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
I’m not a molasses/ginger type person but I went ahead and made these anyway. I used plain crisco because I had it. Mine did flatten, just not as much as yours. SO. GOOD. 🙂
I love these cookies. They are my go to for ginger cookies…and the ginger pizzookies are out of this world. Thanks!!
I made these cookies this weekend. My 6 year old asked when I was going to make ginger cookies and since I had never made them for him I decided to try out this recipe. My 4 year old son says, “Oh cookies! Can I have one?!” I tell him of course, but that he might not like them because they are a different kind I’ve never made for him before. He tries one bite and says, “Oh yum! Can I have them all?!” =) When my 6 year old got home I thought he was going to be so pleased when I told him I made him ginger cookies. Turns out he wanted ginger bread cookies…or so he thought…until he took one bite and grabbed three more cookies and ran out of the room as fast as he could so I wouldn’t stop him. Needless to say they were a hit! Thank you!
If you had ANY idea how many searches I did for Gingerbread (from scratch) ANYTHINGS today – and came up short…. Then I came to see the crock pot giveaway and over to the right? lo and behold?! These lovely darlings <3 Guess what meself will be doing tomorrow? (hint) making my kitchen smell DIVIIIIII- HINNNNNEEE! TY
these are amazing. Thank you for sharing! Made the little pizookies with them… yum yum yum! Best part is that now I have all the ingredients to make these again and again and again 🙂
it’s pretty wonderful ginger spice recipe, it’s looking very delicious, learn something new, thanks
wow this recipe really delicious, i like this type spice cookies, this very informative tutorial, thanks for shearing
Yum. These are awesome. I made them teaspoon sized and turned them into sandwich cookies/ whoopie pies with your perfect cupcake filling and frosting (doubled, of course) everywhere I take thm they get gobbled up!!
Great recipe.But it doen’t say anything about cream in the ingredents.Why does it say add cream in the directions?Proboley a dumb question.But I have not made cookies in a while.;)
Anne- “cream” is actually a verb here, not an ingredient! It just means you want to beat those things together until light and fluffy, that’s all 🙂
Sara,I am ssssoooo sutpid.I KNEW that was a dumb question.So sorry.I just moved here from Mexico and I am tring to learn the English lanquage.(and spelling :)) Oh,and I guess I should tell you,the E mail that I put in really isn’t my email,I do not have one.It wouldn’t let me post a comment with out it,so I put one in that I had seen on a website.So please do not send E mails to that person.But my name IS Anne.
i have made these delicious cookies 4 times – the first two were fluffy and rhe second two were flat. Same ingredients, only thought is weather?? Any thoughts…