I am in love. With these soft and chewy ginger spice cookies.
These are the kind of cookie that you need in your cookie jar. And if you don’t have a cookie jar, it’s the type of cookie you should buy one for. I didn’t even know I was a ginger-spice-molasses type person until I ate these. I looked at the recipe and it looked pretty basic so I was trying to think of something to snazz them up. I thought about sandwiching them with cream cheese frosting, adding orange zest, dipping them in white chocolate etc. But that all changed when I took a bite of a cookie warm out of the oven and I knew that these little beauties needed to stay exactly like they were. Some ginger cookies are soft, some are puffy and cakey. These are are chewy. They’re a little on the thinner side and they crisp just around the edges and then get soft and perfectly chewy in the middle. My kind of cookie.
Ingredients Needed
This is just a preview of ingredients and method, keep scrolling for full printable recipe.
- Butter-flavored shortening – The switch to shortening is intentional here, even though I usually prefer real butter. In this recipe it’s the best way to get that perfect chew, hold the cookie’s shape, and deliver the texture that makes these cookies so irresistible. That said, feel free to swap in butter; many readers in the comments have reported success with half butter and half shortening or even all butter. Just be aware that any changes mean the finished cookie may not have the same texture.
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Molasses – Use regular unsulphered molasses like Grandma’s brand here. Avoid blackstrap, as it’s too bitter for baking. You’ll find molasses in the baking aisle of your grocery store, often near corn syrup and other sweeteners.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Salt
How to Make Ginger Spice Cookies
- Cream your shortening and sugar together for a couple of minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Add your molasses and your egg and then mix until combined.
- While the egg/sugar mixture is mixing, whisk together your dry ingredients. Then add them to your creamed shortening mixture.
- Using a standard-sized cookie scoop, scoop the dough and then roll the dough ball in sugar. Then place it on baking sheets. Repeat with the remaining dough. If desired, you can use a flat-bottomed cup or mug to gently press them down.
- Bake. They will puff up a bit while baking and then flatten out when they cool. Perfect for stacking, packing, and snacking.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 5-7 days for best results.
- I know I said they shouldn’t be messed with, but the one thing these cookies are practically begging for is to be turned into ice cream sandwiches. Under cook them just a bit and then smoosh them with pumpkin ice cream, or homemade vanilla with cinnamon would be awesome.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Layer cooled cookies between parchment paper in a freezer safe container or zip-top bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Set out at room temperature for about 20 minutes to thaw and enjoy!
Yes, just adjust the baking time. For smaller cookies, check on them around 7-8 minutes. For larger cookies, check at 10-12 minutes.
Sure! Rolling in turbinado or raw sugar adds some crunch and sparkle. Sanding sugar is great for the holidays. You could even add cinnamon to granulated sugar for some extra spice.
Ginger Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter-flavored Crisco
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 cups flour lightly spooned into measuring cups and leveled with a knife
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat liners. Set aside.
- Combine sugar and shortening in the bowl of an electric mixer and mix until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the egg and molasses and beat until completely incorporated.
- While the sugar mixture is mixing, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Add them to the creamed shortening mixture and mix until combined.
- Using a standard cookie scoop, scoop the dough into balls and roll in sugar. Place 12 dough balls on each cookie sheet. If desired, use a flat-bottomed glass or mug to gently flatten the dough.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set around the edges and you start to see crackling on the top. Be sure not to overbake! Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheets.
Notes
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within 5-7 days for best results.
- I know I said they shouldn’t be messed with, but the one thing these cookies are practically begging for is to be turned into ice cream sandwiches. Under cook them just a bit and then smoosh them with pumpkin ice cream, or homemade vanilla with cinnamon would be awesome.
Nutrition
Questions & Reviews
After they come out of the oven put a Pumpkin Spice Hershey Kiss (you can get at Target right now but only for a limited time). Heaven!!! It just puts them over the top.
I'm pretty sure these are the best cookies I've ever had. Thank you!
Thank you for posting these!! I have kept these bookmarked for the right time and today is that day! Delish!! 🙂
Once again…YOU HAVE DONE IT! Seriously a piece of heaven! I don't know if I will ever make Gingerbread cookies again becuase these are so amazing! My kiddos are seriously running circles for them! I don't know if there will be any for Christmas!
Just made these beauties to put in tins to give as gifts to clients. They look so pretty all wrapped in ribbons, and the few we taste tested were scrumptious! Next time I am going to plop a pumpkin spice hershey kiss on top when they come out of the oven for my take on your pumpkin ice cream sandwich. Would have this time, but wanted to wrap in a pretty Christmas ribbon. Thanks for the great ideas!
The dough is GREAT!! They haven't made it the oven yet, but I am impressed already.
I made these today for neighbor gifts for Christmas and LOVED them! I made them with half butter and half shortening. They turned out perfectly, just like the picture. Thanks for this wonderful recipe!
This is very similar to my recipe, and they are one of my absolute favorites! Thanks for all of your wonderful ideas. This is the most awesomely beautiful cooking/baking site ever. And this is the first time I've ever been inspired to Blog. Yay.
Ok, I made these the other day and am ADDICTED! Seriously, one of my favorite cookies ever!! I was freaked out because I was on the phone (I do the weirdest things while I'm on the phone… like I put cereal in the fridge and milk in the pantry once) while making these and accidentally put in 1 full tsp of cloves… they still turned out delish! These would be PERFECT for neighbor gifts. Thank you!!
This is exactly like my grandma's recipe (she called them cookie jar gingersnaps) that she made all the time when I was growing up, except she used regular crisco because they didn't have the butter flavor around then, and 1/2 t more cinnamon. I made them that way until about seven years ago when I finally discovered butter flavor crisco. So, for Heavenly Housewife, I can tell you from experience that they are still delicious with the regular crisco. Perfectly soft and chewy.