Crispy Gingersnap Cookies (2024)

This gingersnap recipe makes the perfect Christmas cookies. Not only are they full of spicy ginger flavor and warm spices, but they've also got plenty of that classic, old fashioned ginger snap cookies exterior with a chewy middle. They go great with an ice-cold glass of milk, a mug of hot chocolate, or hot cup of coffee or tea.

Need holiday cookie recipes for this time of the year? Try the Neiman Marcus cookie recipe, perfect Christmas cut out sugar cookies with homemade royal icing, my mama'sSouthern Pecan Praline Cookies, or these adorable gingerbread whoopie pies.

The Best Ginger Snaps Recipe! So Easy to Make.

I absolutely love ginger snaps.

My mama used to buy ginger snap cookies in a big brown bag when I was a little girl: those murray old fashioned ginger snaps cookies. Crispy and crunchy, they were one of my all time favorite cookies, even though she rarely brought them around (she probably hid them from me, honestly. I ate way too many!).

As an adult I make my own, especially during the holiday season since these make really great gifts! These old fashioned ginger cookies have a crispy exterior, chewy middles, and are so good when you're pregnant with an upset stomach (ask me how I know!)

So next time you're looking for the perfect gingersnap cookies for your christmas cookie jar or hunting down that familiar brown bag, make a batch of my favorite gingersnaps.

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Why You'll Love these Irresistible Cookies

• Makes Plenty to Share...30 Cookies! - these cookies are so well loved on any holiday cookie platter, you may even have to make a double batch! They move fast.
• Sweet and Spicy - full of ginger and then coated with sugar, these gingersnaps are so flavorful!
• Freezer-Friendly - make these ahead of the holiday season and keep them in the freezer. They're ready when you are.

Equipment

• Stand Mixer - for ease we whip these up in the bowl of a stand mixer. You can also use an electric hand mixer.
• Mixing Bowls
• Baking Spatula - you need a silicone spatula to scoop the sides of the mixing bowls and get everything incorporated.
• Small Cookie Scoop
• Wire Rack - a must for all baking projects, since it gives your baked goods 360 degrees of air exposure to cool down.
• Cookie Sheets
• Fish Spatula - I use this for so many things, but especially scooping up cookies with ease. Works so much better than a conventional spatula!

Ingredients

Full ingredients, measurements, and printable instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

The ingredients are super important if you want snappy old-fashioned gingersnaps:

• Vegetable Shortening.Butter will give you a chewy cookie, shortening gives us that snap since there's no water in it.
• Granulated Sugar.
• Unsulphured Molasses.Molasses is what gives ginger cookies that rich flavor underneath the spiciness of the ginger. Do not use blackstrap molasses, it's really bitter.
• Vanilla Extract.
• A large egg. Room temperature eggs will give the most consistent results since they won't mess with the baking time.
• All-Purpose Flour.
• Baking Soda.
• Kosher Salt.
• Ground Ginger. We're using a heaping tablespoon (15 grams) of ginger, which gives a great spice to your gingersnaps. If you don't want a lot of ginger spice, use 2 teaspoons instead.
• Ground Cinnamon and Nutmeg. These give the cookies a well-balanced flavor. Make sure you use freshly grated nutmeg if you can find it. I buy my whole nutmeg online here.
• Black Pepper.Want that spicy kick that really hits the taste buds? Adding freshly ground black pepper does that for you without altering the flavor of your gingersnaps.
• Turbinado Sugar. We roll the gingersnaps in a mix of white sugar and turbinado sugar. Turbinado sugar, also called raw sugar in the stores, is coarser than granulated sugar and adds great crunch and sparkle to the cookies, but it's optional if you can't find it.

Step by Step Instructions: How to Make Gingersnap Cookies

Step 1 | So to make the gingersnaps we are going tocreamthe shortening and sugar together in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed with the paddle attachment. Creaming sugar and fat together isn't just to mix them together, but to aerate the fat, in this case, shortening.

Sugar helps this process, and creaming the fat and sugar together actually gives you more cookies. So don't miss this step, or you'll miss out on cookies.

Step 2 | Stir in the vanilla, the egg and molasses and mix until well combined.

Step 3 | In a separate medium bowl, whisk all the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, spices) then add the dry ingredients in batches to the bowl of wet ingredients.

I put about a third of the flour mix into the wet ingredients and mix in well with a rubber spatula before adding the next third of dry ingredients.

See Also

The Very Best Gingersnap CookiesCrispy Gingersnap Cookies that Actually Snap - The Foodie AffairGingersnap Cookies - Perfectly Crisp & Chewy!The Best Classic Gingersnap Cookie Recipe

Step 4 | Chill the dough for an hour. Chilling the dough lets the flour get hydrated by the wet ingredients, giving the cookies a stronger flavor, making them more tender, and giving them a better shape and spreading less during baking.

After chilling, scoop the dough into small balls with a cookie scoop, then roll them in a mix of granulated and turbinado sugar in a small bowl and place the dough balls on your cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. The cookies being coated in sugar helps the outside have more crispness and adds crunch.

Step 5 | Bake at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) for 12-13 minutes on your prepared baking sheets, let them cool for five minutes on the pan, then use a spatula to move them to a wire rack to cool for at least 15 minutes to cool completely. They will be at supreme crispness once completely cooled.

Pro Tips

• Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or sil-pats for easy baking.
• Do not use blackstrap molasses. It's very bitter!
• Making snappy gingersnaps is easy. Keeping them snappy is not if you're not careful. If you keep them exposed, they'll soften up.
• Don't make gingersnaps on a rainy or really hot day, they won't be crisp. Blame the humidity. A cool day is ideal.
• No cookie scoop? Roll the dough between clean hands to form 1-inch balls, then bake cookies

Storing Freshly Baked Ginger Snaps

Keep the cooled baked cookies in an airtight container (like those good cookie jars!) to keep them snappy. Otherwise they'll soften up and become chewy ginger cookies.

How to Freeze Gingersnap Cookie Dough

Nothing is better than a cookie right when you need it right? Freeze your gingersnap cookies in a freezer-safe, zip-top bag for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the unbaked cookie dough balls on a baking sheet until hard, then put them into the freezer-safe zip-top bag to bake whenever needed.

FAQs

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