Tessa’s Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Warm spices with the perfect balance of sweetness.
TEXTURE: Like a soft, fluffy snickerdoodle and a chewy gingersnap had a baby.
EASE: Super simple and quick – you don’t even need to chill the dough!
PROS: Festive and unusual holiday cookies, perfect for any party or to add to your cookie platter.
CONS: None!
WOULD I MAKE THIS AGAIN? Absolutely.
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These Gingerdoodle cookies are the perfect taste and texture mash-up of puffy, soft snickerdoodles, and richly-spiced gingersnap cookies.
It wouldn’t be December without dozens of cookies. We all have our family favorites that become holiday traditions, but this year I’m adding one to the mix that’s the best of both worlds.
I literally took my favorite Snickerdoodle recipe and my favorite Gingersnap recipe and combined them. The first batch ended up too flat and crisp for my liking. That was because they contained more baking soda, which can promote spread and browning.
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So, for the second batch, I reduced the baking soda and increased the cream of tartar. The resulting cookies had that characteristic soft snickerdoodle texture with all the gingersnap flavor I love. Perfect!
I think they might even become one of your holiday baking traditions!
I’m teaming up with OXO to bring you this cookie recipe. You all know by now that my love for their Cookie Scoops is endless. I use them every single time I make cookies, which is embarrassingly often.
But they have so many other cookie baking tools that are an absolute must in the kitchen during this time of year. I baked these cookies on the OXO Non-Stick Pro Cookie Sheet, which makes for super easy cleanup and beautifully caramelized edges.
Their Silicone Cookie Spatula is the perfect size for easily maneuvering tons of holiday cookies. My recent favorite is their brand new Cooling Rack which is both beautiful and ultra functional. And if you haven’t tried out their nesting mixing bowls, they actually have a non-slip base so you can whisk and stir vigorously without the bowl sliding around everywhere.
These kitchen goodies are just perfect for cookie baking. I’d definitely add a few to your holiday wish list, or put together a cute cookie baking gift basket for any bakers in your life!
Sprinkle of Science
How to Make Gingerdoodle Cookies
Tips for Soft Gingerdoodle Cookies
- Be sure to measure your flour correctly by weighing it with a digital scale. If you don’t have one, use the spoon and level method.
- Measuring your dry ingredients accurately is one of the best ways to improve your baking.
- If you don’t measure your flour correctly, you could end up with dry, hard cookies lacking in flavor.
What Can I Use Instead of Molasses?
If you cannot get molasses where you live, you can try substituting honey or dark corn syrup – but the flavor and texture of your Gingerdoodle Cookies will change.
Be sure to use regular unsulphured molasses (like Grandma’s or Brer Rabbit brands). Don’t use blackstrap molasses, as it has a harsh and bitter flavor.
The Spices in Gingerdoodle Cookies
Check your spices to ensure they’re not expired. Even if they’re not expired, give them a sniff and make sure they’re still very aromatic. Older spices carry less flavor; fresh spices will carry a LOT more flavor. So, just be aware of that and feel free to adjust the spice levels accordingly.
How to Make Gingerdoodle Cookies Ahead of Time
Option 1: Fridge
Gingerdoodle Cookie dough can be portioned and shaped into balls, then stored in the fridge for up to 3 days. Roll in cinnamon sugar just before baking.
When refrigerating dough, it’s really important to store it in an airtight container like the OXO Smart Seal Glass Containers. If you don’t, the dough can easily dry out in the fridge environment.
Option 2: Freezer
- Balls of cookie dough are practically essential to any freezer around the holidays! This is the most convenient way to store cookie dough.
- Simply shape the dough into balls using a medium 1 1/2-Tablespoon sized OXO Cookie Scoop, then place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Remove the frozen balls to an OXO glass food storage container and store in the freezer for up to 6 weeks.
- To bake from frozen, reduce the temperature by 25°F add 1-2 minutes to the baking time. The colder the dough when it enters the oven, the thicker the cookie will be!
- Alternatively, allow the dough to thaw overnight in the fridge, then bake as instructed in the recipe below.
Storing Baked Gingerdoodle Cookies
Baked, cooled Gingerdoodles can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for about 5 days. I prefer the OXO Smart Seal Glass Containers. They protect the cookies from getting squashed and make for easy transportation to any holiday party.
To keep the cookies extra soft for longer, try adding a tortilla to the container. To reheat and refresh the cookies, place them in a 350°F oven for about 3 minutes.
More Holiday Baking Recipes You’ll Love:
Gingerdoodle Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (about 67°F)
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1/3 cup (113 grams) molasses*
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups (286 grams) all-purpose flour
For rolling:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined. Add in the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, cream of tartar, baking soda, and flour and beat until combined.
- Mix the 1/2 cup granulated sugar with the cinnamon in a shallow dish. Using the OXO medium spring-loaded cookie scoop, shape the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoon balls. Roll in the cinnamon sugar before placing on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the palm of your hand. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, or until set.
- Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
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This post was originally published in 2017 and has been updated with additional recipe tips.
Love the flavor and texture of these!!
Quick question about flour: according to the brand I used, 2 1/4 cups would weigh 270 g (120 g/cup) Do you recommend following the amount listed in the recipe or the conversion using nutritional label measurements? Ever since I started weighing ingredients, this frequently pops up.
Hi Marybeth, great question! In baking, it’s always best to follow the specific weight provided by the recipe author, regardless of the flour brand. This ensures accuracy because different brands use varying methods to determine cup-to-gram conversions. Sticking to the listed weight helps achieve the intended texture and results. Hope that helps!
These cookies are delicious! So easy to put together and amazing flavor and texture.
This has been a go-to recipe for the holidays for the last few years. The texture of these is perfect, and I’ve had many recipients marvel at the chewiness and flavor. They always come out good and thick and stay soft! They are a marvel. 🙂
I tried this recipe during the 2023 holiday season. It is fantastic!! Easy to make using a hand mixer and the dough is so easy to work with; I chill for at least 1 hour and it comes out of the scoop without struggling. My family gobbled these up and now I freeze and bake them year round. Thanks for a great ginger cookie recipe.
These turned out very tasty. I was looking for a recipe for a holiday treat exchange and took a chance since I usually love everything from this website. They turned out nice and chewy, which was what I was going for, but I think the flavor on this one was a bit too molasses-heavy for me. The cinnamon sugar on the outside also had a little too much cinnamon for my taste, I would maybe do 1/4 tsp cinnamon and 1/3 cup sugar if I make them again. Also, the cookies didn’t spread as much as I thought they would, so I should have flattened them a bit more before putting them in. All in all, these were good, easy holiday cookies just not my favorite.
These are one of my favorite cookie recipe, even though it is slightly too spicy & leaves my mouth tingling. I made this for my county fair & not only did they get first place but also best cookies in show. These are a big winner. Soft on the inside & crispy on the edges, the perfect texture.
That’s amazing to hear, yay! Congrats on your win!
Can’t wait to try these But I’m not able to find the information you had on Molasses. I may have tgewrong 1 in the pantry. Thank You
Hi Donna! You should be able to use any grocery store molasses – just make sure it’s not a blackstrap molasses, as that gives a different, harsher flavor. This is the type I usually buy to bake with – linked to purchase from Amazon here 🙂 Let us know what you think of these once you have tried them!
These cookies are one of the best cookies I’ve ever made. Easy and delicious. I can’t keep my kid from gobbling them up!!! We added chopped crystallized ginger and that took perfection to another level!!
Delicious addition! So happy to hear they were such a hit, thanks for the comment!
First time making these for my family and they were a huge hit. They somehow manage to be perfectly chewy and crispy. The flavor was great.
So delicious! I made these for my neighbors along with your double chocolate chip cookies and sugar and they were the favorite!
This is my family’s all-time favorite cookie. I make 4x the basic recipe at a time, using my Bosch mixer, and freeze most of them. We thaw them as needed.
My daughter lives in Europe; she tried this recipe and didn’t like the results. I suspect the molasses was different.
So happy you love them! It’s interesting to note your daughter didn’t like the results, it may very well be the difference in ingredients!