A recipe for crispy, spicy gingersnap cookies infused with molasses, cloves, cinnamon, and two forms of ginger.

My great grandma used to make gingersnap cookies every Christmas. While some Christmas cookies scream Christmas – I’m thinking peppermint candy cane sugar cookies, snowflake sugar cookies, and red and green anything – the warm, comforting flavors of ginger and molasses work well from fall into winter. Even though it’s still hot in Nashville, I’m craving fall flavors like these. To up the spicy ginger flavor of classic gingersnap cookies, I included two forms of ginger: both crystallized candied ginger and ginger powder. Try these dipped in warm milk or tea.

How to Make Gingersnap Cookies

I love one-bowl dessert recipes like these gingersnap cookies that can be mixed by hand – no mixer required. The key to mixing these by hand is to make sure your butter is softened, otherwise you’ll end up with chunks of butter.

Start by mixing sugar, softened butter, and molasses in a large bowl with a wooden spoon. Add an egg and mix well. Then add baking soda, finely chopped crystallized candied ginger, ginger powder, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Mix well. Finally add in the flour and mix until just combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes to overnight. Then when ready to bake, preheat the oven and roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Put granulated sugar in a bowl and roll the dough balls in the sugar. Place on a nonstick baking sheet about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet and then move to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Helpful Tools & Ingredients

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A nonstick half sheet pan is perfect for making cookies and roasting veggies without needing any oil or parchment paper – the food doesn’t stick and cleanup is a breeze.

I use these wire cooling racks to cool baked goods, from scones to pizza.

Crystallized candied ginger can be tricky to find in the grocery store. In my store, it’s generally near the natural foods. If your store is out of stock, you can find it on Amazon here. I use crystallized candied ginger in these gingersnap cookies, ginger peach scones, and like to eat it as a snack when traveling or hiking.

Looking for more ginger forward recipes? Try these ginger peach scones or these ginger scallion noodles. Craving fall desserts? Check out this recipe for mini caramel apple cheesecakes.

If you try this recipe for gingersnap cookies, leave a comment and review below and let me know what you think!

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5 from 10 votes