Crispy Gingersnaps

How to Make Thin & Crispy Gingersnaps

What are Gingersnaps?

A year-round favorite all over the world, Gingersnaps are particularly popular to welcome in the fall and winter holiday seasons! Gingersnaps are perfectly spiced with the most beautiful cracked, sugary tops. While these are mostly enjoyed during the colder months, I actually love them in the fall in Arizona, when the temps are slowly beginning to drop. They’re delicious with a glass of cold milk or even lemonade… and even better used in place of graham crackers for over-the-top s’mores!

Gingersnaps are just what they sound like: a cookie flavored with ginger (among other spices that we’ll talk more about below). Gingersnaps are typically crunchy or have a brittle texture, thus the “snap”. The spiciness of the ginger and richness of the molasses pairs perfectly with coffee, tea, hot cocoa, or mulled wine.

Ingredients for Gingersnap Cookies:

• All-purpose flour – Measured accurately! To avoid ending up with Gingersnaps that are thick and chewy instead of perfectly crispy, make sure to measure your flour accurately with a digital scale. More on this below.
• Baking soda – Interacts with the molasses to encourage spread! This combination also creates those cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, resulting in the beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture.
• Ginger – Be sure to use ground ginger that hasn’t been sitting open in your spice cabinet for years! The fresher the spice the more flavorful it’ll be. While I haven’t tried it, you can also experiment with crystallized ginger, but expect your cookies to be a little more sugary.
• Cinnamon and Cloves – Along with ginger, this trio is what gives these cookies the classic gingersnap taste! Your home will smell amazing as they are baking. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper for even more spice!
• Fine Sea Salt – Just a bit to enhance all of the other flavors.
• Butter – Always use unsalted butter in baking so you’re in control of the amount of salt used. Imparts flavor and enhances the gluten structure – this impacts the shape, spread, and texture of your cookies!
• Granulated Sugar – Encourages spread. Also used as a sugar coating to give a nice texture to the cookies (and beautiful appearance!). In my Crispy Gingersnaps recipe, you’ll notice there’s more granulated sugar than brown sugar as it has less moisture, to make for a crisper cookie.
• Brown Sugar – Depending on the recipe you choose, you’ll either use light or dark brown sugar! Dark brown sugar is rich in molasses and not only gives the cookie a deep flavor, but adds moisture. This is why it’s used in my Chewy Gingersnaps and not in my Crispy Gingersnaps. Substituting either will make a difference in these recipes.
• Molasses – Gives gingersnaps their color and distinct flavor. Look for plain, unsulphured molasses. Brer Rabbit or Grandma’s in their ‘mild’ or ‘original’ flavors tend to work best. Stay away from blackstrap as it will impart a very bitter taste!
• 1 egg – Provides structure and keeps the cookies tender longer after baking than if omitting the egg. Omitting the egg will gradually result in your cookies becoming too hard and crunchy to eat.

How to Make Gingersnap Cookies:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butters and sugar together. Add the molasses and egg. Then, add the remaining dry ingredients to form your flour mixture.
2. Use a spring-loaded cookie scoop to portion out cookie dough balls.
3. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar, then place on a cookie sheet.
4. Bake until crackled at the top, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

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.

Baking tip for crispy cookies: measure your flour correctly!

To avoid ending up with Gingersnaps that are thick and chewy instead of perfectly crispy, make sure to measure your flour accurately with a digital scale. It’s all too easy to accidentally add too much flour if you’re using cups. Check out my article for How to Measure Flour for step-by-step instructions.

Just take a look at what a difference too much flour can make:

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.