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These Ginger Snap Cookies are soft and chewy with a crisp edge. An easy Christmas cookie recipe that are perfect for any holiday cookie spread, but great any time of year!

plate of ginger snap cookies

Ginger Snap Recipe

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Serve these Ginger Snap Cookies on a holiday table with Christmas Oreo Bon Bons, Slow Cooker Candied Almonds, and Chocolate Crinkle Cookies.

If you want to keep with the ginger theme, you could also pair it with an easy gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting!

stack of ginger snap cookies on buffalo plaid red plate

Do you go to holiday cookie exchanges? I always make cookies, but I’ve never been to an actual exchange. I feel like this ginger snaps recipe would make the perfect batch of cookies to swap.

I polled my friends asking their favorite holiday cookie to help me narrow down what I wanted to bake this weekend. I got a couple requests for cookies I’ve already shared but one friend suggested ginger snaps and this recipe came about.

I consulted a very old cookbook passed down from my grandma for a recipe and am thrilled with the results. A soft and chewy, spicy, holiday cookie that smells amazing when it’s baking in your kitchen.

Ginger Snaps Ingredients

Below is a list of the ingredients you’ll need to gather to make this recipe. Scroll all the way down for the full recipe card.

  • Sugar – Granulated white sugar.
  • Butter – Unsalted, at room temperature.
  • Molasses – Baking molasses – usually light or “original”.
  • Egg – One large egg.
  • Flour – All-purpose white flour.
  • Baking Soda – To add rise.
  • Cinnamon – Use a good quality ceylon cinnamon.
  • Ginger – Ground ginger.
  • Cloves – Ground cloves.
  • Nutmeg – Ground nutmeg.
  • Salt – For balance.
spices, butter, and molasses laid out to make ginger snap cookies

How to make Ginger Snap Cookies

Making ginger snap cookies is surprisingly easy, but you do need to allow time for the dough to chill and come together.

  1. STEP ONE: To a large bowl, add the sugar, butter, molasses, and egg and beat with a hand mixer until on medium until light and fluffy.
  2. STEP TWO: Add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir it together with a spatula until fully combined.

    Cover the bowl of dough with plastic wrap and let chill for at least an hour.
  3. STEP THREE: Pour 1/2 cup of sugar into a shallow bowl. As you scoop the dough into approximately 1″ balls with a cookie scoop, roll the balls in your hands, then in the sugar, and place 12 per sheet on the prepared cookie sheets.
  4. STEP FOUR: Bake at 350 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until just set. They will puff up then flatten as they bake. Remove from the oven and let cool on the cookie sheets for a minute before removing.
mixing bowl filled with ginger snaps ingredients

Are ginger snaps supposed to be spicy?

Ginger snaps are not hot spicy, but they do have a nice warmth to them thanks to the ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.

stack of ginger snap cookies with spices in background

Why are they called ginger snaps?

The name ginger snaps comes from the fact that these cookies are typically very crispy and make a “snap” sound when broken and are filled with ginger.

My version have a crisp edge with a chewy center (don’t over bake them!)  and are full of holiday spices. Ginger snaps are a derivation of gingerbread.

What is molasses & why is molasses used in baking?

Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that is made during the sugar making process. Sugar cane or sugar beets are crushed and then the juice is extracted. The juice is then boiled down to form sugar crystals, which are then removed from the liquid. That is the molasses.

Molasses is used in baking to add great brown sugar flavor to cakes and cookies without making them too sweet.

Soft & chewy molasses cookies are similar to these ginger snaps and equally delicious.

close up of ginger snap cookie with stack of cookies in background

Equipment you’ll need

  • Mixing Bowls – I love the grippy bottoms of these bowls so they stay still while you’re mixing.
  • Hand Mixer – As much as I love my stand mixer, I use my hand mixer much more often.
  • Spatulas – I love these one piece silicone spatulas because they’re easy to clean.
  • Silicone Baking Mats – Using either baking mats or parchment paper will help your cookies to bake evenly and make clean up easier.
  • Cookie Scoop – I can’t remember the last time I made cookies without using a scoop. It makes life easier & your cookies will be even.

Need more Christmas cookies in your life? Try these:

Dark Chocolate Stars
Crisp Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Cream Cheese Sprinkle Cookies
Christmasdoodles (Snickerdoodles)
Sprinkled Chocolate Fudge Cookie Bites

Click here for my entire collection of cookies.

stack of 5 ginger snap cookies

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close up of ginger snap cookies on white plate
4.72 from 304 votes

Soft and Chewy Ginger Snaps

Created by Melissa Williams | Persnickety Plates
Servings: 30 cookies
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chill time 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Soft and chewy Ginger Snaps are an easy, fragrant cookie that are perfect for any holiday cookie spread!

Ingredients
 

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temp
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • sugar for rolling

Instructions

  • In a large bowl, add the sugar, butter, molasses, and egg and beat on medium until light and fluffy.
    1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup unsalted butter, 1/4 cup molasses, 1 large egg
  • Add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt, Stir well with a spatula until fully combined.
    2 1/4 cups all purpose flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Ginger, 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves, 1/4 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
    sugar
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  • Pour approximately 1/2 cup of sugar into a small bowl (for rolling).
  • Use a medium cookie scoop to shape the dough into approx. 1″ balls. Roll in sugar and place 12 per baking sheet onto your prepared sheets.
  • Bake for 9-10 minutes or until just set (they will puff up then flatten while baking).
  • Remove from oven and let stand on the cookie sheet for 1 minute before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
  • Enjoy!

Video

⭐️ Final Step! Please let me know how you liked this recipe by leaving a review and rating below. Your feedback supports my small business and allows me to continue providing free, high quality recipes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 18mg | Sodium: 156mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying/pasting and/or screenshots of full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Content and photographs are copyright protected.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag me on Instagram @melissa_pplates so I can see!

What’s your favorite holiday cookie recipe? Are you trying any new ones this year?

This post was originally sponsored by McCormick®. All opinions are my own, as always.



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155 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I am so glad this is the recipe I landed on when I started looking for gingerbread cookies! I followed the recipe exactly as written (I let my dough chill almost 24 hours because laziness) and the second batch is cooling as I type. So easy, so good, and the texture came out exactly as described. I def let them cool on the baking sheet until they felt sturdy enough to transfer to the rack. Absolutely a keeper.

    Reply

  2. 5 stars
    I made these today and they came out absolutely delicious! I added some ground cardamom to the sugar that I rolled the cookies in before baking, just for some extra flavour (highly recommend), and upped the levels of all the spices a bit (doubled the ginger). 10/10

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    These are so delicious and perfect looking! My daughter made some and shared with me at Christmas and I HAD to have the recipe!! Have my first batch in the oven now. Thank you so much!!!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I made these last night and they are almost gone. I shared a few and the recipe, they loved them. I will definitely use the recipe often. The spices were just the right amount for me. I can’t stay out of the cookie container!

    Reply

  5. 5 stars
    Oh my goodness! I tried 4 other recipes this week and this is THE ONE!!! Perfection in every way! I’m so happy!

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Just did a trial batch of these and they turned out delicious! Crispy outside soft inside. I’ll definitely be adding to my Christmas baking boxes this year. Thanks!

    Reply

  8. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for this recipe. It is now my go-to recipe for Ginger snaps and I had never made them before. Very easy recipe and they come out lovely every time! Now everyone requests these!

    Reply

  9. 5 stars
    This is my favorite cookie recipe so far, and it’s honestly so easy! Love making these for the holidays, they are a great crowd pleaser.

    Reply

    1. Yep, they could. I personally would recommend prepping the dough, scooping it into balls and freezing the balls, then baking from frozen (if you have time). If you want to get them out of the way now, they will freeze well after baking and thaw at room temp.

  13. 5 stars
    These are very well balanced. No one spice stands out above the others. I’d say if you like really snappy ginger snaps, go ahead and double the ginger to make them nice and spicy. The texture is perfect. Nice and chewy on the inside and the roll in sugar makes for a crunchy crust. Mine took about twice as long to cook, I think my oven runs a bit cool though.

    Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Delicious! Our new favorite cookie! I double the recipe each time I make these. Everyone loves these cookies! The recommendation of adding cardamom to the sugar roll was a great idea as well! I roll them and freeze the cookie dough balls for baking whenever we want more.

    Reply

  15. 5 stars
    No regrets here, these cookies are amazing. My oven runs a little hot so next time I’ll lower my temp but otherwise they were DELICIOUS. I will be bookmarking this recipe for sure.

    Reply

  16. 5 stars
    These were delicious and easy! I’m making a double batch for our local firehouse – they LOVE cookies!

    Reply