Homemade Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (2024)

Christmas Favorites | Cookies | Desserts | Holiday Baking

ByMelissa Riker Updated

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The perfect gingersnap cookie recipe, these old-fashioned ginger snaps are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and rolled in sugar! They’re a perfect holiday baking recipe!

Homemade Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (1)

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I love gingersnap cookies, they are a favorite every holiday season. (Gingersnap or Ginger Snaps? I’ve seen it written both ways?) I love to gift them along with other classics like snickerdoodles, chocolate crinkle cookies, and cream cheese cookies. They are always a hit!

What are Gingersnap Cookies?

The perfect gingersnap cookie is hard to come by, you need them to be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy on the inside with the perfect amount of spice. This homemade gingersnap cookie recipe fits the bill perfectly!

The recipe is very simple and straightforward and comes together easily. Like many of the recipes I’ve been sharing lately, itcomes straight from my grandmother’s recipe book, so it’s been tried and tested for over 30 years!

Ingredients

This is not a fussy recipe, you probably have everything you need already in your pantry.

  • butter
  • sugar
  • molasses
  • eggs
  • flour
  • baking soda
  • cinnamon
  • ground cloves
  • ground ginger
  • salt
Homemade Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (2)

Instructions

  1. Beat together the butter and sugar until nice and fluffy.
  2. Add egg and molasses, followed by the remaining dry ingredients.
  3. Roll the dough into balls and give a sweet coating in sugar before baking.

They bake up very quickly and settle as they cool with those perfect characteristic cracks on top! This recipe also makes a big batch so it’s perfect for holiday gifting and parties!

Tips for best results

  • These cookies spread a good bit so be sure to place them at least 2″ apart.
  • There is no need to chill the dough in this recipe.
  • Don’t skip coating the cookies in sugar, this helps make that signature crackle top!

FAQs

How long do they last?

Store at room temperature in an airtight container up to 10 days.

Can you freeze gingersnaps?

Yes! Freeze cookies in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months.

Why are gingersnaps called “snaps”?

These crispy cookies make a “snap” sound when eaten, hence the nickname.

Here are some other old-fashioned recipes from my grandmother’s recipe book I’ve shared recently:

  • Hot Fudge Pie
  • Coconut Pie
  • Watergate Salad
  • StrawberryStuffed Angel Food Cake

If you try this recipe, please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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Homemade Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (4)

Homemade Gingersnaps Recipe

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5 from 3 reviews

  • Author: Melissa Riker
  • Total Time: 21 minutes
  • Yield: 36 1x
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Description

The perfect gingersnap cookie recipe, these ginger cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside and rolled in sugar!

Ingredients

Units Scale

  • 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 cups granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • additional 1 cup sugar for rolling dough

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
  2. In a stand mixer (affiliate link), combine butter and 2 cups sugar and beat for one minute or until blended. Add eggs and molasses and continue to mix on medium speed until blended.
  3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to butter mixture a little at a time while mixing on low speed. Mix until combined.
  4. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Pour additional 1 cup sugar in a small bowl. Roll the dough ball in the sugar until completely coated.
  5. Place dough ball on cookie sheet and space cookies at least two inches apart. Bake for 6-8 minutes or until cookies just begin to crack on the surface. Remove from oven and allow to cool for two minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Cookies will continue to crack and settle as they cool.
  6. Store in an airtight container up to one week.

Notes

  • These cookies spread a good bit so be sure to place at least 2″ apart.
  • There is no need to chill the dough in this gingersnap recipe.
  • Don’t skip coating the cookies in sugar, this helps make that signature crackle top!
  • Prep Time: 15
  • Cook Time: 6
  • Category: dessert
  • Method: baking
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 cookie
  • Calories: 179
  • Sugar: 14.6 g
  • Sodium: 211.7 mg
  • Fat: 8.1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.4 g
  • Protein: 1.9 g
  • Cholesterol: 30.7 mg

Melissa Riker

Melissa Riker is a recipe developer and online content creator who has been sharing kitchen-tested recipes since 2011. Her passion (other than wine and cheese!) is creating reliable, no-fail recipes for home cooks.

Homemade Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a gingerbread cookie and a Gingersnap cookie? ›

The main differences are that gingersnaps are typically rolled into balls, while gingerbread is rolled out and cut into shapes. Gingersnaps are also baked slightly longer, which is where they get their snappy crispiness. Gingerbread is typically a little chewier.

Are ginger snaps healthier than other cookies? ›

The smaller, crispy gingersnaps are a plain, round cookie and a healthier choice when compared to other cookies because they are usually lower in calories. Ginger not only adds delicious flavor to food, but it's also full of nutrients. There are lots of different vitamins and minerals in ginger.

Why are my ginger snap cookies flat? ›

If the butter was too hot when you added in other ingredients, the cookies will likely end up a bit flat and greasy because hot butter melts the sugars. Too much liquid. If too much liquid is added to these cookies or if the ingredients aren't properly measured, they will likely go flat. Not enough flour.

Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top? ›

Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

Can you eat too many ginger snaps? ›

How much ginger should you take daily? Ginger is safe to eat daily, but experts recommend limiting yourself to 3 to 4 grams a day — stick to 1 gram daily if you're pregnant. Taking more than 6 grams of ginger a day has been proven to cause gastrointestinal issues such as reflux, heartburn and diarrhea.

Do ginger snaps help your stomach? ›

Ginger. Capsules of powdered ginger have been found to reduce nausea and vomiting. You could also try a cup of ginger tea, a glass of ginger ale (some people swear it works better if it's flat), a few gingersnap cookies, or a piece of ginger candy.

Why is ginger snaps so good? ›

Because it has some excellent suspense sequences and a rather high amount of blood and gore. The werewolf is really cool looking,the acting by two lead girls(Emily Perkins,Katharine Isabelle)is excellent and the direction is well-handled. "Ginger Snaps" is a pure horror film,that is to be taken seriously.

Should I use baking soda or baking powder in cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

Why are ginger snap cookies so hard? ›

Here are several reasons why your ginger snap cookies might have turned out hard: Overbaking: Cookies can become hard if they are baked for too long. Make sure to bake these cookies for 20 minutes at 300 degrees F. Too little moisture: If you didn't add enough liquid to the dough, the cookies can become dry and hard.

How do you know when ginger cookies are done? ›

So how do you know that they're done? Here's how to tell if gingerbread cookies are done: They'll be firmly set. They'll be a lovely medium-brown color.

Why are my ginger cookies bitter? ›

However, with that amount of baking powder, your cookies (or any baked goods in which you substitute baking powder for baking soda) may end up with a pronounced bitter taste.

Why does my cookie taste like cake? ›

Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly. If you run out of eggs while baking and find that you need more, you can add 1/4 cup vegetable oil for each egg required.

What's the difference between gingerbread and gingernut? ›

Around the middle of the nineteenth century, however, gingerbread nut was superseded by ginger nut. The element nut presumably refers to the biscuits' smallness and roundness (ginger nuts seem originally to have been smaller than their twentieth-century descendants).

Is gingerbread the same as ginger? ›

The original term “gingerbread” referred to preserved ginger, which was developed into a confection made with honey and spices. Later, the term was used to refer to the French confectionery pain d'epices (spice bread) and the German Lebkuchen or Pfefferkuchen (pepperbread or pepper cake).

What is another name for ginger snap cookies? ›

A gingersnap, ginger snap, ginger nut, or ginger biscuit is a biscuit flavored with ginger. Ginger snaps are flavored with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, most commonly cinnamon, molasses and clove.

What is another name for gingerbread cookies? ›

Gingerbread confections are called pryaniki (sg. pryanik), derived from the Russian term for 'spices'.

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