Skip to main content

Gingersnap Cookies

Look no further if you're in search of a spicy gingersnap cookie for the holidays.  Filled with the flavors of molasses and spice found in many festive treats for the month of December, my gingersnaps get enhanced with some finely minced crystallized ginger.  Not only do these cookies taste as good as they look with their sugary, crackled tops, they have the added bonus of being very simple to make.  Double check your pantry and gather each ingredient so that you can bake them today without a moment to lose.  What could be easier than combining some butter, sugar, molasses, an egg and some flour & spices?  You're going to love how quickly the dough comes together and what's more, there is no chilling or resting period prior to baking the cookies.  They can be popped into the oven as soon as the dough is ready!

A Stack of Gingersnaps

I find there is a most welcoming quality to a home when it is filled with the aromas of sugar and spice this time of year.  December wouldn't be right without these enticing scents.  In my home, I must have some form of a scrumptious ginger cookie throughout the month to nibble on with a cup of tea.  But whether it's in the form of a gingerbread figure iced in royal icing or a nice-sized gingersnap, I'm all for a cookie that can be made at a moment's notice (wonderful for the cookie jar!).  They make great gifts to those who enjoy a bit of spice during the holidays so I suggest making a batch very soon.

Afternoon tea with a few gingersnaps.

Let's bake these marvelous cookies now.  Take a moment to admire them when they come out of the oven and give yourself a few seconds before you devour one!

Gingersnaps are always welcomed during the holidays.



Gingersnap Cookie Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups {300 g} all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons {10 ml) baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons {7.5 ml} ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon {5 ml} ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon {1.25 ml} ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon {2.5 ml} fine sea salt
  • 1 1/2 sticks or 12 tablespoons {170 g} unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup {105 g} granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup {120 g} packed dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 6 tablespoons {75 ml} unsulphured molasses
  • 1/4 cup {35 g} finely chopped crystallized ginger
  • extra granulated sugar for sprinkling each cookie
Equipment: baking sheets lined with silpats or parchment paper, 1 oz./1 1/2" {30 ml} ice cream scoop to portion out the cookies.

Yield: approximately 32 cookies, just shy of 3 dozen.

To finely chop crystallized ginger, slice each piece into matchsticks and cut crosswise as small as possible.  The addition of this ginger gives each cookie a pleasant bite.  Spicy!

.................................
Center oven racks & preheat to 350° F (177 ° C)
................................


1. In a large bowl, whisk to combine the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves and fine sea salt.  Keep at the ready.

2. Cream the butter on medium speed in the bowl of a mixer for approximately 1 minute.  Stop and scrape down the bowl and beater attachment.  Add the granulated sugar and packed dark brown sugar & beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and creamy, about 3-4 minutes.  Scrape down the bowl and beaters at least once during this process.

3. Add the egg on medium speed and beat until it is fully combined and emulsified.  Add the unsulphured molasses on medium-low speed and mix until combined.  Stop and scrape the bowl and beater before adding the dry ingredients.

4. Gradually add the dry ingredients on low speed and mix until combined.  Add the finely chopped crystallized ginger and mix well.


Give the finished dough a final stir to make sure everything is absolutely uniform and well mixed.

There are two ways of enhancing these cookies with sugar.  It's up to you to determine how you want your cookies to look.

Using your 1 1/2" ice cream scoop, portion out the cookies and roll in sugar to coat.

Stagger 8 cookies on your prepared baking sheets and flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand.  Rolling them in sugar this way will cause the cookies to absorb the sugar as they bake.  The result will be a cookie without a sparkly top.  Perfectly delicious and beautiful. 

OR
Stagger the cookies, flatten them slightly and then sprinkle them generously with granulated sugar.  The cookies will absorb some of the sugar, but there will be enough left on each surface when they come out of the oven to give them a bit of sparkle.  Personally I prefer this method of enhancing them, but either way is fine.

Place them in the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes.

Remove the cookies from the oven and let them sit on the baking sheet for a minute or two to firm up.  Place them on racks and cool them completely.  The cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

This labeled tin is ready to be given away.   


You'll notice when you bite into one of my gingersnaps that they are indeed soft and chewy.  If you absolutely insist on a drier, firmer cookie that really does 'snap' I suggest adding a minute or two to the baking time.  Watch them closely so that they don't overbake and burn.  A no-fuss gingersnap cookie is perfect for a holiday party at home or at work, and they make a great addition to a cookie exchange if you happen to be participating in one this year.  Make an extra batch of these cookies if those near you happen to love ginger cookies just as much as I do, because they're not going to last very long.

Happy Baking Everyone! 

Comments

  1. These look absolutely yummy! I love that they don't spread out all over the place. Gonna try them soon.

    T.I.A.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Try them because they are really good. They do spread just a little bit, so don't put more than 8 cookies per sheet or they'll run into each other.

    Enjoy!

    ~David

    ReplyDelete
  3. These were the BEST gingersnap cookies I've ever tasted! And, that's saying something because I have always disliked gingersnap cookies. However, my mistake was assuming that all GS cookies taste like the boxes of gingersnap cookies they serve at daycare centers! Thank you for sending these cookies to me. My husband and I ate the whole tin in one day! We started with them for breakfast with tea (perfect combo!) then we took some with us to run our errands in the afternoon and I'm ashamed to say we ate the last package at the movies later that night.

    I recently recreated your recipe and they turned out just like yours - thank goodness, otherwise, I would have had to beg you to bake your GS cookies for me again!

    Happy New Year, friend!

    xo

    ReplyDelete
  4. Who knew that these cookies would make you like gingersnaps? Don't be ashamed of having eaten the cookies in one day. I sometimes have a cookie with my coffee in the morning and a few more later in the day with tea, so I understand. We're just cookie monsters at heart! :)

    SO happy you had success with the recipe Janet. Enjoy them!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank You for Posting!

Popular posts from this blog

Antique Salt Cellars

There was a time when salt cellars played an important role on the dining table for the host or hostess.  As a result of it being such an expensive commodity several hundred years ago, salt was seen as a luxury and it was the well to do that made salt cellars quite fashionable & a status symbol for the home.  A single salt cellar usually sat at the head of the table and was passed around throughout the meal.  The closer one sat to the salt cellar, the more important one was deemed by the head of the household.  Smaller cellars that were more accessible and with an open top became a part of Victorian table settings.  Fast forward to the 20th century when salt was no longer a luxury and when anti caking agents were added to make salt free-flowing, and one begins to see salt cellars fall out of fashion.  Luckily for the collector and for those of us who like to set a table with Good Things , this can prove to be a boon. Salt cellars for the table come in silver, porcelain, cut glass

Collecting Jadeite

With its origins dating back to the 1930s, jadeite glassware began its mass production through the McKee Glass Co. in Pennsylvania. Their introduction of the Skokie green & Jade kitchenware lines ushered in our fascination with this jade color.  Glassmakers catered jadeite to the American public as an inexpensive alternative to earthenware soon after the Depression, both for the home and for its use in restaurants.  The Jeanette Glass Company and Anchor Hocking introduced their own patterns and styles, which for many collectors, produced some of the most sought after pieces.  Companies marketed this beautiful glass under the monikers of jadite , jadeite , jade glass , jad-ite , jade-ite , so however you want to spell it, let it draw you in for a closer look.  If you want a thorough history of the origins of jadeite, collectors’ pricing, patterns & shapes (don’t forget the reproductions in 2000), I highly suggest picking up the book by Joe Keller & David Ross called, Jadei

How to Paint a Chair

If you have ever felt the need to spruce up a set of chairs or give them a new look, why not try a little bit of paint?  Our tastes in decor and color will probably alter throughout our lives, and at some point, we may find ourselves wanting to change the look of our furniture without having to spend a lot of money.  That's where a few handy tips, some tools from the hardware store, and good-quality paint come in handy.   I know I'm not alone in paying visits to local antique shops, antique fairs and flea markets, and falling in love with pieces of furniture that would be perfect if they were just a different color.  You don't have to walk away from a good purchase simply because it's the wrong color.   My dear friend, Jeffrey, is forever enhancing his home with collectibles from flea markets and tag sales.  However, certain items aren't always up to Jeffrey's tastes when he brings them home.  He is the type of person who won't hesitate to chang