Crispy Ginger Cookies
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Sugar, spice, and all things nice—these thin, crispy ginger cookies are what holiday dreams are made of.
These thin and crispy ginger cookies, a gem from pastry chef Emily Luchetti’s Stars Desserts, are truly something special. Featuring a spot-on mix of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and a bit of black pepper, these cookies deliver a sweet, buttery crunch with just the right touch of chewiness in the middle. They are a treat any time of day (yes, even breakfast), and they fill the house with the most heavenly aroma as they bake. With their deep amber color and slightly crackled tops, they’re perfect for the holidays. Think of them as the more delicious cousins of gingerbread men, offering a rich taste and a delightful texture that traditional holiday cut-out cookies just can’t match.
“I absolutely LOVE these cookies! They are crispy around the edges, with a little soft chew in the middle. And the spices are just enough to be tasty without being overpowering.”
What You’ll Need To Make Crispy Ginger Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the cookie dough, providing structure and texture.
- Ground Ginger, Allspice, Cinnamon, Cloves and Pepper: Infuse the cookies with warm, aromatic flavors characteristic of ginger cookies. Pepper may sound unusual but it adds a delightful little kick that lingers on the palate.
- Baking Soda: Helps the cookies rise and spread, resulting in a crisp texture.
- Granulated and Light Brown Sugar: Sweeten the dough and contribute to the cookies’ crispiness and caramelization.
- Butter: Provides richness and moisture to the cookies, ensuring a tender crumb.
- Egg: Binds the ingredients together and adds structure to the dough.
- Molasses: Adds richness, depth of flavor, and chewiness characteristic of ginger cookies.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt, and pepper.
Whisk and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine ½ cup of the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
Add the egg.
Beat for about 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the molasses.
Beat until just combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
Add the dry ingredients.
Mix on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be very soft; refrigerate it for about one hour, or until firm enough to roll.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and deeply golden on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. (As they bake, they will puff up and then flatten. Do not remove them from the oven until they are flat.)
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the dough between batches.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure! In most recipes, you can swap light and dark brown sugars for one another. Dark brown sugar contains a bit more molasses than light brown, so the caramel-like flavor it adds will be slightly more prominent (but the difference is subtle and won’t impact the flavor of the cookies).
Yep — just form the dough into balls, roll in sugar, freeze them on a baking sheet for about an hour, then transfer to a sealable bag. When ready to bake, pop them straight into the oven from frozen, adding a couple of minutes to the baking time. For more guidance, check out additional tips on how to freeze cookie dough.
Definitely! The cookies will keep nicely for several days in an airtight container; freeze for up to 3 months for longer storage.
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Crispy Ginger Cookies
Sugar, spice, and all things nice—these thin, crispy ginger cookies are what holiday dreams are made of.
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- Scant ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup granulated sugar, divided
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened but still cool
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup molasses, such as Grandma's Original
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, allspice, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Using an electric mixer, beat ½ cup of the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Add the egg and beat for about 20 seconds, then scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the molasses and beat until just combined, then scrape down the sides of the bowl again.
- Add the dry ingredients, then mix on low speed until just incorporated. The dough will be very soft; refrigerate it for about one hour, or until firm enough to roll.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set a rack in the middle position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the remaining ½ cup granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until set and golden on the outside and slightly soft on the inside. (As they bake, they will puff up and then flatten. Do not remove them from the oven until they are flat.) Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Refrigerate the dough between batches. The cookies will keep for several days in an airtight container; freeze for longer storage.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: To freeze before baking, scoop the dough into balls and roll in sugar, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 3 months. Bake as needed directly from the freezer, allowing a few minutes longer in the oven. To freeze the cookies after baking, store the cooled cookies in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 119
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Sugar: 11 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 75 mg
- Cholesterol: 19 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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These cookies are the very best! I’ve never before have been a fan of gingersnaps because they usually are too spicy, and I don’t care for ginger generally. But after getting some imported store-bought ginger cookies as a gift that I fell in love with, I thought maybe I could find a recipe I’d like at least half as much. I’m so glad I stumbled onto this one! Just the right amount of spices, and they smell divine while baking. These are my family’s new favorite. I’ve already made two batches in less than a week (at their request), and these gingersnaps go perfectly with a cup of tea. Jenn, you made a believer out of me!
A -F****ing-Mazing!!! New fave recipe ever!
Hi Jen! How does this recipe compare/differ from your Old Fashioned Ginger Spice cookies? I made those several times last year. Is this recipe milder? My son loves everything gingerbready. 🙂
Hi Erin, These cookies have more butter and granulated sugar than the Ginger Spice Cookies. Using more butter makes the cookies flatter/less puffy and the granulated sugar increases their crispiness. Hope that clarifies!
Absolutely the best crispy ginger cookies ever. Thank you so much for providing the right mix and process to arrive at the precise blend of crispy and spice.
I must agree with the reviewer who urged you to use metric units of measurement. Ask ten people to measure a cup of flour and you will get ten widely varying amounts. In baking especially, precision is everything. I measured out the flour in this recipe according to your spoon and level technique and weighed the results: 322 grams. Only later did I discover that your metric conversion feature gave the amount of flour as 290 grams. By that point I had mixed in 32 grams of flour too many. If you really want people to successfully replicate your recipes, you might consider abandoning, at least for baked goods, the use of volumetric measurements for flour and other similar ingredients. As an added benefit, it is much easier and less messy to weigh out such things as honey, molasses, nuts, dried fruits etc.
I woulda been better off NOT exchanging flours and turning it into a ‘health cookie.’ What I realize is this: the ones I made taste good, but I messed w/ the flours. I’m certain Jenn’s recipe is far better. I’m sure they taste like the ginger cookies of my youth, when we got them. CChip cookies were the fad then. sigh. If I never see another one again, I’ll be will be glad, and we didn’t have them that often. haha!
Thank you, Jenn. I learned a lot and love your site, your encouragement and the fact that you love your work. That’s really cool and totally healthy esp since we spend 40-50 hours a week doing it!! Look forward to doing something else soon!
Great cookie with rich, earthy spices and the subtle kick of black pepper – definitely a grown up kind of cookie to have with morning coffee or bedtime tea. Mine came out darker bc I used black strap molasses. Rolled the dough in turbinado sugar and minced crystallized ginger for extra pop of flavor.
Wrapped the remaining dough in Saran Wrap after forming into a log and slicing into 1/2 rounds and then cutting the rounds in half so that I can fit it into my freezer and just take a glob of dough and roll it into a ball when I want to bake it.
Best ginger cookies I have ever had. Nice combination of spices. Rich and buttery flavour. BBQ guests couldn’t stop eating them. Definitely a keeper recipe. Not sure if rolling them in sugar is totally necessary flavour-wise….
This recipe did not work for me, there is a bitter aftertaste i don’t quite understand and the clove is overpowering.
The bitter aftertaste comes from the molasses. If you use dark molasses, it is more bitter and not as sweet as light molasses.
Perfect recipe! Even without the allspice(forgot to add it lol!). They were crispy, not too spicy and my kids loved them too. This is going to be added to my “go-to” recipe collection. Ps: they cook fast so keep an eye on them!
My go to ginger-snap recipe. Delicious!