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These Crispy Gingersnaps Cookies are the perfect classic, crispy gingersnap cookie.
Typically I enjoy more of a chewy cookie, but every once in a while I want that satisfying crunch and crispness of something sweet.
I tweaked my Chewy Gingersnap recipe (which are included in my cookbook – available on Amazon!) to make them thin and crunchy.
These ginger 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 sandwiches with these ginger snaps and that ice cream!!
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 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 – plus 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.
What Makes Cookies Crispy and Crackled?
- A heavy amount of baking soda interacts with the molasses in this recipe to encourage spread.
- This allows cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, creating that beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture.
- Ensure your baking soda is fresh and active – learn more about that here.
- 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.
Measure Your Flour Correctly to Ensure Gingersnaps are CRISPY!
- 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 on 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
- Make sure your spices, especially the ground ginger, are fresh and of high quality.
- 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.
- 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.
- In addition to the spices, the molasses used is also important.
- 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.
How to Store Homemade Gingersnaps
Store the gingersnaps in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
How to Freeze Gingersnap Cookies
- 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.
- You can also store baked Crispy Gingersnap Cookies in the freezer, in an airtight container or freezer bag, for up to 1 month.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes:
-
1 1/2
sticks (170 grams) unsalted butter,
at cool room temperature
-
1 1/4
cups
(250 grams) granulated sugar,
divided
-
1/4
cup
(50 grams) lightly packed light brown sugar
-
1/3
cup
(113 grams) unsulphured molasses
(NOT blackstrap)
-
1
large egg
-
1/2
teaspoon
fine salt
-
2
teaspoons
baking soda
-
1 1/2
teaspoons
ground ginger
-
1
teaspoon
ground cinnamon
-
1/4
teaspoon
ground cloves
-
2 1/4
cups
(286 grams) all-purpose flour
-
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
-
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment to beat the butter, 3/4 cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 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 wire racks to cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Be sure to use spices that haven’t been sitting open in your spice cabinet for years! The fresher the spice, the more flavorful it’ll be.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin.
They did not crackle as I would have wanted, why?
The first thing I’d check is to see if your baking soda is fresh-check out my article linked HERE on how to check. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? Also, how long did you bake them for and do you have an oven thermometer?
Crispy edges, slight chew in middle, very delicious, quick and easy
Wonderful, so happy you enjoyed them!
What a wonderful snap! The jewels are as easy to make as they are to eat. They didn’t last a day.
So happy to hear you loved these gingersnaps!
Crispy and delicious! I doubled all the spices because I like a strong spice and they were perfect for me
Awesome to hear, Pam!
Best cookie recipe ever! Everyone who tries them raves about them.
Ooh my goodness! This brings back Granny memories.
My Husband Love these I just don’t roll them in the last sugar
So happy this recipe brings back wonderful memories, Angela 🙂
Quick and easy recipe ,
Taste great!
I’m a baking Grandma and found this to be the best recipe for ginger cookies I’ve ever found.
Thrilled to hear this!
I made this by following the recipe using the metric measurements, not the volume measurements, where it was an option. Overall this has a delicious flavor and texture; the cookies were simply too big, and never got crunchy in the middle because the edges were at risk of burning if I didn’t take them out. “1-1/2 tbsp” scoops made for 21 gigantic cookies that all jammed together. I placed them 10 to a sheet, and only one came out still circle-shaped. I’ll definitely make this again; I’ll just experiment with smaller shapes and different baking times.
Yum! Delicious! Directions were easy to follow and cookies turned out perfect. Just the right balance of sweet and spice. I didn’t have any parchment paper so I did spray the cookie sheets lightly with PAM. My husband never seeks out “sweets” when he’s hungry, but he loves these. I’ll have to stash some away for myself before he eats all of these! Perfect snack for a cold, rainy day!
So glad these cookies were enjoyed!
FANTASTIC! I love this recipe
Very happy with this recipe! Though my ginger snaps didn’t look quite as beautiful and round as your photo… they were delicious and also great for dunkin’ in a cuppa.
So glad you enjoyed these gingersnaps!
Best ginger snap recipe ever…loved it..
So glad you enjoyed!
Delish! I did add just a touch more ginger and they turned out perfect.
These are amazing! I did double the ginger and replaced 1 cup of the white flour for whole wheat flour.
Perfect.
Woohoo!
Perfect! I’ve been looking for a ginger snap recipe for a while. I can’t find molasses in the UK though, and had to use golden syrup. I’m not sure if this made the snaps go soft or not, but still tasted yummy!
Can you make these gluten-free??
I left the cookies in a little longer because they seemed soft. Mistake! They harden on their own. They were too crunchy. When I followed the recipe and only cooked them 15 minutes they were perfect.
Perfect! Really easy and fun. They have a perfect amount of ginger flavor and are crispy on the outside and soft in the middle. As a beginner baker, these turned out really well. If you follow the recipe your whole family should love them. I recommend these to everyone!
How many cups is 1.5 sticks of butter? Butter comes in all diff kinds of packaging like my Costco butter… 1 stick of Costco butter is 2 cups
1.5 sticks of butter equal 3/4 cup. 170 grams if you weigh it using a kitchen scale which I highly recommend.
Excellent cookies. OMG
So great! Added about a tsp.Extra ginger, and a pinch of black pepper, made it 3/4 ish cup gran sugar and 1/4 cup (not packed) brown sugar.
Thanks for this great recipe!
Wanted to make some type of ginger snap for my Christmas cookie trays and stumbled across this recipe. These are DELICIOUS! I made them exactly as the recipe stated and they turned out fantastic. I could eat a whole tray by myself! I made a few to sample, then froze the rest of the dough to make closer to Christmas. Highly recommend this recipe!
So glad you loved these cookies! Yay! Happy holidays Ericka!
Hi tessa, I live in the Netherlands and I can’t buy molasses here. Internet said that I could replace molasses with dark brown sugar, is that possible? In the ratio 325 gram molasses = 165 gram dark brown sugar.
Xx
Romy: Check out this blog for substitutions to molasses, but keep checking with other suppliers in the Netherlands. Its called ‘melasse’ in Dutch, and lots of Dutch recipes call for it. Good luck.
https://www.thespruceeats.com/molasses-substitute-1388891
Mine were a soft chewey cookie. What did I do wrong?
Hi Lisa, sorry your cookies didn’t turn out! Have you checked that your oven temperature is accurate using an oven thermometer? And did you use a digital scale to make sure you had the accurate weight for ingredients – specifically the flour and baking soda?
Fantastic recipe! Husband requested I make gingersnaps and I chose your recipe as it seemed most like what he would want in a gingersnap. Nailed it!! We were both VERY pleased!
He also recommended dipping them in hot cocoa and I tried that as well. So I wanted to add that in my comment for others to try. 😉
Love the idea of dipping these cookies into hot cocoa! So glad you and your husband enjoyed these cookies.
These turned out perfect. I had a hard time finding non blackstrap molasses, went to the store for last minute eggs and found some! I’m going to use them for a cheese cake crust for Christmas and it will be hard to not eat all of them. ( don’t worry I baked a dozen extra) thanks for the recipe
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad you tried these cookies out.
I made these cookies using Crosby’s cooking molasses, and they turned out great. I rolled the dough into smaller dough balls that baked into small bite-sized cookies. No flattening! My husband loved them (I liked them, too!)
So glad you enjoyed these cookies!
What is the consistency of the mix supposed to look like? Mine looks rather thin, like I can’t roll it at all…
These are sooo good I want to double the recipe next time I bake them. The recipe calls for 2 tsp baking soda, would you need to add 4 tsp soda?. And would you also double all spices?
If you’re doubling the recipe, just make sure to do 2x all of the ingredients to keep the chemistry of the recipe the same!
I have made these three times now and they are now added to my Christmas cookie must haves! Followed the recipe as printed but did a light drizzle of some white chocolate on top.
Love the addition of white chocolate! Sounds delicious!
What does rolling the cookie dough in sugar prior to baking do?
It gives it a nice sugar coating on the outside of the cookie!
I followed the recipe exactly and these turned out perfect! Delicious recipe!
So glad you enjoyed!
This is by far my new favorite gingersnap recipe! I added both black pepper and cayenne and they were delicious. The texture as they cooled was crunchy around the edges but still chewy in the middle.
Wow that sounds delicious! So glad you tried this recipe out.
Thanks so much!
Delicious and easy! Excellent recipe!
Thanks so much, Laura!
Too bad these didn’t work out for you. But how did you add more flour, etc. before you actually finished making the recipe? They’re called ‘Ginger Snaps’. They’re going to be thin.
These cookies came out beautifully. Followed the recipe and instructions to the T. I’ll try adding fresh ginger next time for an extra kick. Thank you!
I made your gingersnaps today, as listed. They are yummy! I have a type 1 diabetic granddaughter, so I calculated calories (3828), fat (143), and carbs (605). Those totals are for the whole recipe. I always need to know how many carbs are in what I am feeding her.
Because I have a gluten-free daughter-in-law, I also made a batch for her. I used 2 c. gluten free flour instead of 2 1/4 cups. They turned out great as well.
I’m so glad these cookies were enjoyed!
As a lover of gingersnaps, I found this recipe to be amazing! I added 1 Tbsp of fresh ginger paste for extra ginger kick. Loved it. I didn’t have trouble with the cookie not being crispy or flattening like other reviewers mentioned. If anything, I pulled them out out early but I’m convinced my old oven runs extra hot.
If I freeze half the batch for ready-to-cook cookies, how long do you recommend baking them for?
I’m so glad you loved this recipe, Whitney! I’ve got a whole post on freezing cookie dough and how to bake from frozen – make sure to check that out!
Found this tonight on a search to satisfy that specific hankering that only a good gingersnap can satisfy and wow what an awesome recipe! They look gorgeous and taste spectacular. My only tweak was a pinch of cayenne. New favorite for the perfect snap. Thank you!
Ooh love the addition of cayenne! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I made this cookie recipe the other day and tested it out on friends! Everyone loved it! If you want the cookie it be a bit crispier just leave them in the oven a minute or to longer. Side note. I had lots of pumpkin pie spice so used that instead of the recommended spices. O my so deliecious!!!
So happy you enjoyed these cookies 🙂
I tried this recipe twice, neither time was a success! They are to large, to soft & they didn’t have that “ginger” snap taste or texture. Back to the Internet to search for a recipe.
The cookies seemed to burn very easily, and didn’t have that strong ginger taste I was hoping for.
They spread a lot and we’re not crispy. The flavor was good but the texture was disappointing.
Hi there (:
This recipe looks wonderful.
How would you recommend that I veganize it?
Would omitting the egg without a substitution be a problem?
Hi Tessa, can I use golden syrup instead of molasses and get the same crisp and crunch? If it is possible, how do I achieve it? Many thanks!
I’m not sure, I’ve only tested this recipe with molasses.
They were so delicious thank you so much for your wonderful recipe!
I adjusted the sugar (used 1 cup in the mixture) only 1.5 TBS for rolling cookie ball in the sugar. I also added cracked pepper and fresh grated ginger! I flattened the cookies prior to baking!
They came out amazing!
These were delicious! I did reduce the sugar a bit. About 2 tbsp less brown sugar and about 4 tbsp less of the white sugar since molasses is pure sugar.
I flattened them before baking and they were HUGE. They spread more in the oven and I didn’t think they would. I’m not mad, they tasted amazing and had that great crunch that you want with a ginger snap.
I’ll just make the cookies smaller next time and keep the baking time as is.
These were not the least bit crispy and they were puffy not flat. should I have flattened them before cooking them?
I think so. I flattened them out half way before baking and they came out perfectly crisp and soft.
These are the best cookies I have ever made. Not just the best ginger snaps, but the best cookies! I added the fresh ginger.
Did you add the fresh ginger in addition to the ground ginger? Or did you replace the ground ginger with fresh ginger?
I made these and they were yummy, but they came out to thick. So next day you couldnt even bite into them. What did I do wrong?
Wonderful recipe. Much beloved by my two godsons, their mother AND their grandmother! And they freeze beautifully just before baking using Tessa’s instructions for freezing cookie dough. It’s great to be able to send home bags of ready-to-bake cookies now that we all have to be social distancing! Thanks Tessa.
Can you make without Rollin in sugar to cut back on sugar???
Made this twice. Perfect cookie. I did add an additional 1/2 tsp black pepper per a suggestion in the comments.
It’s nice when you see such a great work! Continue writing
I have Plantation’s organic blackstrap molasses but it says unsulphured on it too…can I still use it? Will it alter the taste a lot?
My mom loves crispy gingersnaps! It will be so fun to make homemade gingersnaps for her. Thanks for the recipe!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Love these! I made these cookies this morning and my husband, who doesn’t like Gingersnaps, loved these! Thank you, Tessa, for another great recipe.
The best!
Loved it.
But too sweet for me. Cooked one more time, skipped sugar and used only half cup molasses.
The healthy sugar free cookie!
Tnx!
gotta love it!
Sugar free with molasses!
The lies we tell ourselves 🙂
I wonder if anyone has tried this with a sugar substitute like Erythritol.
I might give that a try.
Thanks for a great recipe
Doug
Hi Tessa – lovely recipe. I’ve been making almost the identical recipe, passed down from my grandmother, for almost 30 years. The only modification I’ve made was adding a 1/2 teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Gives them a little more bite. Give it a go. I think you’ll like it.