Chewy Molasses Crinkle Cookies (Ginger Cookies)

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This holiday season, bake up a batch of Molasses Crinkle Cookies that are irresistibly soft and chewy. With crispy edges, a tender center, and warm flavors of ginger and cinnamon, these cookies are the perfect sweet treat to share or savor. Let me show you just how easy and fun it is to whip up these festive favorites!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Simple Ingredients. You will likely have most of these staple kitchen ingredients already at home, except for molasses.

Quick and Easy. The dough doesn’t have to chill, so you can mix, roll, and bake the cookies in just one baking session!

Festive Flavor. Enjoy warm and cozy holiday seasonal flavors with notes of cinnamon, ginger, and more delicious spices — YUM!

Definitely a family favorite, Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are perfect for cookie swaps and gifting. The aroma in the kitchen is like gingerbread baking — what could smell more like the holidays than that?!

Also, be warned, these chewy ginger cookies with crunchy edges are pretty irresistible hot out of the oven! And while you’re at it, you may want to bake up a batch of these Gingerbread Scones!

Ingredient Notes

• Vegetable shortening | Use vegetable shortening to get chewy, tender cookies.
• Sugar | Sweeten the dough with granulated white sugar, or use cane sugar, dark brown sugar, or another sweetener, if preferred. You’ll also need more to coat the rolled dough balls before baking.
• Egg | One large egg at room temperature will help the dough rise and produce the desired texture.
• Molasses | I prefer to use unsulphured molasses, like Grandma’s brand. It has a good flavor, while blackstrap molasses can be overpowering.

• Baking soda | Help the dough rise as it bakes with a pinch of baking soda.
• All-purpose flour | Give the soft ginger snap cookies structure with classic all-purpose flour. 
• Salt | A sprinkle of salt enhances the sweeter notes of the recipe and brings out the warm spices.
• Spices | Some ground ginger and cinnamon are just the right amount of spice to bring these Christmas season cookies to life!

Tips for Recipe Success

Rinse your hands in cool water, and don’t dry them thoroughly to make rolling the cookie dough balls easier. The water will help keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Repeat as necessary.

Prepare the workspace with parchment paper to make rolling the small balls a bit easier and less messy.

Don’t overbake the cookies, as you want them to be soft in the middle. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes after you remove them from the oven—the baked cookies will continue to firm up during this time.

How to Make Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies

Remember to have some fun making this simple chewy ginger snap cookies recipe! 

STEP 1 | Preheat and mix shortening and sugar

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees and add the shortening to the bowl of a stand mixer or use a handheld mixer to cream. Gradually add a cup of sugar, mixing until light and fluffy.

STEP 2 | Mix in the egg and molasses

Next, mix the egg and molasses until well incorporated, then turn off the mixer.

STEP 3 | Combine flour mixture and wet ingredients

In a large bowl, add the flour and whisk in the baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Then, pour the dry ingredients all at once into the creamed mixture.

Using the paddle attachment, turn the mixer on low and mix until the flour is incorporated.

STEP 4 | Roll dough balls and coat with sugar

Now for the fun part! Use a cookie scoop to get the right amount, then shape the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and roll each ball in a bowl of sugar.

Place the sugar-coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased or parchment-lined baking sheets.

STEP 5 | Bake, cool, and serve or store cookies!

Finally, bake the ginger cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, then cool them on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Then, dig on in and enjoy!

Variations and Substitutions

• Mini Ginger Cookies. This recipe makes about four dozen chewy cookies when you roll the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls. If you like a smaller cookie, roll it into 1-inch balls, which will yield about six dozen. Either measurement should be a little over or under a tablespoon of dough.
• Gluten-Free Ginger Cookies. Use gluten-free flour and double-check that the spices, molasses, and baking soda are labeled gluten-free.
• Use whole wheat, unbleached, or organic flour if preferred.

Storage Tips

Store the soft ginger cookies sealed in an airtight container for up to two weeks in the refrigerator or for a few days on the countertop.

Frequently Asked Questions

Looking for More Holiday Cookies?

If you’re hosting a holiday cookie swap, need the perfect cookie to share at a holiday party, or just want homemade sweet treats for the holidays, here are some of my all-time favorite recipes to add to this year’s cookie platter:
Buckeye Brownie Bites — miniature brownies topped with peanut butter “buckeye” candy balls and drizzled with dark chocolate ganache
Gingerbread Gems — soft, chewy gingerbread KISSES cookies glistening with sugar and crowned with HERSHEY’S Milk Chocolate Holiday KISSES.
Heath Bar Blondies — a chocolate-topped sweet dessert bar that’s studded with Heath bar toffee bits inside and out
Homemade Peppermint Oreos — a simple chocolate cookie with a creamy peppermint filling
Sand Tarts — tasty little pecan butter cookies coated with powdered sugar
Pecan Candy Cookies —  chewy bite-size cookies made with brown sugar meringue
Peanut Butter Toffee Turtle Cookies – an essential peanut butter cookie with added chocolate chips & toffee bits topped with creamy caramel and a chocolate drizzle.

What to Serve With Soft Ginger Snap Cookies

Serve these delicious ginger cookies with refreshing and festive Peppermint Ice Cream, or enjoy a hot mug of Dark Chocolate Peppermint Mocha or a steamy glass of this Easy Hot Apple Cider Recipe.

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Chewy Molasses Crinkle Cookies (Ginger Cookies)

Author: Sheila Thigpen

Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, these Ginger Molasses Cookies are spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and molasses for a tasty, homey treat that's not overly sweet.

4.56 from 9 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 8 minutes mins

Total Time 38 minutes mins

Course Sweets

Cuisine American

Servings 4 dozen

Calories 71 kcal

Ingredients

  

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• ¾ cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• ¼ cup molasses
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• Additional sugar for rolling

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Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer, cream the shortening. Gradually add the sugar, mixing until light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and molasses and mix until well incorporated. Turn off the mixer.
• In a large bowl, measure out the flour and whisk in the baking soda, salt, ginger, and cinnamon. Pour all at once into the creamed mixture. Turn the mixer on low and mix until the flour is incorporated.
• Shape the dough into 1-1/2 inch balls and roll each ball in a bowl of sugar. Place the sugar coated dough balls about 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to finish cooling.

Notes

• Rinse your hands in cool water and don’t dry them thoroughly to make rolling the cookie dough balls easier. The water will help keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Repeat as necessary.
• Prepare the workspace with parchment paper to make rolling the small balls a bit easier and less messy.
• Don’t overbake the cookies as you want them to be soft in the middle. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes after you remove them from the oven—the baked cookies will continue to firm up during this time.
• Store the cookies tightly sealed for up to two weeks.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 71kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 6mgSodium: 77mgSugar: 6g

Life Love and Good Food does not claim to be a registered dietician or nutritionist. Nutritional information shared on this site is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.

Keyword baking, cookies, desserts

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