SOFT GINGER COOKIES are always a hit during the holiday season. They have just the right amount of warm, spicy ginger goodness and they’re soft and chewy.
I know that ginger snaps are always a big hit with people, but I almost always prefer soft and chewy cookies.
These soft ginger cookies have a similar vibe to a ginger snap without all the…snap. 😉 They’re soft, they’re ultra chewy, they’re loaded with ginger, and honestly they just taste like Christmas.
Pretty sure Santa will leave you an extra gift if you leave these out for him on Christmas Eve. At least, that’s what I’m telling my kids.
I found these cookies in an old Taste of Home magazine…anyone else have piles of those magazines laying around? I dig through them anytime I’m in the mood for something new, but not really in the mood to experiment myself. I’ve found some real winners in there!
Ginger cookie dough:
The dough comes together really easily with a hand mixer or stand mixer.
You’ll just beat together butter and sugar, beat in some molasses and an egg, and then stir in the flour and spices.
Feel free to adjust the amount of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves based on your preferences. I’m not a huge fan of cloves fan, so I only add 1/4 teaspoon, but you can up to 1/2 teaspoon if you enjoy that flavor.
Roll the dough into balls, roll through sugar, and then place them on a baking sheet.
These cookies will flatten out as they bake, so be sure to space them a couple of inches apart from each other.
Storing ginger cookies:
These soft ginger cookies will stay nice and chewy at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3-4 days on the counter.
Please keep in mind that if you store these in your cookie jar with other cookies, they’ll likely ‘share’ some of their ginger flavor with the other cookies. I like to store them separately to avoid that.
Can ginger cookies be frozen?
You can freeze these ginger cookies in an air-tight container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter before serving.
You can also make the dough and freeze before baking, if preferred. Place the balls of dough on a cookie sheet, freeze for 1 hour, and then transfer to an air-tight container. They’ll require an extra minute or two to bake through if baking from frozen.
More Christmas recipes to make:
- Christmas Crunch Bars
- Christmas Crack
- Christmas Sangria
- Christmas Chocolate Chip Cookies (reader favorite!)
- Chocolate Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies
- Oreo Christmas Cookie Bars
Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the butter and sugar to a bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined.
- Add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to the bowl and beat until combined.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to scoop out dough. Roll the dough between your hands to shape. Roll each cookie dough ball into sugar to coat the outsides.
- Place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden brown and puffy. Cookies will flatten slightly as they cool.
Joyce says
This sounds perfect for our cookie baking day with my daughters. Would it be ok to make gingerbread men with the dough or will it be too soft?
Karly says
Hi Joyce! This dough is more soft and chewy than a traditional gingerbread man. I don’t think you’ll be able to roll it out.
Paul says
Wow! This looks awesome! A must try recipe I would say!
Karly says
Hope you love them!!