Soft Ginger Cookies
These gooey, aromatic, and tender ginger cookies are buttery and chewy. They melt in your mouth the second you bite into them. This is how to make soft ginger cookies or ginger molasses cookies.
Delight in the warm, spiced flavors of our Soft Ginger Cookies. These delectable treats capture the essence of the holiday season with their perfect blend of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses. Each cookie boasts a soft, chewy texture that melts in your mouth, offering a comforting and nostalgic experience with every bite.
Ideal for festive gatherings, cozy evenings, or as a delightful snack any time of the year, our Soft Ginger Cookies are a hit with both kids and adults. The aromatic spices paired with the rich, sweet molasses create a flavor profile that is both bold and inviting.
Enjoy them with a cup of hot tea, coffee, or a glass of cold milk for a truly satisfying treat. These cookies also make wonderful gifts, spreading warmth and joy to friends and family. Experience the comforting taste of the holidays in every bite with our Soft Ginger Cookies – a timeless classic that brings a touch of festive magic to your day.
Why make these cookies?
- Perfectly Spiced Flavor: The harmonious blend of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses creates a rich and warm flavor profile that embodies the essence of the holiday season.
- Ideal Texture: These cookies are soft and chewy, offering a delightful melt-in-your-mouth experience that keeps you coming back for more.
- Versatile Enjoyment: Suitable for any occasion, whether it’s a holiday gathering, a cozy evening treat, or a delightful snack, these cookies are a hit with both kids and adults.
- Simple and Reliable: The recipe is straightforward and easy to follow, ensuring consistent and delicious results every time, making it a favorite for both novice and experienced bakers.
Ingredients and substitutions
- All-purpose flour – The amount of flour in the recipe will determine how dense the cookies will be. So, make sure to measure the ingredients correctly.
- Sugar – I like to use white sugar for that wonderful crisp outside and molasses for that soft and chewy inside. But you can also use a combination of white and brown sugar.
- Egg – We have just one egg, so make it a large egg.
- Molasses – Use unsulphured molasses. I like to use dark molasses; light molasses just does not give it enough molasses flavor. Blackstrap molasses is a little bitter with a distinct, robust flavor.
- Spices – Today, I am using 1 teaspoon ground ginger, just a ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. You can also use a teaspoon of ground cloves.
Step-by-step: How to make the best soft ginger cookies
- Dry ingredients – In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and ground ginger – and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Followed by the flour mixture. Combine well over low speed, but do not overmix.
Pro tip – We do not want to activate the gluten in our dough. So do not overmix. Otherwise, the cookies will spread too much.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Pro tip – The cookie dough can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month. - Preheat the oven to 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4 and line cookie sheets or two baking trays with silicone or parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop or two tablespoons of cookie dough, make 1-inch balls.
Pro tip – You can also make the cookie dough balls and freeze them for up to a month in a freezer bag. - Place on the baking tray, making sure to leave space for them to spread. Bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes until the top is cracked.
Pro tip – Larger cookies will take about 10 minutes, and vice versa. - Cool on a cookie tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before you transfer to a cookie jar.
Tips for success
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again, which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
- And if the cookie dough is too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent spreading
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes, making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- It is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked, leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
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Frequently asked questions
These cookies will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.
The cookie needs the right temperature for baking. So the cookie spreads just enough and the outside bakes to a crisp, preventing any more spreading (hope that makes sense). Hence, finding the right oven temperature is essential. Therefore, please follow the directions that come with the recipe.
You can substitute 1 cup of molasses with equal parts of honey, dark corn syrup, or maple syrup. You can also use ¾ cup dark brown sugar for every 1 cup of molasses. Having said that, molasses has a distinct taste and flavor that you will not get from honey, corn syrup, or maple syrup. These will give you a similar texture but not the same taste
Soft Ginger Cookies
These gooey, aromatic, and tender ginger cookies are buttery and chewy. They melt in your mouth the second you bite into them. This is how to make soft ginger cookies or ginger molasses cookies
Video
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) Butter
- ¾ cup (65 g) White sugar
- 1 Egg
- ½ cup (120 ml) Molasses
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g) All-purpose flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp Ground ginger
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground cloves
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
Method
- Dry ingredients – In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, spices, and ground ginger – and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, on medium speed, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Followed by the flour mixture. Combine well over low speed but do not overmix. Pro tip – We do not want to activate the gluten in our dough. So do not overmix. Otherwise, the cookies will spread too much.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for 15 minutes. Pro tip – The cookie dough can be refrigerated for a week or frozen for up to a month.
- Preheat oven at 350°F / 177°C / Gas Mark 4 and line cookie sheets or two baking trays with silicone or parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop, or two tablespoons amount of cookie dough, make 1-inch ballsPro tip – You can also make the cookie dough balls and freeze them for up to a month in a freezer bag.
- Place on the baking tray, making sure to leave space for them to spread. Bake in a preheated oven for 8 to 9 minutes until the top is cracked. Pro tip – Larger cookies will take about 10 minutes and vise versa.
- Cool on a cookie tray for 5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before you transfer to a cookie jar.
Notes
- Always have all the ingredients at room temperature so the butter and sugar can cream until light and fluffy.
- Rest the dough before rolling the cookies. Resting helps the butter firm up again which makes it easier to work and prevents spreading
- If the cookie dough is too soft, put it back in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Chilling the cookie dough will prevent spreading
- Preheat the oven for a good 15 minutes making sure the oven is at the right temperature. A cold oven will spread the cookies.
- It is a good practice to place cookies in the fridge while the oven is preheating to prevent them from spreading.
- When baked leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. This will prevent them from sweating on the bottom.
Bake Ahead and Freezing Instructions
- Dough – You can freeze the dough for 3 months wrapped well in a ziplock bag. Then, thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
- Unbaked cookies – And, you can also freeze the baked cookies dough balls in freezer bags. They will stay for up to a month.
- Baked cookies – Alternatively, freeze the baked cookies between parchment papers for up to 3 months and thaw in the fridge overnight when ready to use.
Equipment you will need
Nutrition
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I request u togive me eggless recipes because I m a vegetarian,
Ritu, not all my recipes are eggless, just a few. You can find my eggless recipes.
I’m definitely going to bake these ginger cookies for Christmas. They look amazing. I’m just going to substitute white sugar for coconut sugar. Thanks!
These classic cookies are the perfect cookie to bring to a cookie exchange or to make for Santa. I love gingerbread cookies but much prefer soft ones to hard ones. Yummy!
I love any kind of ginger dessert and these cookies look amazing. I will definitely be giving them a try at the weekend.
I love the way my kitchen smells when I am making these. These are on my baking list every holiday season!
Loved it! So easy to make and so good!