Ginger Spiced Sugar Cookies (Swig Copycat) ~ big fat buttery supermarket style frosted sugar cookies!
These are the kind of giant, super soft, frosted sugar cookies you find in bakeries and supermarkets, the kind the kids whine for and we adults wish we could whine for… it’s their over-the-top quality makes them so irresistible. I gave them a seasonal spin with gingery spices and a hint of molasses. It makes them perfect for holiday parties and cookie collections, and I’d have to accuse you of lying if you claim to be immune to the charms of a big, puffy, frosted cookie like this…
I’m pretty sure the supermarket versions of these cookies contain more than a few questionable ingredients, so it’s nice to be able to make them at home. The dough comes together easily, and there’s no rolling to do, which is nice. You just form balls of the dough and flatten them lightly with the sugar coated bottom of a drinking glass. This not only flattens them and creates the characteristic ruffly edge, but forms a perfect little basin to hold all that frosting that will come later.
My cookie is a variation on THIS RECIPE from Vintage Revivals. Mandi managed to nail a copycat recipe from a favorite Utah shop called Swig, where the hugely popular cookies look just like this, only they have pink icing. Mine is enough of a variation that I feel like I need to write out the recipe here, but definitely visit her site to check out the originals.
Ginger Spiced Sugar Cookies (Swig Copycat)
Ingredients
cookies
- 2 sticks, or 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/4 cups sugar, plus more for coating the glass
- 3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 4 Tbsp molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
- 1/4 tsp cloves
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 5 1/2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
frosting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup cream cheese, (or mascarpone cheese, sour cream, or creme fraiche) at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- approximately 6 cups confectioner's sugar, give or take
- milk or cream to thin
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350F
- To make the cookies, cream together the butter and the sugars. Beat in the oil and eggs, one at a time.
- Beat in the molasses, vanilla, and spices.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Slowly add to the bowl, and mix until combined.
- Form balls of dough about the size of golf balls, and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Put about 1/2 cup sugar in a bowl. Lightly butter the bottom of a drinking glass and dip it in the sugar to coat. Use the bottom of the glass to lightly press down on each ball of dough to flatten and create the rough edges. Dip the glass back in the sugar for each cookie, but there's no need to re-butter it.
- Bake the cookies for about 8 minutes. They won't get brown, and they will still seem a little soft, but they will firm up as they cool.
- Let them cool on a rack and then frost them,liberally! Give them a final dusting of nutmeg.
- To make the frosting: cream the butter and cream cheese together and add the cinnamon and vanilla. Slowly beat in the sugar, and as it gets too thick, add enough milk to thin it to a spreadable consistency. Beat until it is smooth and glossy.
I’m always looking for new cookie recipes to share this time of year, I’m so glad I tried these. This made a huge batch and I’ve been doling them out one at a time after dinner, and they are still soft, days later!
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Hi ?? Long shot as I see the posts a bit older but… wondering if I can make the dough and freeze it ?
Thanks!
You can freeze them, Jeannine, either with or without the frosting. I would probably freeze the cookies without and frost them after you bake them off.
Hi Sue,
Thanks for the quick reply. I was asking if I can freeze the dough before baking?
Thanks again!
These sound great… but how long do they last? Refrigerated? I’m thinking of doing them for a cookie exchange… thanks
They’re soft and moist, so they last pretty well. You can freeze them for longer storage, too.
These sound great. I’m assuming the 3/4 powdered sugar is 3/4 cup? Looking forward to trying these. Love your recipes.
I just fixed that, thanks Dawn 🙂 I hope you like them!
Hi I just made these cookies, will the frosting harden so I can store them one on top of another! Or will it stay soft so I have to store them only one layer? They taste fabulous! Thanks for the recipe!
The frosting is kind of in between…it does get a ‘skin’ on it (that sounds gross!) but it doesn’t harden like royal icing. I could stack mine because the frosting was in the indentation and the cookie part rose above, if that makes sense.
Can I ask how many the recipe makes?
These looked great until I saw vegetable oil- yuck! I assume I can sub butter? I’ll let you know how they turn out.
Hey Andie — the oil is what helps to give these cookies their soft texture…how about using something like almond oil or walnut oil if you don’t like regular vegetable oil? They’re very healthy!
These look great but I especially like the sound of the cream cheese topping.
These look amazing!
Oh, you had me at the first photo. These look great! They will be a perfect addition to our Christmas cookie collection. Thanks!
Wow, so terrific! These look spectacular, and the flavor sounds incredibly enticing. Good stuff — thanks.
I am So excited to start seeing more ginger recipes now it is getting close to Christmas. These sound really delicious as well.
I agree — ginger is such a wonderful flavor and we have to wait all year to enjoy it 🙂