Chewy Ginger Cookies are our family’s official holiday cookie. They’re crisp on the outside, nice and chewy inside, and full of warm spices and molasses. We’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love them.
Fall definitely brings out my urge to bake, and that urge stays strong right through the holidays. I always start with chewy ginger cookies. It’s a family tradition, but also a smart choice because I’ve always got the ingredients in my kitchen. These molasses drop cookies are a cinch to make, and the whole house smells festive when they’re in the oven.
Everybody gravitates toward these cookies, and I think it’s the combination of the flavor and that famously chewy texture. We really only make them during this time of year and so they’ve become associated with the changing of the seasons and the warmth and excitement of the holidays. For such a simple little cookie, there’s a lot going on!
Chewy ginger cookies make memories…
This recipe comes from our good friend Liz. When my girls were very young she opened up her sunny Los Angeles kitchen to them every December for an afternoon of holiday cookie baking. They made huge messes and baked lots of different cookies, but chewy ginger cookies were the memory makers. They’re absolutely irresistible when eaten warm from the oven, and the combination of warm spices and molasses is the best.
They say the area of our brain responsible for our sense of smell is the same one that processes emotions and memories ~ and the aroma of ginger cookies baking still transports us back to those early baking sessions. Thanks Liz—not only for giving us a favorite family recipe but for introducing my girls to the joys of baking.
(*update: Liz has since passed away from breast cancer, but we think of her every time we make these cookies.)
chewy ginger cookie dough is simple ~ just scoop and bake.
No chilling the dough, and no rolling it out: that’s my kind of cookie 🙂 The soft dough scoops so easily and it’s fun to roll the little balls in sugar. This is an ideal recipe to bake with kids, even young kids can get involved. Mine used to love to watch through the oven window as they transform from sparkly little balls of dough into flat, crinkly cookies. It only takes 10 minutes!
What you’ll need
- butter
- unsalted, at room temperature
- sugar
- egg
- molasses
- the star ingredient, molasses should be a pantry staple in any baker’s kitchen.
- flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice
The secret to chewy ginger cookies is molasses
Molasses is a sweet thick syrup that’s a byproduct of the sugar refining process. The name molasses comes from the ancient Greek and Latin root mel, meaning honey. It’s what gives brown sugar its color and flavor, and it’s one of my favorite ingredients to bake with. Without molasses there would be no gingerbread, and no chewy ginger cookies.
Molasses allows my cookies to spread flat while baking but keep that perfect bendy chewy texture after they come out of the oven. And thanks to the unique moisture retention properties of molasses, they’ll stay chewy for days. Molasses is the under-appreciated ingredient of the season if you ask me. I always keep a bottle (and a spare) in my cupboard, it’s absolutely essential for holiday baking.
What type of molasses to use?
Like maple syrup, molasses comes in various forms. Brer Rabbit and Grandma’s are two common brands that I love, and both offer a variety of types of molasses, so read your labels.
- Light Molasses: Also known as mild molasses, this is the sweetest variety, produced from the first boiling of sugar cane juice. It’s often used in lighter baked goods like gingerbread and cookies.
- Dark Molasses: Created from the second boiling, dark molasses has a stronger, richer flavor and a slightly thicker consistency. It’s commonly used in heartier recipes like gingerbread and baked beans.
- Blackstrap Molasses: The thickest and most robust variety, blackstrap molasses is produced from the third boiling. It has a slightly bitter, very bold flavor and is often used in savory dishes or for its health benefits due to its high mineral content.
Chewy ginger cookies are a perfect choice for giving, shipping, and freezing
These cookies keep really well, and they’re sturdy, too. They make a great choice for giving as a part of a cookie assortment, and for shipping. They also freeze well, so I guess you could say they’re the perfect cookie 😉
Also try my Soft Molasses Cookies for a thicker bakery style texture. And soft cookie lovers check out my Soft Molasses Sandwich Cookies!
If you love chocolate I’ve got Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies ~ they have the same great flavor and texture, with a hint of chocolate. And if that’s not enough chocolate for you, try my Chewy Chocolate Chip Ginger Cookies. The combination of dark chocolate and gingery spices is one of my favorites.
holiday cookies from the archives
Chewy Ginger Cookies
Equipment
- 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop (optional)
Ingredients
wet ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ¼ cup molasses (not blackstrap)
dry ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp powdered ginger
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- ¼ tsp allspice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. I like to do this in a stand mixer, but electric beaters or a wooden spoon will work.
- Add the egg and molasses and blend well.
- Sift or whisk the dry ingredients together and add to the wet. Mix until completely blended.
- Form or scoop balls the size of a small walnut. I like to use a 1 1/4 inch cookie scoop for uniform cookies. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat.
- Place on an un-greased or parchment paper lined baking sheet 2" apart. Don't crowd your pans, these cookies will spread.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, and let cool slightly on the pan before transferring to a rack to cool completely.
- Chewy ginger cookies will keep for up to a week at room temperature, and can be frozen for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
- There’s no need to chill this dough before baking, but you can certainly make it ahead if you like.
- To freeze the dough I suggest scooping it out onto a baking sheet and freezing until the dough balls are solid. Then put the dough into a zip lock freezer bag. Thaw the dough balls before rolling and baking.
- You can also freeze the baked cookies. Separate layers with waxed paper.
- This recipe makes flat cookies, if you prefer them puffier, use 2 and 1/4 cups flour.
Nutrition
More reasons to keep a jar of molasses in your pantry!
Absolute perfection. LOVED these! I’m not a super good cookie baker but these were the perfect consistency and flavor. Also stayed fresh for days. Definitely going to become a regular in my holiday baking !
These have a great texture and were easy to make, but I thought the flavor was missing something – I think it was the lack of salt. I would make them again, but I’d add at least 1/4 tsp salt if not more.
Make these! These will be a permanent addition to my Christmas cookie baking and probably on regular rotation throughout the year. So delicious. Perfection. I made them a little bit smaller so they were a cute addition to my cookie boxes. Another great recipe, Sue! I know I can trust your recipes. Thank you for sharing!
I did not have molasses so I used golden syrup. I also added some salt and lots of candied ginger chunks. Delicious delicate cookie! I will up the spices next time since I couldn’t really taste the cinnamon, etc …probably because I added the extra candied ginger. Great recipe!
Hello
I am dying to this recipe a try after going through such lovely comments , however unable to get my hands on molasses here in Mumbai
Kindly let me know if I can still make it with a substitute?
Many thanks
HUBBY WAS MY DESIGNATED COOKIE TASTER. AFTER GOBBLING UP A COUPLE HE SAID HE MIGHT “JUST HAVE TO” EAT A EW MORE BEFORE GRADING THEM. DELISH!
I had just enough molasses to make these and they didn’t disappoint! Yum…thank you and Happy Holidays!
You too Maria 🙂
Just made them – fantastic!
Very nice recipe with some minor alterations: used 2/3 cup sugar, increased powdered ginger and added some chopped preserved ginger, rolled dough balls in sparkling sugar. Banged the trays halfway through baking. Got 32 nice flat cookies, crispy on the edges, chewy in the middle. Yum! Thanks so much for this!
I know a lot of people would love the chopped ginger addition, thanks 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, Sue. This has been my go-to recipe for the last few years. It’s always been an easy to make recipe ?? However, I now need to stay away from dairy. Have you tried this with margarine? Will it substitute easily?
I haven’t tried it with margarine, but since you can’t do dairy I think you should experiment. You might also use butter flavored Crisco if you are ok with that. There will be some differences…with margarine the cookies might spread even more, and with the shortening they might spread less.