Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Soft, chewy, and with the prettiest crinkles
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 comment below!
Yields: 24, 3-inch cookies
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
Directions:
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!
Be sure to tag @accentgolden in your posts on social, I want to see all of your bakes!
Notes:
You can use butter instead of shortening but your cookies will bake much flatter and without the crinkle top. They still taste delicious! Be sure to place your rolled dough balls in the fridge for 10-15 minutes before baking, to all the butter to re-firm up before it hits the oven
For the bake, you’ll pull them out at the 10-minute mark and might question the done-ness of the center of the cookie. Trust the process! The cookies will cook a little longer during the cooling process on the tray and they will set as they cool. This is where they get their delicious chew (but not if you overbake them)!
This recipe came from my mom’s recipe tin as a magazine clipping. Sadly, there isn’t a name to give credit but noting here that I thank whoever made this perfect recipe, it’s a holiday favorite!
