Soft Ginger Cookies
These soft ginger cookies are a family Christmastime favorite. They are soft, chewy and flavorful. You can even adjust the amount of ginger to suit your palalte. If you want a spicier ginger cookie I recommend using the maximum suggested amount, but feel free to use the minimum. You still taste the ginger, you just don’t get that little buzz of heat from it.
The addition of decorators sugar to the cookie adds a special touch for the holidays, but rest assured, regular granulated sugar for rolling will work just fine.
This time of the year I am in full baking mode. These irresistible and soft ginger cookies are one of the first recipes I make every single year. It’s a tried and true family favorite, so much so that once they are baked I have to hide them in the freezer (and I do mean HIDE), so they last until Christmas. My eldest son has declared these his most favorite Christmas cookie of all time.
Every year I host a scavenger hunt for family and friends and every car full gets a bag of baked goodies (along with hot chocolate or Hot Apple Cider) to enjoy as they do the hunt. This year will be no exception and of course each bag will include a few of these tasty treats.
I hope you enjoy them as much as we do, and if you do decide to give them a go and bake up a batch, I’d love to hear how they go! Enjoy and Happy Holiday Baking!
What you will need for the best Soft Ginger Cookies:
Butter: Softened to room temperature but not melted. Note* you can substitute hard margarine for butter if cost is an issue, they will turn out fine. I prefer butter.
Sugars: Granulated sugar for the cookie and Fancy Decorators sugar for rolling the cookie in. If you can’t located the decorator sugar, just use regualar granulated sugar.
Eggs: Large eggs at room temperature are best
Molasses: Fancy Molasses is what I use, but use what you have.
Flour: all purpose flour works perfectly
Baking Soda and salt: for leavening and to enhance flavor
Ground Ginger and Cinnamon: for the best flavor make sure your spices are fresh. Also, you can adjust the ginger to your liking (see recipe card)
Do let the dough chill for at least an hour before rolling into balls. If you skip this step your cookies will spread. it’s worth the wait, trust me. While the dough is chilling you can get a headstart on your dishes, lol. That’s what I do anyway.
Freezing and Storing these soft ginger cookies:
You can keep these cookies fresh in an airtight container on your counter for up to 4 days. They also freeze perfectly. Just make sure they are in an airtight container and they will last up to 6 months in your freezer with no change in flavor (but I doubt they’ll last that long). I start baking in October and these are usually one of the first recipes I make for Christmas, so I freezer them and they are perfect for the holidays. Just let me thaw at room temperature for half and hour before serving.
If you want to try some of my other holiday cookies the links are below
Soft Ginger Cookies
Equipment
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer and large bowl
Ingredients
- 1½ cups butter, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 2 lg eggs
- ½ cup molasses
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1-1.5 Tbsp Ground ginger 1 Tbsp for a mild ginger, 1.5 Tbsp for a spicy ginger flavor (your preference)
- 1 Tbsp Ground cinnamon
- 2 Tbsp Baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of your stand mixer (or large bowl with hand mixer), cream the butter until light, then add the sugar and cream together until fluffy (at least 2-3 minutes), scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally as needed.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between on medium between each addition
- Add the molasses and combine
- In a separate bowl, sift the next 5 ingredients together then add to the wet mixture in 4 additions, mixing between each addition until combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is mixed well.
- chill the dough covered in the bowl for 1 hour
- Remove from refrigerator and roll into 1 Tbsp balls, then roll in sugar (decorators sugar if you have it)
- Place on parchment lined baking sheet 2" apart and bake at 350℉ for 10-12 minutes until edges start to brown and cookies are a nice color.
- Let the cookies sit on the tray for 1 minute before transferring to a baking rack to cool completely.
Notes
