chilling. So you can easily whip up a new batch in under 45 minutes. Gingersnaps have a similar flavor to these chewy molasses cookies but with more ginger.

If you love spiced cookies with serious character, these Pfeffernusse Cookies or these pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies are worth making alongside these.

Ingredients & Substitutions

• All-Purpose Flour
• Ground Ginger: The backbone of the spice profile, responsible for that slow, building heat that defines a real gingersnap. Use fresh ground ginger if possible; older spice loses its punch and the cookies will taste flat.
• Baking Soda: Reacts with the acidic molasses to give the dough just enough lift to crack the surface as it bakes, creating that signature crinkled top. Without enough baking soda, the cookies spread too slowly and lose their texture.
• Ground Cinnamon: Rounds out the ginger with warmth and sweetness without competing for the top note. It works in both the dough and the finishing sugar roll to carry the spice all the way through each bite.
• Kosher Salt
• Butter
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the dough and, when used as a coating before baking, caramelizes against the pan to set the exterior crust fast. The sugar crust is what locks in the crackle.
• Egg
• Unsulphured Molasses: The flavor engine of this recipe and the ingredient most worth getting right. Unsulphured molasses is lighter and cleaner in flavor than blackstrap, which is too bitter and will overpower the spice. After testing with both varieties, unsulphured is the only one that keeps the molasses in balance with the ginger. For a slightly different take on molasses-forward spiced cookies, [soft gingerbread cookies] have the same flavor profile in cut out cookie form.
• Sugar and Cinnamon for Topping: Rolling the balls in this mixture before baking creates the caramelized shell and delivers an extra hit of cinnamon right at the surface where you taste it first.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations on These Gingersnaps

• Use my gingerbread spice mix! I have perfected this gingerbread spice recipe (coming soon!) and you can replace the ginger and cinnamon 1 to 1.
• Change the coating! You can roll the cookies in turbinado sugar, white sanding sugar or plain granulated sugar before baking. Powdered sugar would also be a fun variation as well!
• Add some Mix-ins. Take inspiration from these cherry orange molasses cookies! You can add orange or lemon zest. Or white chocolate, dried cherries or pecans to the cookie dough before baking.

Professional Tips

• Use a light, ungreased baking sheet. A heavy insulated pan holds too much heat underneath the cookies and can overbrown the bottoms before the tops have time to crack. A thin, light pan at 350°F is the right combination here.
• Roll the dough into true marble-sized balls. Larger balls take longer to spread and often come out underbaked in the center before the exterior crisps. Consistent sizing is the single biggest factor in getting an even snap across the whole batch, which I love about this recipe because the small size also means the cinnamon sugar coating is in the right proportion to the dough.
• Let them cool! For these gingersnaps to have the snap they need to cool completely before you dive in! I know it’s honestly always the hardest part.

How to Make Gingersnaps

Use these instructions to make these easy gingersnap cookies. Further details and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Preheat the oven and sift the dry ingredients. Set your oven to 350°F conventional or 325°F convection. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and sift them together, then whisk to make sure every spice and the soda are evenly distributed throughout. Sift the mixture a second time into a clean bowl.

The double sift sounds fussy, but it is what keeps the gingersnaps from having pockets of baking soda or clumped spice, which is non-negotiable for me when you want a consistent snap in every cookie.

Step 2: Cream the butter, then add the sugar, egg, and molasses. Beat the butter on high with a hand mixer or in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth and creamy, then gradually add the granulated sugar and beat until the mixture is pale and slightly fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat well.

Step 3: Add the flour mixture in thirds. Add one third of the flour mixture directly into the butter mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Or in the bowl of the stand mixer on low. Repeat with the second third, stir again, then add the final third and stir until the dough comes together.

Adding the flour in stages keeps the dough from becoming tough: you are folding in structure gradually rather than overworking the gluten all at once. The finished dough will be soft but not sticky, and it will hold its shape when you pinch off a piece.

Step 4: Roll the dough into balls and coat in cinnamon sugar. Whisk together 1 cup granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon in a small bowl. Scoop a small portions of dough and roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar until fully coated, then place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

The thin baking sheet is important here: a heavy insulated pan will slow down heat transfer and dull that snap you are looking for.

Step 5: Bake until cracked and browned. Bake at 350°F conventional or 325°F convection for 10-15 minutes. The tops should be cracked and deeply browned across the surface. If you prefer cookies with a crispy shell and a slightly soft center, pull them at 8 minutes.

Step 6: Cool the cookies on the pan. Pull the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for 2 to 3 minutes before moving them. They will feel slightly soft when they first come out, which is completely normal. As they cool, the sugar crust sets and the snap develops. Transfer to a wire rack and let them cool completely before stacking or storing, otherwise the cinnamon sugar coating can stick and pull.

Recipe FAQs

Before You Go

If you make these spiced, snappy cookies and find yourself reaching for a second (or fifth) before they are fully chilled, I completely understand. Browse more ideas in the cookie recipe or check out these 20 traditional christmas cookies!