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!
I upped the amount of spices to my taste in the dough- I like a bite! Then I added a bit more of the spices to the sugar mixture to roll the cookies before baking (and freezing!). The texture of this cookie is perfect- chewy goodness! Made these this morning- YUMMY! Ate more than I want to admit to- then rolled the remaining dough into balls and a cinnamon sugar mix before freezing. It’ll make that last minute holiday baking so much easier! Thank you! Love your site!
Thank Lynn, I love your idea of adding spices to the coating sugar, nice!
My powdered Ginger was ancient and I used to small eggs I was disappointed they didn’t turn out crunchy or chewy because of it nor did they have the flavor everyone’s saying I even added chopped up raw ginger and chopped up candy ginger being that I’m 65 years old could account for my need of strong ginger cookies I will try again thank you
I sure hope you give them another try Bonnie, spices definitely need to be refreshed pretty often, for sure. And I find that cookie recipes need to be followed pretty closely because even small changes can cause big differences in the results. Let me know how it goes if you try them again, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have.
Sue,
My butter and sugar didn’t cream. Is that going to be a problem??
Was your butter cold? I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t cream up together otherwise. These cookies are pretty forgiving, so as long as you got them well mixed you should be fine 🙂
Hi Sue,
I had a question about freezing the cookie dough. I was wondering if it matters whether the dough balls are rolled in sugar prior to freezing or if it is better to freeze the dough balls plain – then thaw them out and roll them just before cooking. I wasn’t sure if the sugar would tend to fall off the dough if it was rolled prior to freezing.
Good question. I might do both, actually, just tp insure you get a good coating. It also depends on whether you’re going to cook them from frozen or let them thaw. If you let them thaw a bit you can roll them right before baking, but I’m guessing if they’re still frozen they won’t pick up much sugar.
We had dark, chewy ginger cookies when we visited Ohio’s Amish country and loved them, so of course I wanted to duplicate the recipe. These aren’t as dark and are soft rather than chewy right out of the oven, but the flavor is amazing! I’m hiding a few to see if they get chewier in a day or two, and maybe I will bake them a minute or two longer next time—and there will definitely be many next times! Thanks for the great recipe!
They do come out of the oven soft, but become chewy as they cool, in my experience. And I wonder if you use dark brown sugar and a robust molasses like blackstrap, these cookies might turn out darker like the Amish ones you had, Joana.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! I have made these several times and they are just wonderful. I bake them about 13-14 mins and they are still soft but have a slight crisp crunch around the edges. Love that they are flat and actually taste better with each passing day.
Excellent with a cup of tea.
Thank you.
You’re so welcome, and you’re so right, they do gt better every day 🙂
My cookies didn’t spread out like yours did, but they are absolutely delicious!
These cookies are very good,. They turned out perfectly and I like that there was no refrigeration time needed. They look beautiful. They are definitely chewy! One pan I baked for 11 mins – they yielded chewy cookies, the second pan I baked for 14 mins for a crispier cookie. Loved them both. Thank you
Thanks for the feedback, it’s always so useful to everybody!
And I agree with you about the no refrigeration, there’s nothing worse than being ready for a fresh baked cookie and having to wait for that extra step 🙂
I just made these and they are awesome! Will definitely make again and again. Thank you so much for this recipe!!!!
I’m excited that you liked these, Kristen, they are one of my family’s favorite cookies.
I want to make these for my cookie trays, do the baked cookies freeze ok?
Yes, this type of moist cookie does freeze well, just be sure to follow good freezing practices and wrap them really well, and airtight!
Love the chewy Ginger cookies. Mine didn’t flatten out as much so half the batch, I left in a little longer to crunch up. Taste more spicy than ginger, so would add a little more ginger. I did put a small piece of crystallized ginger in the center of each and I would definitely make these again thankyou.
Now in the chocolate recipe the flour amount is not the same is that suppose to be like that ?
I substituted cocoa powder for some of the flour in that recipe Dion.