Ginger Cookies
Ginger Cookies are the perfect holiday sweet! These ginger molasses cookies will remind you of the taste of gingerbread cookies, with the soft chewy texture that snickerdoodles are known for. These cookies are so simple to make and delightful to share with friends!
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Ginger Cookies Recipe
Ever since fall turned a corner and the holiday season was upon us, I've been beyond ready for cookie season. I don't have a ton of long-standing traditions besides my Christmas wine party, but even without that, the holidays make me feel like baking all the things.
From peanut butter fudge to pinwheel cookies, holiday baking is truly one of my favorite things. Making treats to share is a legitimate excuse to bake all the things.
This Ginger Cookies recipe is one of my favorites to share with my friends and neighbors. A while back, one of my friends loved my pumpkin snickerdoodles so much, she told me I should try making a Christmas version. I was up for the challenge! I thought gingerdoodles would be the perfect recipe to try - and she was right.
Even though I love to bake, I don't typically eat a lot of the things I bake. I'll sample a few and usually package the rest up to send to a friend. With these cookies, I did not want to share. I have a feeling you won't either. It is the holiday season, so let's try to be kind right?
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Snickerdoodles are known for having a crisp outside and soft, chewy inside. You'll love this Ginger Cookie recipe, for a few reasons:
- These ginger cookies are a delicious and easy holiday treat to make and share. And they're super simple to make!
- They're a cross between ginger snaps and snickerdoodles - everyone's favorite!
- And they are perfect for the holidays! Pair these cookies with dairy-free egg nog for a festive evening!
Recipe Notes
There is so much science that goes into baking so tweaking a recipe can often take a long time. My pumpkin snickerdoodles use about 6 tablespoons of pumpkin, which is not something you can just omit from a recipe and hope for the best.
Luckily, I was able to swap out the pumpkin for half molasses and half applesauce! Like the pumpkin version, these cookies do require chilling, but not for as long. I chilled the dough for an hour and it was perfectly chilled to be able to work with.
The process is very similar otherwise, make your dough, chill it, roll into balls and coat in a brown sugar mixture! Then they bake into a chewy, soft, delicious little treat. Seriously, these cookies practically melt in your mouth.
Equipment Needed
Here's what you'll need to get out to make these cookies!
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to grab at the grocery store to make these easy ginger cookies:
- unsalted butter melted
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
- vanilla extract
- molasses
- applesauce
- all-purpose flour
- salt
- baking powder
- baking soda
- ground ginger
- ground cinnamon
- ground nutmeg
- ground cloves
If you wanted to make these gluten-free cookies, you can use a gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute, such as King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour.
Instructions
Ready to make your own batch? Here's the how to!
In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain.
Whisk in the vanilla, molasses and applesauce until smooth. Set aside.
Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft.
Cover the dough and chill for one hour. Chilling is mandatory - don't skip it! Otherwise your cookies will spread too much.
Take dough of out fridge. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Mix together ¼ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Roll about 1.5 tablespoons of dough into a ball, then coat in cinnamon sugar. Be generous! Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Spread out on cookie sheet. Lightly press down to flatten ball as the cookies will spread slightly. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked but will continue cooking enough as they cool.
Tips & Tricks
- Ginger cookies require chilling, so don't skip this step. After an hour, it will be perfectly chilled to work with.
- These cookies will spread when baked, so don't place them too close together on the cookie sheet. Be sure to lightly press down with your hand to flatten each ball, as the cookies will spread slightly.
- Allow cookies to cool on a baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. The longer they cool, the softer and chewier they will be!
FAQ
A snickerdoodle is a soft, chewy cookie made with butter, sugar and flour and is rolled in cinnamon sugar before baking. Snickerdoodle cookies typically have eggs in them as well.
No, this recipe uses baking powder and baking soda as leaving agents instead of cream of tartar.
The Sweetest Season: Holiday Cookie Recipes
This post is brought to you as part of The Sweetest Season, my friend Erin's annual virtual cookie exchange! Every year, she gets food bloggers together to share new holiday cookie recipes for your holiday parties
We're also raising awareness about and fundraising for Cookies for Kids' Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer. If you'd like to join us, donate to our C4KC fundraising page.
More Cookie Recipes
- M&M Christmas Cookie Bars - These are still a holiday favorite of ours!
- Peppermint Crinkle Cookies - With just six ingredients, these are so fun and easy to make!
- Cinnamon Cookies - We love these flavorful cookies with so much sugar and spice.
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 3 tablespoons applesauce
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
Cinnamon Sugar Mixture
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar together until no brown sugar lumps remain. Whisk in the vanilla, molasses and applesauce until smooth. Set aside.
- Stir together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix together with a large spoon or rubber spatula. The dough will be very soft.
- Cover the dough and chill for one hour. Chilling is mandatory.
- Take dough of out fridge. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C).
- Mix together ¼ cup of sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon. Roll about 1½ tablespoons of dough into a ball, then coat in cinnamon sugar. Be generous! Repeat with the rest of the dough.
- Spread dough balls out on cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Lightly press down to flatten ball as the cookies will spread slightly.
- Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes. The cookies will look very soft and underbaked but will continue cooking enough as they cool. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for at least 10 minutes. The longer they cool the softer and chewier they will be!
Nutrition
My friends call me Mad and you can too. Here you'll find easy, wholesome recipes, and designed to share with those you love.
Snickerdoodles are my favorite cookie. Love this new flavor combo!
Love the sound of this flavor combination! Molasses is one of my favorite additions to cookies - it keeps them so soft for so long!
Aww, friend. You're too sweet. 🙂 You know I love a legitimate excuse to bake all the things (which is why I started TSS in the first place) and learning new recipes. And this Snickerdoodles recipe? I'm gonna need to try it ASAP. Why don't we live closer?
Thanks for bringing an awesome recipe to the table for this year's Sweetest Season! I am so fortunate to call you a friend!