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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The cookies didn’t flatten as much as I expected – they stayed puffy. I used black strap molasses and split the brown sugar – half swerve and half light brown. I kept everything else the same. The flavour was good but I think next time I will also add fresh grated ginger and/or some ginger chunks.
With all due respect it is tough to leave a fair star rating unless you are following the recipe exactly as it was intended. Tweaking it is your choice. I bet if you try the way it is printed and with regular molasses, you will be happy. 🙂
I made these last week and they are fantastic. My husband likes crisp cookies and these delivered. I made them exactly as written with no modifications. Yum!
My husband asked me to make him some cookies to have with his tea. He asked for a crispy cookie over a soft one. I found this recipe after a quick google search and decided to make it. The cookies turned out awesome! Crisp on the outside and slightly soft on the inside which made for a great tea dunker. My kids loved them as well and have eaten up most the batch. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Followed recipe exactly. Cookies were good but not as gingery as I would have liked. If I make them again I would add some grated fresh ginger, some finely chopped candied ginger and perhaps a bit of orange zest to kick the flavor up a notch.
Do you think the recipe would turn out the same if I was to use a granulated sugar substitute like Swerve or Splenda – or would that affect the texture?
Hi Jennifer, I wish I could be more helpful but I don’t have any experience baking with sugar substitutes. Sorry!
Hi Jenn! There seems to be a lot of sugar in the recipe—would omitting the brown sugar affect the crispness or is the brown sugar for taste?
Hi Hayley, I wouldn’t omit the brown sugar, but you could cut it back by 2 Tbsp. to 1/4 cup. Please LMK how they turn out!
I was looking for an easy-to-follow recipe as well as a great tasting ginger biscuit! I found both!!! They were so simple to make and are an absolute hit! The perfect combination of spicy and crisp….
Followed the recipe to the letter…Smoked out the house. total waste of ingredients. This recipe does not work.
Hello —
I made the old fashioned ginger spice cookies from your cookbook and they were great. Yesterday I started making the ginger cookies on the website. The recipes are very similar but the website rolls in regular sugar and the book in raw sugar. What is the difference and is one better than the other?
Hi Lauren, This recipe makes thin and crispy cookies; the one in the book makes soft and chewy cookies. The book version is my personal favorite but if you like crispy cookies, I’d go with these.
Absolutely the best cookie ever. No matter who I make them for they always ask for the recipe. Who can blame them? Last year I made some for our USPS driver as a Christmas gift. He loved them and actually requested more for this Christmas. Done. I did make one change to the recipe. Rather than droll powdered ginger I added 4 Tablespoons of grated candied ginger. Huge hit! A keeper. Thank you. It’s impossible to eat just 2! 👍 Whoever I give these cookies to, gets the recipe as well.
These turned out ok but not enough to give as a gift. Mine did not flatten out the way your picture looks. They stayed plump. Otherwise, they tasted ok but not as good as your usual quality recipes.
Delicious buttery taste, not too much spice. I baked mine for 12 minutes. Another go to recipe. Thank you Jen!
Hi Jenn
My crispy ginger cookies didn’t work, and I don’t know why. They were flat, dark and not at all crinkled. I followed your directions exactly and made no substitutions. I did use Crosby’s fancy molasses which is quite dark, and that would explain the colour difference. The flavour was great! I read some reviews after I made them and other people have had the same trouble. Any suggestions? Love your recipes!!
Hi Bonnie, Glad you like the recipes! 🙂 The cookies are supposed to be pretty flat (if you take a peek at the pix you’ll see). Was the dough a little warm before you baked the cookies? (The warmer the dough is, the flatter the cookies will be.) And the lack of crinkles doesn’t mean you did anything wrong — these cookies may look a little different each time you bake them. If you want to try a different ginger cookie, I have this one as well (this recipe will give you cookies that are a bit softer and chewier).