Ah, Ginger Snaps… the classic little round cookies just made for dunking in milk or in gingerbread lattes…or just about anything! This recipe creates a super soft and chewy cookies, spiced with the warm winter spices, essentially the perfect ginger cookie.
Classic gingerbread is dessert that has a spicy tingle to it be it in the form of cake, muffins, or these sweet gingerbread cookies! The flavor of molasses, and that beautiful golden color is hard to resist!
What are Ginger Snaps?
Gingersnaps are just a variation on old fashioned gingerbread! But gingerbread is soft sweet bread, almost like a cake, while ginger snaps are a cookie! While the name implies ‘snap’ these cookies should be soft and chewy. Ginger snaps contain molasses for flavor and it makes them soft, powdered ginger and other warm spices.
These are a traditional Christmas Cookie and great served alongside homemade eggnog or a glass of cold milk.
How to Make Ginger Snaps
This is one of the easiest cookies you’ll make this season, I can almost guarantee it! All it takes is a little mixing and a little baking and you’re there, and it’s a great one for a cookie exchange!
- Cream together ‘wet” ingredients with sugar.
- Mix dry ingredients together with a whisk.
TIP: Whisking dry ingredients can work as a shortcut method for sifting flour because it gets air into the mixture. Maybe not for very exact recipes but it works well for most things!
- Incorporate the dry ingredients into the sugar and molasses mixture, a little at a time,
- Roll into balls and roll in sugar. Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and crinkly!
Can You Decorate Ginger Snaps?
While using regular icing to decorate gingersnaps might not be the best combination, you could try a couple of things to dress these guys up, for sure!
- Dip half of each cookie in white chocolate and sprinkle with colored sugar.
- Roll the cookies in red and green colored sugar instead of plain white sugar!
- Pipe little rosettes of cream cheese frosting around the edge of each cookie, and place a gingerbread man-shaped nonpareil on top of each rosette.
How to Store Them
These are some of the easiest cookies to store. You can cover them tightly or place them in an airtight container on the counter. They’ll keep on the counter for up to a week or more.
If you like to make holiday cookies ahead of time, this is the perfect cookie to freeze, it just holds up really well. I like to layer them with wax paper and freeze them in a pretty tin. These guys will keep for a long time frozen, up to 6 months.
Try microwaving a plate of them to serve warm with coffee after defrosting, and your guests will think you just baked them! There are lots of ways to enjoy these versatile, happy little gingersnaps at Christmas… or year-round!
More Holiday Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies – great for decorating!
- Candy Cane Cookies – Christmas staple
- Shortbread Cookies – simple, classic, and buttery!
- Sugar Cookies – great year-round dessert
- Eggnog Cookies – fav holiday drink in a cookie!
- Molasses Cookies – a holiday classic
Did you make these Ginger Snap Cookies? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Soft and Chewy Ginger Snaps
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup shortening
- 1 cup white sugar plus extra for rolling
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Cream shortening, sugar, and egg until fluffy. Add molasses and mix well.
- Add remaining ingredients into a separate bowl and whisk well to combine. Add dry mixture to sugar mixture a little at a time until combined.
- Divide dough into 18 pieces, roll each into a ball and roll in sugar.
- Place cookies on an ungreased pan and bake 11-13 minutes
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Cookies, Dessert
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Adapted from recipe Source Hein, Karen. “Grandma’s Gingersnap Cookies”. Recipe. Cooking with Class. Beaumont, AB, 2011. 87. Print.
What kind of shortening? The old school crisco? Or something else?
I use Crisco (not butter flavored).
I just made these cookies using the margarine because I was soooo ready for a ginger snap type cookie that I couldn’t wait for a response and they turned out delicious! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I used the small (Tbsp.) oxo cookie scoop because the batter was too soft to form into a ball. Using the oxo cookie scoop l and I was able to make 54 medium sized cookies, which is just the right size. Just before I popped them into the oven I did a little sprinkle of sugar on them but really it’s not necessary. Yum Yum!
I am so glad you enjoyed these ginger snaps Linda! THey are a favorite in our house too!
Just about to make them and I’m wondering if I could use margarine instead of shortening?
I haven’t tried making them with margarine, so can’t say for sure how it would work. Let us know if you do try it Linda.
I just made these cookies using the margarine because I was so ready for a ginger snap type cook) that I couldn’t wait for a response and they turned out delicious! Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. I also used the small (Tbsp.) oxo cookie scoop because the batter was too soft to form into a ball. Using the oxo cookie scoop l and I was able to make 54 medium sized cookies, which is just the right size. Just before I popped them into the oven I did a little sprinkle of sugar but really it’s not necessary.
These are awesome! I used a #40 or medium OXO scoop and got 25 cookies. I’m sure if I used my number #70 OXO small scoop I could have gotten at least 4 dozen small cookies. Sometimes at Christmas I dip the corner in white chocolate and put Christmas sprinkles or you could put Holly candies. I’m making them right now and it’s not Christmas. I just love Ginger snaps and anything with Ginger that’s a cookie.
Can I cut the sugar in half? I live these cookies but I am diabetic!
We’ve only tried this as written so I can’t say for sure. Let us know how it goes!
Cookies were very tasty but a bit too big. Next time will make them smaller. They were soft and delicious. Definitely would bake these again.
Glad you enjoyed them Lena!
can iuse butter instead of shortening?
Butter will spread more changing the consistency of this cookie.
Great recipe. The cookies turned out perfect!
So glad you loved them Kim!
Thanks for sharing these ginger snaps with all of us. I really like these ginger snaps.