Gingersnap Cookies

With a crunchy bite and tons of flavor from ground ginger and rich molasses, these ginger cookies are a holiday staple everyone will love.

My husband has an obsession with store-bought cookies. The thinner and crispier it is, the better. Needless to say, it can sometimes be a little blow to this baker’s ego when he willingly gives up a tray of freshly baked cookies for their pre-packaged counterpart.

I’ve spent countless hours trying to perfect a homemade version of her favorite chocolate chip cookies. Doing research, making copycat recipes that I found online… and they are never the same.

Well, well, more than my favorite chocolate chip cookies for me, I guess.

When the holidays arrive, it’s not unusual for him to come home from the market with a bag or two full of holiday cookies. Gingerbread, chocolate chip, and the mint version of her all-time favorites.

I mean seriously, our house will be full of Christmas cookies, but it will just have to have the crunchy store bought ones.

I decided to accept the fact that replicating her beloved chocolate chip cookies at home wasn’t going to happen, so I thought I’d try her holiday favorite: ginger cookies.

Let me tell you: I feel like I won some kind of prize. Eric (and Elle and my dad) loved these cookies. I devoured them to the point where I had to step in and get some myself.

I’ll go ahead and pat myself on the back for this.

Crispy ginger biscuits

Can I share a little inconvenience with you? It drives me crazy when people use the word “gingersnaps” for soft, puffy ginger snaps.

Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE that kind of ginger cookie! But for me, a ginger has to be crunchy.

And it absolutely has to be sharp to get my husband’s approval. So you know these ginger cookies are just that why he loves them so much!

These cookies have perfectly crispy edges, with just a little bit of chewiness in the center. There’s definitely a touch of ginger, exactly what you want in this type of Christmas cookie.

You can also adjust the crunchiness of the biscuits based on the cooking time. In the recipe card, I tell you how long to bake them for a chewier center versus a crunchier cookie.

How to make these ginger biscuits

This recipe for ginger biscuits is very similar to my recipe for treacle biscuits, but with a few key changes to make them crunchier and give them that spicy ginger flavor.

Ingredients you will need

For these cookies you will need:

• ¾ cup softened unsalted butter
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons of baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon

One of the biggest differences between this recipe and my Chewy Molasses Cookies is that this recipe skips the brown sugar and uses all granulated sugar.

Brown sugar is the key ingredient in recipes like cinnamon brown sugar cookies chocolate biscuits without chips because it gives them a rubbery texture. Granulated sugar, on the other hand, makes the biscuits crunchier.

Since we want crunchy ginger biscuits, granulated sugar is the key here!

I also use a combination of ground ginger and a little cinnamon for that classic ginger flavor.

When purchasing molasses, be sure to purchase regular, unsulfured molasses. You do Not I want blackstrap molasses for these cookies.

Prepare these biscuits

The dough for these gingersnap cookies is a pretty standard drop cookie dough.

Using a stand mixer or electric mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy. It will take about 3-5 minutes.

If you’re unfamiliar with working with butter and sugar, this important step is worth reviewing! If you do it right, you can really change the way your cookies turn out.

Add the egg, molasses and vanilla to the bowl and mix until smooth. Be sure to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing until well combined.

Since we want crispier cookies, we won’t chill this dough. Which is great if you’re impatient and want cookies NOW!

Use a medium cookie scoop (1.5 tablespoons) to portion the dough. Form the dough into balls and roll each ball in granulated sugar, then place on lined baking sheets at least 2 inches apart.

These gingersnaps spread quite a bit, so be sure to give them plenty of space.

Bake cookies at 350°F. For cookies with crispy edges and chewier centers, bake them for 11 to 13 minutes. For crispier biscuits, bake them in the oven for 12-14 minutes.

Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Storage and freezing

For crunchier ginger cookies, you’ll want to taste these cookies the same day they’re made.

They can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 4-5 days. Just keep in mind that the centers will get a little chewier as they sit.

If you want to make the cookies ahead of time, place them in a zip-top freezer bag and freeze for a month.

You can also follow my instructions on how to freeze cookie dough to enjoy these freshly baked ginger cookies any time of year, not just during the holiday season!