The softest gingersnap molasses cookies… ever.
I may or may not be overloading you with cookie recipes lately. But hey… tis’ the season right?! Truth of the matter is that I simply adore cookies. Creating them, baking them, decorating them (sugar cookies are my favorite), eating them. There are so many options, so many add-ins, so many varieties. There’s a real science behind baking cookies and, call me a nerd, but I love learning more and more with each batch I bake.
Gingersnap molasses cookies are one of my favorite cookies around the holidays, and I’m here to share 4 ways you can bake them. Soft, chewy, puffy, and simple. You cannot go wrong!
So. Earlier this month, I shared this gingersnap recipe with you and loaded the humble little cookies with butterscotch chips. You loved them! And so did I. I made a few other batches later that week. I made them plain, with chocolate chips, and with white chocolate chips. Here are the cookies with butterscotch: Soft Gingersnaps with Butterscotch Chips.
My friend Erin said the plain version are the BEST cookies I have ever made. And I make a lot of cookies. That says something. The cookies are so puffy, so soft, so thick, and incredibly chewy—everything I look for in a cookie’s texture. I like to compare them to little pillows, very similar to my soft and thick peanut butter cookies and snickerdoodles. Pillowy molasses gingersnap cookies.
With a sugary sheen and trademark crinkly tops, gingersnap molasses cookies are the epitome of holiday baking. So many memories with my mom and sisters, rolling the balls of dough into a big mountain of sugar. The sugar-dip is the best part of making gingersnaps!
While I simply adore the butterscotch chips hiding inside, I wanted to show you three more ways to make these cookies. Plain, with white chocolate, and with semi-sweet chocolate. Here are the cookies with white chocolate chips:
And here they are with semi-sweet chocolate chips. If you’ve made chocolate ginger cookies before, you know that chocolate paired with molasses is simply divine.
Plain and simple, these will be the thickest and softest gingersnap cookies you will ever make.
Between the plain, the butterscotch, the white chocolate, or the regular chocolate…
Which one do you like the best?
Print
Soft-Baked Gingersnap Molasses Cookies
- Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 30 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Soft-style and super thick gingersnap molasses cookies. Enjoy them with chocolate chips, white chocolate, or butterscotch. Or simply plain – my favorite way.
Ingredients
- 3 cups (375g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 and 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (I prefer Grandma’s brand; do not use blackstrap)
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- for rolling: 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
- optional: 1 cup (180g) butterscotch chips or white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand or handheld mixer, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat well, scraping down the sides as needed again.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet on low speed. Do not overmix. Cover mixed dough with foil and chill for 2 hours or up to 3-4 days. I chilled mine overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart. Bake for about 10-12 minutes or until the edges are just turning brown – cookies will be puffy and still appear soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and, if using any variety of flavor chip, immediately press 5-7 chips into the center of each cookie.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cookies may be frozen up to 3 months. Rolled cookie dough balls (after the cookie dough has been chilled in step 2) may be frozen up to 3 months. Do not thaw, simply bake for 1-2 minutes longer.
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: gingersnap molasses cookies
Turned out ok. The outside was just right but soft but very dry inside. Needs a lot more molasses – couldn’t taste it. I won’t be making these again.
★★★
Very good it is so perfect if you follow the recipe always make it.
★★★★★
I just made a similar recipe; “Big Soft Ginger Cookies” that I found on Taste of Home, and it made too much batter for what I needed it for. Do you think this cookie dough can be frozen? If so, what would the freezing directions be? Thank you so much!
Hi Damia, see recipe Notes for freezing instructions, and here’s everything you need to know about how to freeze cookie dough.
Easy recipe with a LOT of flavor. They freeze well.
★★★★★
Just made these and made them gluten free and vegan(flax egg, earth balance butter and bob red mills gf flour) and they came out fantastically! Trying not to eat them all before my holiday event.
★★★★★
I plan on making these tomorrow, could I use pumpkin pie spice instead of the individual ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg?
Hi Melissa! Sure, that should work just fine here. Let us know how they go!