Soft Gingersnap Cookies
Updated November 09, 2020
Soft Gingersnap Cookies-these cookies are a holiday favorite. Add them to your Christmas cookie baking list now!
I know we haven’t celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but I am already in Christmas mode. We don’t have our tree up yet, but I have started baking Christmas cookies. I just couldn’t wait any longer. Over the weekend, I made my favorite Soft Gingersnap Cookies. They are seriously the BEST holiday cookies. You can’t have the holidays without them. I make them every year and every year I fall in love all over again.
I love this recipe because the cookies are perfectly spiced and super soft. To get perfectly soft cookies, take them out at 8 minutes. They won’t look done, but just trust me, they are ready to come out of the oven. Let them sit on the hot baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer them to a cooling rack. The cookies will set up as the cool and then you will have a batch of super soft gingersnap cookies.
Our house smelled amazing while the cookies were baking. The ginger, cinnamon, and molasses smell filled each room with holiday cheer.
Kick off your Christmas baking with these classic Soft Gingersnap Cookies. Your friends and family will love them! They are the perfect Christmas cookie!
If you like this Gingersnap Cookie recipe, you might also like:
- Pumpkin Gingersnap Cookies
- Brown Butter Salted Caramel Snickerdoodles
- Gingersnap Cookies with White Chocolate Chunks
Photography by: Sarah Fennel // Broma Bakery
Soft Gingersnap Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup granulated sugar to roll the cookie dough in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a Silpat baking mat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the the flour, baking powder, salt, and spices. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined. Add in the molasses. Mix until the molasses is combined with the other ingredients.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture. Add in a little at a time until all of the flour is mixed in. Don't over mix.
- Form the dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll the dough in the granulated sugar. Place the cookie dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. I pressed down on the cookies slightly with a spatula to help them flatten out. If you like puffy cookies, don't press them down.
- Bake for 8 minutes and no longer, you want the cookies to stay soft. Let the cookies sit on the baking sheet for two minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Note-the cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days. The cookies can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Have you tried this recipe?
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owwwwww! I love that they're soft. Totally delicious. Perfect for a Cookie Exchange or Christmas party.
Oooh so delicious! They look like perfect, chewy yummy cookies! Great as gifts a Xmas too! Love 'em!
Thanks, Maria!! Can't wait to try these.
Love that those are chewy! Can't wait to make them for my Mom!
I am loving all these Christmas cookie recipes this month. I love a soft chewy cookie.
I can't wait to try these – I love soft molasses/spice cookies!
Can't wait to see all you decide to make! These look yummy. Thanks for the linky love 🙂
They look WONDERFUL!! I bet they they taste pretty awesome too 🙂 I'm the same way with my peanut butter cookies, take them out at the time I say, not when you think they are done LOL Nice and chewy 🙂
I found a really good recipe I want to try. I've had a hankering for making thick, chewy ginger cookies. I think I've found it. I need to make them today because just like you said I love that smell when they are baking.
I also LOVE soft ginger cookies! Yum!!
Why do I see ginger snap ice cream swammichs in my future… sigh…
i can not resist a soft cookie 🙂 yum! i love soft, chewy cookies!
i can not resist a soft cookie! yum! i love soft, chewy cookies!
My all-time favorite Christmas cookie!
I don't know if I've ever had a soft gingersnap, sounds really good
These look so good. A classic Christmas cookie!
My cookies always turn out harder than I want them to. I will try this recipe and watch for 8 minutes!!!! They really look terrific.
I am looking forward to all the sweet recipes you will post throughout the month. I definitely want to bake something (at least once) this holiday season.
These gingersnap cookies would be a hit at my office for sure.
my list is long too, i doubt i'll get to it all! love these soft gingersnaps 🙂
Oh yum! My family makes similar cookies every Christmas (and we also make them at the bakery daily). I agree — ginger molasses cookies are best soft and chewy!
Gingersnaps are one of my favorite cookies! But they have to be soft like this one. Great recipe!
My absolute favorite cookie! My best friend makes them every christmas and they are delicious. Mmmm think I will make some this week.
Looks like a great cookie! I love them slightly underbaked too!
i can't believe it's december already. sigh.
meanwhile, great cookies–i like my gingersnaps less snappy. 😉
I love gingersnaps soft too! These sound so great and it is a type of cookie I haven't made before.
Thanks for mentioning the cookie round up. I think I'll submit some of mine and now I have all kinds of new cookie ideas. !
I've been looking for a certain soft ginger cookie that someone gave me once and trying to duplicate it. I will have to try these!
I'm all over soft gingersnaps. But the crunchy version makes AMAZING crust for cheesecake ; ) I can just imagine the aroma of these yummy cookies.
I love my gingersnaps soft so these are perfect! Thanks for sharing 🙂
They look fantastic! Perfect and delicious looking!
Cheers,
Rosa
Hi Maria!
Thanks for visiting my blog. I hope you enjoy the muffin recipe. They are real easy. No one like Ginger snaps but me in my family and yours looks like a great one! I'm a sucker for chewy cookies. Can't wait to try them! Happy Holidays!
Those look so wonderful!
Those look like they just might be the perfect elusive gingersnap I have been looking for!
I make gingersnap cookies and dip them in white chocolate. My neighbors request them every year. They are sooo yummy!
I agree with you, they must be soft!
They look great! And perfectly shaped. Although I like my gingersnaps to snap so I can dunk them in my coffee, I know a little boy who would LOVE these soft ones!
I recently tried a gingersnap recipe that was not so good. This one looks much, much better. I'll have to give it a go!
This is funny! I also have a soft ginger cookie on my blog right now. It is very similar to yours with a few different ingredients. I'll have to give your version a try. I love the soft ones too.
These look so good! I have been looking for a gingersanp recipe that does not use shortening. I tried substituting butter for shortening in my Grandma's (my favorite) recipe–but it did not turn out. I am excited to try your recipe! i agree with you–gingersnaps do make your house smell amazing!!
Yay for holiday baking! Soft gingersnaps sound like such a huge crowd pleaser – yum!
Love your blog and the recipes. This looks like a great one! How did you add the "find it here" feature- I want to add it to my blog and can't figure it out.
Mmmm… I can smell them from here. 🙂 These look perfect, Maria, and make a festive addition to our Christmas cookie round-up. Happy Holidays, my dear!
I love gingersnap cookies! Why have I never thought to make them before. I have to say Maria, I so love your blog. Your writing and your recipes are just so inviting. Always a treat reading your posts 🙂
So perfect for the season! you do love your cookies, don't you? 🙂
so if it's soft… isn't it just a gingerbread cookie then?? either way… looks delicious!
These sound wonderful, Maria. I love a chewy cookie now and then.
UUMM!!! I bet they do smell wonderful baking
i luuurve gingersnaps, these look so good, especiallly soft!
These look super yummy!
These are perfect for the holidays! Ginger in cookies make me think of Christmas.
Beautiful cookies!!! I love gingersnaps in any form – I bet they're wonderful soft 🙂
I like soft cookies too and I honestly think most people over bake cookies.
If you want to put some real zing in the Gingersnaps add smidgeon of Cayenne Pepper or Hot Hungarian Paprika!
I'm with you – a huge list of things to bake this month. I think I'll run out of time before I run out of list. The cookies look extraordinary. In the crispy vs. soft debate, I come down on the soft side, so these are my kind of cookies.
These cookies are sooo pretty and delicious looking!
Love gingebread cookies! Can't wait to try these and excited to see your new blog layout!
Gingersnaps are one of my favorites… I love that you make them soft. I will eat them any way, but soft and chewy is definitely my favorite!
It’s great you emphasize NOT overbaking them. They look wonderful! Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!! I do recall how much you guys baked last year. Is it that time again already?
Made these yesterday…and there’s ONE left! They are DELICIOUS!!! I baked for NINE minutes. I know, I know! But 8 minutes left them a little raw still. Nine minutes was PERFECT!!!! These are going in my TNT Recipe Box!!
These are just perfect sized for little hands. I don’t really care for huge cookies… too much sugar for little ones. I don’t like gingerbread men/cookies (lol) but i love these! they are just perfect!
-Sylvia
Padrons
I was in the mood for ginger snaps and I knew this would be the place to find the perfect SOFT recipe. Thanks Maria!
Is there a substitute for the molasses? Perhaps honey? What quantities would you recommend if I can use honey? Thank you.
These look great! Can they be baked ahead and frozen?
Yes!
Just found your blog via How Sweet Eats! Going to a cookie exchange party TODAY and need a fun recipe. Can I use pure maple syrup in place of molasses??
I just made these tonight and they are fabulous! I topped with a lemon buttercream frosting for a little extra zing and they were a hit. Thanks for sharing!
How can I keep them from turning out so flat? Made a recipe very similar to this & they came out SO FLAT. Very good, but so disappointed by the looks. The dough was cold. I’m thinking it was the butter (no shortening) or the nonstick cookie sheet (?) Used parchment on top. Help… Thanks!
I am wondering if these freeze well?
Just made these and cooked 9 minutes…. Totally still raw inside! Very disappointing as I was making them as a gift.
Every oven is different. I bake mine for 8 minutes and they set up after they cool.
Yum! I love soft ginger cookies!!
Yum! These cookies sound and look so warm and comforting with all the ideal spices of the season!
Love the update! These are gorgeous cookies!
Gingersnaps are my favorite cookie!! these do look very soft and yummy!
hey girl these look amazing!
….definitely going to make these!
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.com/
These cookies look amazing! I’m going to have to make them for my husband soon!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Totally in love. I want to bake them all over again!
These look amazing…and I love that they are soft! I normally prefer a cookie with some crunch however, I find ginger snap cookies to be TOO hard (so do my kids!). I cannot wait to make these!
They are my favorite! I hope you like them!!
Can’t wait to try these! What size portion scoop would you recommend? #60? #40? What did you use?
Thanks!
I can’t wait to taste and smell the aroma of these cookies baking! Perfect for the Holiday Season!
I made these for Thanksgiving, and they were great! My 5 year old nephew loved them…more than pie 🙂
It is strange to take cookies out of the oven before they are fully cooked, but as Maria said, trust her! It’s true, once they cool, they are just perfect. They look and taste great.
Nice! These cookies look beautiful, i’m sure they taste as good as they look. Can’t wait to try the recipe 🙂
Yum. I’m going to try to be a bad mom real soon. Hope you have a great weekend.
I made these last night and they spread in the oven way too thin. Should I refrigerate the dough next time? I made your pumpkin cinnamon cookies exactly as you have the recipe written and they were perfect! Not sure what happened with this particular recipe. Thanks!!
Good cookie, made on Sunday.
Glad you liked them!
Do you think I could sub coconut oil for the butter like you do in your whole wheat chocolate chip cookies?
I haven’t tried this recipe with coconut oil. Let me know if you try it!
Hi! I realize this is a much older post so hopefully someone can give me a recommendation. I want to mix up the dough and form into balls and then freeze ahead of time and bake from frozen (I’ve had good success with this with most other cookie recipes). My question is, would you suggest rolling in sugar before freezing or when they are frozen before baking? I do not thaw the dough before baking–usually just go straight from freezer to oven. Thank you!
I guess it depends on how much you want the sugar to stand out. If you freeze the cookie dough balls with the sugar on, the sugar might not stand out as much. If you wait and roll when the dough is frozen, the sugar will be fresh and look prettier. They will be delicious either way! 🙂 Enjoy!
I made these cookies with my two boys today….they were wonderful! I also gave some to my parents and they loved them. Another recipe that I’ll hang on to for many years! Thank you for all the wonderful recipes you share on your blog!
Great great cookies! They were perfect after 8 minutes in the oven. I added extra cinnamon and ginger because I like a spicier cookie and they were great!
I made these and added dried orange cranberries. Wow! They Were Great!
I love gingersnap cookies. All the delicious flavors and the way they make your house smell, it’s what makes me think of the holidays. I like to put a little chopped up candied ginger in mine. I have been trying to make chewier molasses cookies, but mine keep coming out fluffy. Which is fine, but I prefer chewy. Any chance these will come out chewy?
Just made these – they are delish! Not overly sweet, and it made 30 good sized cookies. We added a little candied ginger piece in the center, and it just makes them pop. I would’ve given them 5-star rating if it had included the candied ginger. Highly recommended!
I just made these with my 7 year old and 4 year old! They were amazing! The only thing I did different was I rolled them in cinnamon sugar..
Fun! Glad you liked the cookies!
Is there a way to make the cookie dough solid enough to roll out? I’d love to make reindeer-shaped ginger snaps for the holiday season!
This dough is really soft, I haven’t tried rolling it out. Sorry!
I had tried gingerbread cookies before and never was a gig fan, but I made this for a friend and my goodness, they were so good they even got me hooked! Thanks for the great revmcipe Maria. It’s now a Christmas baking staple. 🙂
Yum. I’m going to try to be a bad mom real soon. Hope you have a great weekend.
awesome article thank you.
I made this and it was an instant hit. Now I make it once every two weeks.thsnks for the recipe.
I love these cookies, they are so yummy!!!
Should I have left mine in longer. They’re not flat like yours.
Thanks
You need to flatten slightly with a spatula before putting in the oven and I actually flatten again when they come out. Came out perfect.
I followed the recipe exactly and am an experienced baker. I did not care for this recipes at all. There was something “off” about these. I will go back to my old recipe.
Out of all the cookies I have ever made these Soft Gingersnap Cookies are my favorite!
They taste absolutely fabulous!!
Best cookie ever!
Only change was in my oven – I needed to bake 9 minutes not 8 (I think I have a puny oven:)
Thanks for this GREAT recipe
Time is NOT correct for a convection oven. The emphasis on the the time was important to me. These are not done at 8 minutes. I do not know what kind of oven that you use, but these are raw at 8
At 8 . Minutes.
Hi, made these today for a cookie swap tomorrow, recipe is super easy. And wow, probably the best gingersnap cookie I’ve had, love the soft texture! The dough was slightly soft but I put it in the refrigerator for 15/20 minutes before I rolled into balls. I pressed down on my cookies prior to baking and again as soon as they came out. I didn’t want mine puffy. And yes, the 8 minute baking time is spot on! This will be my go to recipe from now on for soft gingersnap cookies!
These cookies are soft and have amazing flavor. I could make them all year round and they would be a hit
I use ABV butter and this is the best cookie recipe Ever for hiding the pungent butter taste.
Bonus the Ginger helps with nausea .
Just made these and they are perfection! So soft, slightly crisp and chewy around the edges. Nice and spicy. Great molasses cookies!
Glad you liked the cookies! Thanks for letting us know!
I am not a big fan of this recipe. Bottoms were over browned at 375. They are soft because they are under done. I will go back to my tried and true recipe.
just finished making th batter for your gingersnap cookie. when i made them before, (mmmmmm)
i put then in the fridge for at least 12hrs. i do this w/all the cookies i make..i think it gives the
butter & all the other ingredients a chance to ‘marry’ the flavors, & i taste a remarkable difference.
these cookies are just sooo delicious, i brought my dogs groomer some last time & it’s the first
time i saw her smile, as she told me how much she liked them! i plan on bringing her at least a
dozen tomorrow.
Maria
I have had fun with your cookies this week. On the night of our stay at home order I delivered uncooked brown butter snickerdoodles with a container of cinnamon sugar and baking instructions. Oh and of course milk. Last night I delivered warm Andes mint chocolate cookies on plaid plates – oh and milk
Love this! How sweet!
These cookies were AMAZING Maria! I made them thinking I’d be the only one eating them, but the kids LOVED them! Thank you!
Glad everyone enjoyed the cookies!
These are amazing! Kids just helped me make them today and we had to try just a few more before freezing a bunch for the next cookie craving. They’re not overwhelming like gingerbread cookies are for them as we cut back on the cloves and nutmeg and rolled them in cinnamon sugar – they’re so good!
Try rolling these in turbinado sugar. They look and taste even more amazing.
These were amazing. I did cook them 10 minutes. Still nice and soft but a little crunch on the edges. Perfect!! Also i used allspice in place of the nutmeg. Allspice has nutmeg plus other spices. I also used a bit more of each spice to really make the flavors pop. I made a double batch. They were gone fast. People loved them.
I am glad they were enjoyed by all!