Desserts / Cookies, bars & fudge
Chewy Molasses Gingersnaps
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Your kitchen smells like the first cold afternoon of fall when these bake. Molasses, three warm spices and bits of crystallized ginger, rolled in sugar so the tops crackle.
The short version
Beat butter and both sugars, add egg, molasses and vanilla, then the spiced flour. Chill 2 hours, roll in sugar, bake at 350°F for 9 to 12 minutes. Take them out when they're puffed and cracked.
What makes ours better
small changes, very loud compliments
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Chill the dough for at least 2 hours. A cold dough spreads less, and the rested flour gives a chewier, crackled cookie. Overnight is even better, so make the dough ahead.
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Roll the balls in sugar before baking. The sugar dries out the surface, which cracks as the cookie puffs and falls. It also gives a sparkly crunch against the soft middle.
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Fold the flour in gently. Mixing just until the flour disappears keeps the centers gooey. Beating it longer makes a tougher, more cake-like cookie.
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Add chopped crystallized ginger. Ground ginger gives warmth and crystallized ginger gives bursts of sharp heat. Optional, but it's what people ask about.
What you need
check the pantry before you promise anyone
- Unsalted butter10 tablespoons
- Packed light or dark brown sugar½ cup
- Granulated sugar½ cup
- Egg1 large
- Vanilla extract½ teaspoon
- All-purpose flour2 cups
- Ground ginger2 teaspoons
- Ground cinnamon1 teaspoon
Dough
For rolling
yes, all of the butter
Steps
go slow. the good part can’t be rushed.
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Beat the butter and sugars
In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar and ½ cup granulated sugar with a mixer on medium for 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the molasses and vanilla, scraping the bowl once.
About 2 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Mix the spiced flour
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves together until evenly mixed.
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Fold in the flour
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix on low, or fold with a spatula, just until no dry flour is left. Fold in the crystallized ginger, if using. The dough will be soft and sticky.
Stop as soon as the flour disappears. More mixing means a less gooey center.
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Chill the dough
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 8, until the dough is firm enough to roll.
About 120 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Heat the oven, roll the balls
Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Portion the dough into 1¼-ounce balls (a heaping tablespoon), roll smooth, then roll each in the sugar until fully coated. Set them 2 inches apart.
A kitchen scale makes the cookies even, so they all bake in the same time.
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Bake
Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed, golden at the edges and cracked on top, 9 to 12 minutes. They will look slightly underdone in the center.
About 10 min. Cook mode has a timer for this step.
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Cool on the pan
Leave the cookies on the sheet for 2 minutes so they can set, then move them to a rack. They crisp slightly at the edge and stay chewy in the middle.
Good to know
things I learned the hard way, so you can skip that part
- Measure the flour by weight if you can. Too little flour makes thin cookies that spread. If you scoop with the cup, spoon the flour in and level it.
- Use regular molasses, light or dark. Blackstrap is too bitter and strong for this dough.
- For crisper, snappier gingersnaps, flatten the balls with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer.
- The dough keeps 3 days in the fridge, so you can bake a few at a time.
- Storage. Airtight at room temperature, 5 days. Frozen dough balls, 3 months; roll in sugar and bake from frozen, adding 1 to 2 minutes.
Questions, answered
asked and answered at the kitchen counter
How do I keep gingersnaps chewy?
Take them out while the middles still look soft, and store them airtight. Overbaking is the main cause of hard gingersnaps, so watch the cracks on top and pull them there.
Do I have to chill the dough?
Yes. The dough is too soft to roll without chilling, and warm dough spreads into flat, greasy cookies. Two hours is the minimum.
Can I use blackstrap molasses?
Not here. It's much more bitter and tastes harsh in this cookie. Use regular light or dark molasses.
Why didn't my gingersnaps crack on top?
Usually the dough wasn't rolled in enough sugar, or the dough was overmixed. A thick sugar coat and a gentle fold give the crackled tops.
Can I make these crispy instead of chewy?
Yes. Flatten the balls with a sugared glass and bake 2 to 3 minutes longer, until the edges are deep brown. They crisp as they cool.
From the table
Made it? I want the full report: first bite, best compliment, and who tried to take the leftovers home.
Made it?
tell me the truth, then tell me who had thirds
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Published October 29, 2026.