The BEST Big & Soft Ginger Cookies
These are some of my favorite holiday cookies. They’re perfectly spiced with a little crisp on the outside but a perfect chew in the middle. They make for the best, in my opinion, cookie option when you don’t want a sugar cookie or anything chocolate (I mean, I want all three, but balance is nice on occasion).
My mom made these for us growing up, from an old magazine clipping (which I can’t see a source for sadly). It’s been a feature in the “desserts” section of her green tin recipe box for decades and will forever be a Christmas favorite for me.
These cookies come together incredibly easily, whether using a stand or hand mixer. Simply cream together your wet ingredients before adding in your dry, mix, ball, and roll in sugar! As they bake they puff up and get the most perfect crackle on top.
A cookie that meets all the cool weather flavor vibes packed with ginger and a variety of spices, baked to puffed perfection, and giving the absolute best chew.
If you love this recipe, leave a review and comment below and tag @accentgolden in your posts on social!
WHAT ARE GINGER COOKIES?
Ginger cookies are a delicious spice cookie often packed with lots of cozy flavors such as ginger (obviously), cloves, and cinnamon. While many ginger cookies tend to have a crunch to them, hence “ginger snap,” I’m all about a soft cookie. These ginger cookies are ones you can sink your teeth into and even make delicious cookie sandwiches when pressed together around vanilla buttercream (balance out the spices beautifully). You’ll traditionally find them around the holidays, but these cookies are my top craving as soon as cool weather hits.
How to bake soft cookies: This recipe calls for shortening and while you can swap for butter to give them even more flavor, they do spread out into thinner cookies. The use of shortening allows them to keep their hold as they bake, giving these cookies an even softer bite. Another key is to not overbake them! They will be lightly brown and puffed when ready. If you leave them in the oven for too long, they will get crispy.
INGREDIENTS
- Flour: Balances moisture while providing structure
- Baking Soda: Provides the necessary puff
- Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, & Cloves: Make for an aromatic, cozy bite
- Salt: Beautifully balances the sweet and spiced flavors
- Shortening: The main fat that helps keep your cookies from spreading too much and staying tender
- Granulated Sugar: Provides sweetness while contributing to the spread and moisture in your cookies
- Egg: Brings together your cookies while helping with moisture, flavor, and leavening
- Molasses: Adds a rich flavor and aids in that soft, chewy texture
The best way to serve these soft ginger cookies is with a glass of milk or your favorite tea or coffee. To make them even more fun, whip up some vanilla frosting and pipe it between two cookies, sandwiching them together for even more deliciousness!
HOW TO MAKE SOFT GINGER COOKIES
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F and lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. This will make it easy to remove the cookies from the tray and clean up in a breeze!
Grab a medium-sized bowl and combine your dry ingredients – flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Then, in a large mixing bowl, add your butter and beat it with a mixer for 30 seconds on low speed to soften it. Add in your cup of sugar and beat for an additional 1-2 minutes until your mixture is fluffy. Add in your egg and molasses and mix together until just combined. Stir in your dry ingredients. Now you have your cookie dough!
Shape your dough into 1 ½-inch balls, which is roughly 1 heaping tablespoon each, and roll them in a bowl with your remaining sugar. This will give them a delicious texture as they bake. Place your cookies on a lined baking sheet about 2 ½-inches apart, keeping the rest of your balls on a plate while you bake the first batch.
Bake your cookies for 10 minutes, until light brown and still puffed. You don’t want to overbake these, or they won’t be soft. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
3 reasons you’ll love these cookies
TIPS & VARIATIONS
- Take your cookies out right at that 10 minute mark. They should be puffed and a light brown (I know, they go in brown but you’ll see) when they’re baked. You’ll leave them on the tray outside of the oven for another 2 minutes before cooling completely, so they’ll continue to bake on the sheet. This is how you get those soft cookies!
- To up the spice level, add a dash of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger to your 2 tablespoons of sugar before rolling your cookie dough in it!
- You can substitute the shortening for butter but it will change the texture of the cookies. The flavor will be richer with the butter but the cookies will spread more, leaving them a bit flat and a little more crispy (but still soft and delicious!)
MAKING AHEAD & STORING
You can make your ginger cookie dough in advance and keep it in the fridge for up to 2-3 days when wrapped tightly or in the freezer for 3 months. If freezing, I recommend rolling your dough into balls before popping into the freezer. Pull your dough from the freezer and place it in the fridge the night before you want to bake it, so your cookies will bake evenly from a thawed state.
Your baked ginger cookies will last for a week or more when stored in an airtight container or cookie jar at room temperature or up to 3 months in the freezer!
MORE SPICED RECIPES
If you love those cozy spices, try these Blueberry Chai Muffins packed with all your classic muffin ingredients plus a little extra chai spice blend! Looking for something just for one? Try this Poached Pear with Streusel and Creme Anglaise, sounds fancy but comes together easily for one and makes you feel a little extra classy. For something that is sure to please a crowd, these Cinnamon Roll Brioche Danishes with cream cheese filling, cinnamon crunch edge, and brown sugar cinnamon drizzle are a cinnamon lover’s dream!
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Mixer
- Spatula
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Wire Rack
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and line a baking tray with parchment paper
- In a bowl, combine flour, ginger, soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt
- In a large mixing bowl, beat your butter for 30 seconds on low speed to soften. Gradually add in 1 cup of sugar and beat until fluffy (1-2 minutes). Add in egg and molasses and beat together until combined
- Using a spatula, stir in your dry ingredients until just combined
- Shape your dough into 1 ½-inch balls (about 1 heaping tablespoon each), and roll in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place on your lined cookie sheet about 2 ½-inches apart
- Bake for 10 minutes, until light brown and still puffed. Do not overbake! Let stand on the sheet for 2 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely
- Enjoy!
