Holidays
Ginger Snap Crinkle Cookies
I teamed up with Simply Organic to bring you these ginger snap crinkle cookies. These nostalgic ginger molasses cookies are perfectly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. They’re so warming and comforting for holiday baking season. This easy gingersnap cookies recipe takes only 30 minutes total. The dramatic crinkles create that signature cookie look beautifully. Honestly, you’re going to be completely obsessed with these.
❤️ Why You’ll Love These Ginger Snap Crinkle Cookies
- Quick: Make these gingersnap cookies in just 30 minutes from start to finish.
- Nostalgic: Everyone has grown up loving ginger snap cookies like these.
- Spiced: Warming holiday spices create perfect flavor balance in every bite.
🍲 Ingredients
Ground Ginger – Ground ginger provides potent, warming flavor that defines ginger molasses cookies. It’s aromatic, earthy, and spicy-sweet all at once. Additionally, ginger aids digestion and reduces inflammation naturally. So every bite delivers both amazing flavor and nutritional benefits.
Molasses – Molasses adds deep, rich flavor and chewiness to ginger snap crinkle cookies. It provides iron and minerals that boost energy levels. Additionally, molasses creates moisture so cookies stay soft longer. Because it’s a whole food ingredient, it’s more nutritious than corn syrup.
👩🍳 How to Make Ginger Snap Crinkle Cookies
Prepare Your Station:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350°F first. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set them aside while you prepare the dough. This temperature bakes gingersnap cookies perfectly for chewy or crispy textures.
Make Cinnamon Sugar Coating:
Step 2: In a small bowl, combine one tablespoon cinnamon. Add one tablespoon sugar and mix together thoroughly. Use coarse sanding sugar for deeper, more dramatic crinkles. Set this mixture aside until you’re ready to coat dough balls.
Combine Dry Ingredients:
Step 3: Into a large mixing bowl, sift together flour. Add baking soda, ground ginger, cloves, and salt. Sift the dry ingredients to remove lumps and aerate. This ensures your ginger crinkle cookies bake evenly throughout.
Cream Butter and Sugar:
Step 4: In another large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 2-3 minutes until pale. Add the egg and beat until incorporated smoothly. Stir in vanilla extract and molasses thoroughly.
Combine Wet and Dry:
Step 5: Sift half the dry mixture into the wet ingredients. Beat until the ginger molasses cookies dough combines well. Add the remaining dry ingredients and blend thoroughly. Don’t overmix after adding flour to prevent tough cookies.
Shape and Roll:
Step 6: Roll dough into small balls about one inch. Roll each ball in your cinnamon sugar coating. For deeper crinkles, chill dough balls for 30-60 minutes. Place coated balls about two inches apart on baking sheets.
Bake Cookies:
Step 7: Bake for 12-13 minutes for chewy ginger snap crinkle cookies. Bake for 14-15 minutes if you prefer crispy cookies. Then remove from the oven when edges look set. The centers should appear slightly underbaked and soft.
Cool and Serve:
Step 8: Cool completely on a baking rack first. Allow the gingersnap cookies to rest before serving. This helps them set and develop their signature crinkled appearance. Enjoy your delicious ginger crinkle cookies fresh!
See the full recipe here.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- Crinkles: Use coarse sanding sugar instead of granulated for deeper crinkles. Pat the cinnamon sugar firmly onto each dough ball. The sugar creates beautiful dramatic cracks while baking.
- Chilling: Chill dough balls for 30-60 minutes for thicker cracks. Cold dough spreads less and creates more dramatic crinkles. This step is optional but recommended for best results.
- Pan Choice: Use light-colored baking sheets for even browning. Dark pans brown edges faster and may overcook quickly. Rotate pans halfway through baking for consistency.
- Troubleshooting Flat Cookies: Warm dough spreads too much during baking. Always chill dough balls before baking for thicker cookies. Ensure you’re not using too little flour by measuring correctly.
- Troubleshooting Domed Cookies: Overmixing flour causes dense, domed cookies to form. Avoid overmixing after adding dry ingredients completely. Don’t overbake—remove when edges are just set.
- High-Altitude Adjustments: At elevations above 3,000 feet, reduce baking soda slightly. Decrease by 1/8 teaspoon per 1,000 feet elevation gain. Increase oven temperature by 15-25°F for proper baking.
- Texture: For chewy cookies, bake for 12-13 minutes exactly. For crispy cookies, bake for 14-15 minutes instead. Remove cookies when centers still look slightly underbaked.
| Texture | Bake Time | Removal Cue | Result |
| Chewy | 12-13 min | Centers soft | Tender, cake-like |
| Crispy | 14-15 min | Edges set | Thin, snappy |
🗒 Substitutions
- Molasses Amount: Add extra 2 tablespoons molasses for chewier ginger crinkle cookies. This creates more moisture and softer texture overall. Standard recipe makes them perfectly balanced and classic.
- Sweetener: Replace granulated sugar with 50% brown sugar for chewiness. Use muscovado sugar for even more moisture. This creates softer ginger molasses cookies consistently. Ginger: Add 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger pieces for extra spice. Or use fresh ginger alongside ground for complexity. Try a “triple ginger” blend with all three options.
- Flour: Use gluten-free 1:1 flour as a direct substitute. The cookies will work perfectly in gluten-free versions. No additional adjustments are needed with quality 1:1 flour.
- Toppings: Drizzle a vanilla glaze over baked gingersnap cookies. Or skip the cinnamon sugar and dust with powdered sugar. Create a simple cinnamon glaze for dipping instead.
🍽️ Best served with
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store ginger snap crinkle cookies in an airtight container. Keep them at room temperature for 3-4 days. The cookies stay fresh and maintain their crispy-chewy texture. Additionally, you can freeze dough balls for up to 2-3 months.
To freeze, roll dough balls in cinnamon sugar first. Place them on a baking sheet and freeze. Once frozen solid, transfer to a freezer-safe container. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time. Enjoy your gingersnap cookies anytime with this freezer method.
🤔 Common Questions
Use coarse sanding sugar and chill dough balls before baking. Pat sugar firmly onto each ball for better adhesion. Bake at 350°F until cookies spread slightly but stay thick.
Gingersnaps are crispier with less molasses content overall. Ginger molasses cookies are chewier with more molasses. Both use ginger, but molasses cookies have richer flavor profiles.
Chilling for 30-60 minutes is optional but recommended. Cold dough spreads less, creating thicker, more crinkled cookies. Room temperature dough will still crinkle but less dramatically.
Yes, add 2 tablespoons crystallized ginger pieces for texture. Use fresh ginger alongside ground for complex flavor. Try all three types together for “triple ginger” cookies.
Bake for 12-13 minutes for chewy ginger crinkle cookies. Bake for 14-15 minutes for crisp versions instead. Remove cookies when centers still appear slightly underbaked.
Yes, freeze sugar-coated dough balls for up to 2-3 months. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to time. They bake beautifully without thawing first.
Overmixing flour can cause doming issues to occur. Avoid overmixing after adding dry ingredients to prevent this. Also ensure you’re not using too much flour by scooping correctly.
Use a quality gluten-free 1:1 flour substitute directly. No additional adjustments are needed for baking. The gingersnap cookies will turn out perfectly with this swap.
Could I use this batter to cut out different shapes of cookies?
100% you can!
I know some people like to use fresh ginger, why aren’t you using fresh ginger?
I don’t typically use fresh ginger in cookies unless it’s to be more aromatic! I don’t want it to be too overpowering! And because I love Simply Organic spices!
I was wondering if you could give some advice for GF and Vegan? My friend recommended you… I’m vegan and my housemate is GF… Maybe you can recommend a recipe of yours with these restrictions, we are looking to bake! I love your blog
Make my Vegan Gluten Free Chunky Monkey Cookies!
These are delicious – perfect for traditional holiday baking!! The molasses, ginger, and cloves create a
great contrast with each other, and the dough was very easy to work with!
thanks so much for the love, angie!
Gingerbread cookies are my go-to holiday baking, like every Christmas! I tried your recipe and it’s my new favorite recipe, I will keep coming back to this recipe, no more trying new recipes, this is it! Thanks!
So good!! I made a big batch to share with friends and family for the holidays and they all messaged me to say how much they loved them. Thank you, they are one of the best recipes I’ve tried yet!
So fluffy and soft!! I used freshly grated ginger instead of the 1/2 spoon of powdered because fresh ginger is the only way to go with ginger cookies, I like them with an extra kick!
thank you so much, rachel!
So fluffy and soft!! I used freshly grated ginger instead of the 1/2 spoon of powdered because fresh ginger is where it’s at, I like them with an extra kick!
I made these earlier today and they turned out amazing! I substituted the 1 egg with a flax egg which worked out for me pretty well. Super delicious cookie! I love simply organic products too!
thank you so much!!! glad that swap worked so great for you!