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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Comments
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Hi jen
Can I use honey to substitute molasses? I live in India where jaggery is readily available in a solid form, but not molasses as a liquid. Alternatively we do get seasonally a palm sugar syrup which is close to maple syrup in consistency. Do u think any of these would work?
Thanks
Vanita
Hi Vanita, there is no perfect substitute for molasses, so I think you could use either honey or maple syrup (I’m not familiar with palm sugar syrup), but the flavor will be a bit different. I’d love to hear how they turn out if you make them!
We welcomed fall with these terrific ginger cookies. Delicious! Thanks Jenn!
Jenn, We LOVE your recipes. My all-time favorite cookie came from a bakery in a small mountain town, and they no longer serve it. The cookie was a chewy ginger cookie with powdered ginger and chopped candied ginger, and maybe fresh ginger. Do you think I could modify this to make a chewy cookie, or do you know of such a recipe? Meanwhile, I will make this to partly satisfy my craving. Thank you!
Hi Judy, Shoot me an email at jennifer@onceuponachef.com and I’ll send you a chewy ginger cookie recipe from my upcoming cookbook :).
I love all your recipes. Haven’t made these ginger cookies yet. I’m thinking of adding some chopped candied ginger. I really like the flavor and chew of this product. Have you tried adding it to any cookies? Do you think it would work in these?
I think it’d definitely work, Wendy. Enjoy and please LMK how they turn out!
Hi I have seen recipes using butter and crumbling into the flour to make breadcrumbs. What’s the difference with using softened butter like this recipe and cold cubed butter.
Thanks
Hi Nina, That technique is definitely an unusual one for cookies.
Any idea of the carb count on these?
Hi Gail, I just added all the nutritional info for the cookies. Each cookie has 17 grams of carbs. Hope you enjoy if you make them!
Hi Jenn – I don’t have allspice. Could I just eliminate from the recipe or should I make a mix of cinnamon, cloves & nutmeg as a substitute?
Thanks! Can’t wait to try these.
Hi Mia, I’d add an additional 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp nutmeg. Please let me know how they turn out!
Made these today with the substitutions you suggested. They turned out wonderful. Thanks Jenn! Five stars!
is the molasses – liquid black strap molasses or granulated molasses?
thanks
🙂
Regular liquid molasses (not black strap). I really like this brand.
Hi Jenn,
I am planning to bake these cookies with grape syrup (pekmez) in stead of molasses. I guess I would use the same amount (1/3 cups). Would you have any comments before I try.
Thank you very much
Zeynep
Hi Zeynep, I’m not familiar with pekmez (I had to google it). While it sounds like it will work as a substitute for the molasses, I don’t know enough about it to say whether or not you’d need to make any adjustments to the recipe- sorry I can’t be more helpful! I’d love to hear how the cookies turn out!
These are insanely good. I mean, out-of-this world good. People would eat at least two in one sitting. They are ridiculous. I was so sad when they were gone. I’ll just have to make another batch!
I made these cookies and they were the best ever! I will revisit many times. May even be #1 cookie in my collection. Out standing ! The crumb is amazing and the taste is spot on.