Classic Crispy Gingersnaps are the perfect Christmas cookie! Thin and crunchy with the perfect amount of molasses and spice, this easy homemade recipe takes 30 minutes to make! Download my favorite Christmas cookie recipes here.
Yield:
28 cookies
Prep Time:15minutes
Cook:15minutes
Tessa's Recipe Rundown...
Taste: The perfect balance of sweet and spice. Texture: Thin and crispy, these cookies break in half cleanly and have a satisfying crunch to every bite! Ease: Super simple 30 minute recipe. No chilling required. Pros: Easy and festive recipe that goes great in every Christmas cookie box. Cons: None! Would I make this again? Yes.
This year I received a handful of requests to publish a recipe for classic traditional gingersnap cookies that are actually crunchy.
Typically I enjoy more of a chewy cookie, but every once in a while I want that satisfying crunch of something sweet. I tweaked my Chewy Gingersnap recipe (which will be published in my upcoming cookbook!) to make them thin and crunchy.
These cookies would also make a great base for ice cream sandwiches! In fact, my best friend Ashley from Baker by Nature sent me ice cream from Salt & Straw, our favorite ice cream shoppe, as an early Christmas gift.
One of the flavors she sent was for Gingerbread Cookie Dough. I’m thinking I have to make ice cream sammies with these gingersnaps and that ice cream!!
Another idea is to use these cookies in place of graham crackers for over the top s’mores!
Of course, they’re also marvelous on their own with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee or tea.
How to Make Thin & Crispy Gingersnaps
What makes cookies crispy and crackled?
A heavy amount of baking soda interacts with the molasses in this recipe to encourage spread. That same process allows cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, creating that beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture.
There’s also much more granulated sugar than brown sugar in this recipe. White sugar encourages more spread and has less moisture to make for a crisper cookie.
Lastly, a longer baking time ensures a crunchy texture all the way through the center of these cookies.
How to make flavorful gingersnaps:
First make sure your spices, especially the ground ginger, are fresh and of high quality. Second, make sure to use unsulphured molasses. Never use blackstrap molasses in baking, it’s extremely bitter. Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s in their ‘mild’ or ‘original’ flavors tend to work best.
If you want more SPICE in your gingersnaps, add a tablespoon or two of freshly grated ginger. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper.
How to store homemade gingersnaps:
Store the gingersnaps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. You can also store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
How to freeze gingersnap cookie dough:
Scoop out the balls of cookie dough. Place on a baking sheet and freeze until solid. Remove to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 2 weeks. Bake from frozen, reducing the temperature to 325°F and adding a couple minutes onto the baking time.
Classic Crispy Gingersnaps are the perfect Christmas cookie! Thin and crunchy with the perfect amount of molasses and spice, this easy homemade recipe takes 30 minutes to make! Download my favorite Christmas cookie recipes here.
Ingredients
1 1/2sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined. Add in the salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and flour and beat until combined.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow dish. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls and roll in the sugar before placing on the baking sheet, leaving plenty of room for spread. Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are spread and the surface looks crackled.
Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
I share trusted baking recipes your friends will LOVE alongside insights into the science of sweets. I'm a professionally trained chef, cookbook author, and cookie queen. I love to write about all things sweet, carb-y, and homemade. I live in Phoenix, Arizona (hence the blog name!)
I made these because I couldn’t find ginger snaps at the store and I needed them for pumpkin pie crust. They were a SNAP to make. I decreased the molasses to 1/4 cup. Next time I would double the ginger. Delish!
This recipe is sooo easy and absolutely delicious. I bake about 1-4 batches a week and share them with so many people. The most descriptive term was “drool worthy”. I add some cinnamon to the coating sugar. Perfect cookie for the season. Yummy warm spices.
Hi I have always wanted to make gingerbread/ginger cookies but there’s always this one ingredient I can’t get & that’s molasses..is there any replacement for molasses as it’s not available in the place I live.
Hi Aviv! Chilling this dough is not required 🙂 If you chill the dough, you’ll end up with a bit thicker of a cookie as they won’t spread as much in the oven and may not turn out as crispy. Just depends on your preference 🙂
Another HIT recipe from you which i baked over the weekend and they came out AMAZING !! I slightly under bake i order to have them chewy and full of flavor
Made these today. Delicious! My husband and I are loving them. All the flavors are so balanced. I only baked them around 12 minutes because we like them crunchy on the outside and softer in the middle. We will probably do half the batch next time at 15 minutes and half at 12. I also refrigerated the dough for approximately 30 minutes just to make it easier to portion out the dough. You wont be disappointed in these! Thank you for my newest fall cookie
They taste great but I followed the recipe exactly and the dough came out way too sticky to mold. I had to add about a cup more flour than the recipe called for just to get it remotely moldable. Also they came out rounded and fluffy rather than flat and crisp. Not sure what happened.
Hi Jenna! I’m sorry you had some issues with your cookies! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Adding an extra cup of flour is definitely why your cookies turned out round and fluffy rather than thin and crunchy. I would suggest making this recipe again but using a digital scale to ensure accuracy. I hope you give this recipe another try, I’d love for you to enjoy them the way they’re meant to taste 🙂
Hi Joseph! We actually talk about that in the pink tip box above the recipe 🙂 Blackstrap molasses should never be used in baking as it’s extremely better. We suggest using Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s in their ‘mild’ or ‘original’ flavors. If you’re looking for more spice in your gingersnaps, you can add a tablespoon or two of freshly grated ginger, or even a pinch of cayenne pepper. Hope that helps!
Super yummy, my son’s new favourite cookies. I deviated from the instructions a little. I rolled the dough into a log and refrigerated until hard, we sliced it up then continued with the directions. Way cleaner and less messy than the first time we made them.
This recipe is amazing. I was using a new kitchen scale and after I made the batter it seemed really soft so I did add a little bit more flour just so I could drop the batter into the sugar and coat them. Next time I make them I will measure the flour with a measuring cup instead of using the scale. My husband and five dogs couldn’t wait to have one.
So glad you and your family (including your dogs!) enjoyed this recipe! Making this recipe with a digital scale is honestly the best way to ensure a great outcome. Is it possible your butter may have been a bit too warm?
My husband loves crispy ginger snaps so this recipe was the perfect find. I’ve made them twice in one week because my husband and our four kids have devoured then with a good amount of milk. Follow the recipe and they’ll turn out perfect. If you don’t cook them the full 15 minutes they won’t snap!
I can’t help play with recipes, I added extra tsp ginger, 1 tsp cardamom powder and a handful of candied ginger, I chopped up fine. They were fantastic!
Oops!
Just made this recipe and realized that I put one and a half CUPS of butter instead of one and a half STICKS. The good news is… It’s still an amazing cookie! I’m sure the texture is completely different, but the flavor is wonderful! Can’t wait to try it with the correct amount of butter.
Great recipe, cookies spread, didn’t crackle as much as I wanted, we’re crunchy and thin but cinnamon overpowered all the other spices but still tasted good. Maybe I will reduce cinnamon and increase ginger next time. How do I get them to really crackle?
As a trained chef and cookbook author, I share trusted baking recipes your friends & family will love alongside insights into the science of sweets. I help take the luck out of baking so you *always* have delicious results! Learn more here.
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I made these because I couldn’t find ginger snaps at the store and I needed them for pumpkin pie crust. They were a SNAP to make. I decreased the molasses to 1/4 cup. Next time I would double the ginger. Delish!
So happy they worked perfectly for you! Homemade gingersnaps in a pumpkin pie would be incredible, enjoy!
This recipe is sooo easy and absolutely delicious. I bake about 1-4 batches a week and share them with so many people. The most descriptive term was “drool worthy”. I add some cinnamon to the coating sugar. Perfect cookie for the season. Yummy warm spices.
Amazing!! So happy to hear they’re such a hit, thanks for sharing 🙂
Excellent
What is the sugar content of each cookie so I can portion them out properly?
We don’t keep track of nutritional content with our recipes, so I can’t say for sure!
Hi I have always wanted to make gingerbread/ginger cookies but there’s always this one ingredient I can’t get & that’s molasses..is there any replacement for molasses as it’s not available in the place I live.
Hi Sarah! We honestly haven’t tried these with anything else besides molasses, so I can’t say for sure!
Hi! Can I chill this dough over night?
Hi Aviv! Chilling this dough is not required 🙂 If you chill the dough, you’ll end up with a bit thicker of a cookie as they won’t spread as much in the oven and may not turn out as crispy. Just depends on your preference 🙂
Another HIT recipe from you which i baked over the weekend and they came out AMAZING !! I slightly under bake i order to have them chewy and full of flavor
Yay! So thrilled to hear this!
Made these today. Delicious! My husband and I are loving them. All the flavors are so balanced. I only baked them around 12 minutes because we like them crunchy on the outside and softer in the middle. We will probably do half the batch next time at 15 minutes and half at 12. I also refrigerated the dough for approximately 30 minutes just to make it easier to portion out the dough. You wont be disappointed in these! Thank you for my newest fall cookie
So glad you and your husband loved these cookies!
These were delicious!! I will be making them again. One of my husband’s favorite cookies now.
Hooray! So glad to hear this.
They taste great but I followed the recipe exactly and the dough came out way too sticky to mold. I had to add about a cup more flour than the recipe called for just to get it remotely moldable. Also they came out rounded and fluffy rather than flat and crisp. Not sure what happened.
Hi Jenna! I’m sorry you had some issues with your cookies! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Adding an extra cup of flour is definitely why your cookies turned out round and fluffy rather than thin and crunchy. I would suggest making this recipe again but using a digital scale to ensure accuracy. I hope you give this recipe another try, I’d love for you to enjoy them the way they’re meant to taste 🙂
Why cant I use blackstrap
Hi Joseph! We actually talk about that in the pink tip box above the recipe 🙂 Blackstrap molasses should never be used in baking as it’s extremely better. We suggest using Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s in their ‘mild’ or ‘original’ flavors. If you’re looking for more spice in your gingersnaps, you can add a tablespoon or two of freshly grated ginger, or even a pinch of cayenne pepper. Hope that helps!
i am going to try these cookies
Super yummy, my son’s new favourite cookies. I deviated from the instructions a little. I rolled the dough into a log and refrigerated until hard, we sliced it up then continued with the directions. Way cleaner and less messy than the first time we made them.
Great idea, Natasha! So happy to hear he loves this recipe!
This recipe is amazing. I was using a new kitchen scale and after I made the batter it seemed really soft so I did add a little bit more flour just so I could drop the batter into the sugar and coat them. Next time I make them I will measure the flour with a measuring cup instead of using the scale. My husband and five dogs couldn’t wait to have one.
So glad you and your family (including your dogs!) enjoyed this recipe! Making this recipe with a digital scale is honestly the best way to ensure a great outcome. Is it possible your butter may have been a bit too warm?
Thank you so much for the suggestion on the butter. I will definitely make sure it’s not as warm next time I make them.
My husband loves crispy ginger snaps so this recipe was the perfect find. I’ve made them twice in one week because my husband and our four kids have devoured then with a good amount of milk. Follow the recipe and they’ll turn out perfect. If you don’t cook them the full 15 minutes they won’t snap!
So happy to hear they’re such a hit with your family, Cana!
I can’t help play with recipes, I added extra tsp ginger, 1 tsp cardamom powder and a handful of candied ginger, I chopped up fine. They were fantastic!
Sounds absolutely delicious, Elias! So happy you loved this recipe 🙂
Oops!
Just made this recipe and realized that I put one and a half CUPS of butter instead of one and a half STICKS. The good news is… It’s still an amazing cookie! I’m sure the texture is completely different, but the flavor is wonderful! Can’t wait to try it with the correct amount of butter.
Oh my gosh, haha! They probably tasted amazing! But yes, a tad less butter for the next batch 🙂
After rolling the ginger cookie dough and placing on the tray, will I need to flatten them before placing in the oven?
No need to 🙂 Let me know what you think of these cookies!
Great recipe, cookies spread, didn’t crackle as much as I wanted, we’re crunchy and thin but cinnamon overpowered all the other spices but still tasted good. Maybe I will reduce cinnamon and increase ginger next time. How do I get them to really crackle?