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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.
When I made these the first time I weighed everything but didn’t understand the difference between soft enough butter and room temperature. My cookies were not spreading so after about eight minutes I mashed them down with a fork before continuing to bake them. They turned out chewy and delicious, maybe better than crispy.
For my second batch I added chocolate chunks—fabulous!
Sooooooo goooooood!!!!!!!
Good recipe. Very cronchy and spahcy. Next time I want to make them even more cronchy and spahcy. Thank you
This was the absolute best thing I have tasted in a very long time! 🙂 I would bake this on a regular basis!
So happy you love these cookies!
These are delicious! Mine didn’t spread as much as I thought they would, but they looked, smelled and tasted great! I’m making them for my husband when he gets home. I know he’ll be pleased!
Do you not chill the dough an hour prior to baking?
No need to! Chilling the dough will result in 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
Awesome cookie! I made them exactly how you said and I used a scale which I will do from now on! I actually hate baking but unfortunately I love homemade things lol. Now to get them out of the house so I don’t eat them all!
So happy to hear how much you loved these cookies, Deb!
Hi
I just made these cookies and was hoping for thin and crispy but they are thicker and softer than expected. I weighted all ingredients but softened the butter in microwave. Would that make a difference? I also added homemade candied ginger. Tastes great anyway. Thanks
Update, once they cooled, they were crispy and so delicious. Yum. Thanks
So happy to hear they turned out great, thanks for letting us know!
Finally! I found the recipe I’ve been looking for-for years! These cookies are just like the super crispy ginger snaps Grammy Loraine made for her family. Thank you thank you. Can’t wait to send small boxes to all the grandkids.
Aw yay!! So happy to hear this 🙂
These Crispy Gingersnaps cookies seems so delicious and crunchy . my husband love cookies , will surprise him with this one . Thanks for ingredients and instructions with us .
I am SURE I must have done something wrong. They look delicious on your website, but mine came out like small muffins. They tasted delicious, but they were anything but thin and crispy. Maybe my butter wasn’t the right temperature? I tried making with Crisco instead and used less flour (1/4 less) but they still were not thin. Any suggestions? I will try again, but I don’t want to waste the ingredients. Thanks for your help.
Hi there! Sorry to hear of your issues, do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? It sounds to me like too much flour may have been added. To ensure thin gingersnaps, first make sure to not substitute any ingredients, and you want to make sure you use room temperature butter (around 67°F) as well as measure your ingredients, especially your flour, with a digital scale. Adding too much flour to a recipe can result in thicker cookies. If you don’t have a digital scale, follow the Spoon & Level Method in THIS ARTICLE. I hope that helps! Please let me know how it goes with your next attempt!
It’s was to liquidly needed more flour and not spicy enough they cooked up in 10 min so that was good
But over all disappointing
I will say directions were very clear
I will try other recipes in the future
We haven’t come across the issue of the cookie batter being too liquidy before, do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients?
I have made these 4 times now and they are the best, crisiest ginger snaps ever. Perfect!
So happy to hear how much you’re loving them! Thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Oh my goodness, these are the best gingersnap cookies! I love the crispy outside:slightly chewy inside. Easy to whip together (I used my stand mixer), shape and bake. Also I like that it makes a smaller batch. Will definitely make again!
Happy you enjoyed them, thanks so much for the comment 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly but the first baked batch ran completely together (were arranged in balls about three inches apart). I cut the pan of cooked “cookies” into squares and they tasted fine, but were very chewy. So I re-mixed the remaining dough with another 1/4 cup of flour. This time, they flattened and ran together, but not as badly. Still chewy–not crisp at all. I’m really puzzled. Possibilities: I used butter that had been frozen and was allowed to reach room temperature sitting out. My daughter suggested possibly previously frozen butter reacts differently than butter never frozen. I also cooked both batches for 15 minutes–possibly not long enough, although the dough had flattened out entirely and no longer bubbled. At any rate, I can’t recommend this recipe because it came out so disastrously for me!
Sorry to hear of your issues, Dorothy! A few questions to help troubleshoot. Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? What size cookie scoop are you using? I’m also wondering if perhaps your butter was actually too warm, which is why your cookies spread so much. If you check out our article on How to Cream Butter and Sugar, about 1/3 of the way down the page is a photo showing what butter looks like at different temperature stages. Too warm of butter can actually affect the creaming portion of this recipe, resulting in flat puddle cookies. Did your gingersnaps have the crispy/crackly look on top? I’m really hoping I can help figure out what went wrong here, these cookies are so deliciously crispy when made correctly!
Great recipe. I subbed vegetable shortening for the butter 1:1, I find the shortening makes the dough easier to handle at room temp. Came out great. Each cookie is about 30g of cookie dough for anyone who likes their cookies the exact same size.
Happy your cookies turned out great!
Finally the CRISPY Gingersnap recipe I was looking for! I added extra finely chopped crystallized Ginger for extra zest! so YUMMY
Hooray!! So happy you loved this recipe, thanks for taking the time to comment!
I followed this recipe closely, except that I grated fresh ginger. My husband loved them! I used latex gloves when rolling the dough balls in sugar as this dough is sticky. Thank you for a delicious recipe! These are really good!
Great feedback, thanks for taking the time to comment! Glad you both enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Hey Tessa, I made the gingersnaps, they were a big hit! I got the question if these could be made gluten-free. What’s your thoughts on this? Thanks mike
Hi there! We don’t bake gluten free, so I can’t say for sure! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
Thank you! The temperature of butter is extremely important to the texture of these cookies so stick a probe in in you want the picture results. And MEASURE on a scale! If they cake up in the oven, flatten them with the back of a flipper and keep baking. I did double the Ginger and would recommend a bit more if you really want that ginger flavour. I love this recipe!
So glad you enjoyed them! And thanks so much for your feedback and suggestions for other readers, we appreciate it!
Felt like I followed recipe, but it just became a funny memorable experience. The dough was sticky and the first batch turned into one big cookie sheet cookie; no crackle. Left lots of space the second time, still one big sheet cookie. Tastes ok, but they definitely don’t look like the picture. Butter was salted, maybe that was the problem.
Sorry you had issues with your gingersnaps, Julie! Using salted butter wouldn’t have been the issue, though you will want to reduce the amount of salt in a recipe when baking with salted butter (general rule of using salted butter in place of unsalted is to reduce ¼ teaspoon of the salt in the recipe per 115g of butter). Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? It either sounds like there may not have been enough flour added, or your butter was too warm. You could also try refrigerating your cookie dough for about 10 minutes prior to baking (much longer and your cookies may turn out thicker and not as crispy). I hope you give this recipe another try!
Followed the instructions but my cookies came out more like little cakes.
Hi Alicia! Do you use a digital scale to measure your ingredients? It sounds like too much flour may have been added to your cookies. If you don’t have a scale, I’d recommend using the Spoon & Level Method detailed in this article HERE. I hope you give this another try!
The go-to Ginger snap cookie recipe! How many times can a person say YUMMY! I was looking for ‘the best ginger snap cookie’ last evening and came across this one. Look no further- yes and yes, delicious. I added a little cayenne pepper to the first batch and some black pepper to the 2nd batch [based on comments], will definitely bake these again. Would love to add a picture, but don’t see how to upload. Santa and his Elves are going to be really happy with these cookies.
Sounds delicious! So happy you loved this recipe, Robin! Feel free to tag Tessa on Instagram using #handletheheat so she can see your baking masterpieces! You can also share pics in the HTH Facebook Group 🙂
I’m literally in the middle of baking these right now and they are so good! Great recipe, just added a little extra ginger.
So happy you’re enjoying this recipe!
I made this today and absolutely delcious, lve the crispiness and the chewness of the centre, this will be my go to recipe from now on
So happy to hear that!
These are delicious and easy to make.
I’ve made this recipe in the past and making it again for this holiday season! It’s so easy to pull together and tastes amazing too!
I have made these cookies twice and both times I made the mistake of thinking they were not done and then left them in the oven a few minutes too long, on convect. They came out delish, but hard so do not overcook…the ones I made following the instructions without convection were perfect.
Delicious!
Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed them!
Can you use cookie cutters for this recipe?
We haven’t tried that, so I can’t say for sure!
I have to say I love this recipe. They are delicious it was my first time making homemade cookies. I had asked my husband to get me some ginger snaps and the store didn’t have any. I found this recipe and had to try as I was craving them now I’m glad the store didn’t have any. Thank you for the recipe.
So happy you enjoyed them, Teresa! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
I just made these and they weren’t thin, I didn’t use a scale but measured accurately. They are also darker in color, I used cooking molasses which is what I have used for gingerbread cake. Is this the wrong kind
Hi Judy! We recommend using unsulphured molasses, like Grandma’s Molasses or Brer Rabbit All Natural (not full flavor). To ensure thin gingersnaps, you want to make sure you use room temperature butter (around 67°F) as well as measure your ingredients, especially your flour, with a digital scale. Adding too much flour to a recipe can result in thicker cookies. If you don’t have a digital scale, follow the Spoon & Level Method in THIS ARTICLE. I hope that helps!
Mine came out exactly like yours. I will be sure to measure with a scale next time. They were thicker and darker but still delicious!!!
I made these on Friday, and had consumed all of them on Sunday. Clearly, I’m a horrible person. But I made another batch for my coworkers today, Redemption!
haha love it! Wasn’t that first batch just a test batch so you didn’t give your coworkers bad cookies? 😉 Glad you loved them, Faith!
If I use salted butter should I reduce the salt or leave it out completely?
We personally don’t use salted butter in recipes as explained in this article about Salted vs. Unsalted Butter; however, the general rule of using salted butter in place of unsalted is to reduce 1/4 teaspoon of the salt in the recipe per 115g of butter. So reducing the salt to 1/8 teaspoon should work. Let us know what you think of this recipe when you give it a try 🙂
This is the best recipe!…but I always have 2 sticks of butter softened so I have to guess home much more of what.
I’m glad you enjoyed them, Annie! Though I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean regarding the butter?
Mine came out flat but chewy instead of crisp. Not sure where I went wrong…flavor is great though.
Hi Ashley! Check out the pink tip box above the recipe for more details on how to get that perfect crispy gingersnap 🙂 Did you substitute any ingredients? Do you weigh your ingredients with a digital scale? If no to the first question and yes to the second, I’m thinking you may have needed just a bit more time in the oven to help crisp them up. Glad you still enjoyed the flavor, but I hope you give this recipe another try!
Very good. I wish I could print this out.
Hi Virginia! You can print this recipe out! We include a print button in two areas, one at the top of the page below the Recipe Title (there are three circular red buttons, one with the Facebook logo, Pinterest logo, and then a printer logo). You can also find the print button directly above the recipe itself, as a similar red circular button. I hope that helps!
I have been baking for almost 40 years. Every year I make dozens of batches of different Christas cookies. Until this year, I had never made ginger snaps. I have to see, this is BY FAR the best cookies I’ve ever tasted. The heavenly smell as they are baking, just screams CHRISTMAS. I will be adding this to my yearly repertoire and I a now making some lemon curd to dip them in. You’ve never tasted anything like ginger snaps dipped into lemon curd. Thank you so much for sharing this most excellent recipe!
You’ve definitely got me wanting to try them in lemon curd now, that sounds so interesting! Wow, what an amazing review to read through. So happy you loved this recipe, Donna!
The is a great recipe and the flavor was wonderful. We had an issue that they didn’t come out flat. I feel that we follow the directions accordingly. Any ideas to help make them more flat? (Or adding a little more of an ingredient)
Hi there! Glad you enjoyed the flavor 🙂 To ensure thin gingersnaps, you want to make sure you use room temperature butter as well as measure your ingredients, especially your flour, with a digital scale. Adding too much flour to a recipe can result in thicker cookies. I hope you give this recipe another try, I’d love for you to enjoy them the way they’re meant to be
I Asked my husband to buy ginger snaps to make a cheesecake crust but was so disappointed with the boxed cookies I went in search of a recipe. I made this today and they are amazing. I had to reduce the cooking time by 2 minutes for my ovens and next time will add a more ginger, but so easy and amazing. I bake every weekend so with Christmas looming I am working on the list of cookies for cookie day and these just made the cut. I’m replacing the molasses cookies with these.
Thank you for posting this. FYI, I live in AZ too.
So happy you loved this recipe, Melissa! Cheesecake with homemade gingersnap crust would taste amazing! Thanks so much for the comment 🙂
Hi! Can I use molasses powder for this recipe?
Hi Mairah! I’m not sure, we haven’t tried that! Please let us know how it goes if you give it a try 🙂
We love ginger snaps, gingerbread etc. I use a few different recipes but now, this is my go to. Perfect
Wonderful! So happy to hear you loved this recipe, Claire! Thanks for sharing 🙂
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?