Chewy, Soft Ginger Cookies
These gingersnap cookies are chewy, soft, and stay that way for many days. They are perfect for gift giving and holiday cookie trays. They look basic, but they taste amazing.
Servings: 24 cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
- 12 TB unsalted butter, softened to room temp
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar, tightly packed
- 1 large egg
- 1 TB orange juice
- ¼ cup molasses
- Optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling or white chocolate/candy melts for decorating
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the four, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the softened butter with both sugars on med-high, until light and fluffy, a full 4 minutes, scraping down sides and beaters as needed.
- Beat in the egg on medium-low until incorporated. Add orange juice and molasses, continuing to beat just until combined.
- Add dry ingredients into the butter mixture, beating on medium-low just until ingredients are fully incorporated; do not over-mix. Cover tightly and chill in fridge at least 30 minutes, or until dough is firm enough to handle. If you're planning to roll and cut into shapes, chill at least 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.Drop Cookies: Shape dough into 1-TB sized balls. Place them 2 inches apart on lined baking sheet, and sprinkle tops with coarse sugar if desired. Bake about 9 minutes, taking care not to over-bake. Cookies will appear very soft. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet without disturbing them for 5 minutes, and gently transfer to wire rack to cool completely.Cut-Out Cookies: Lightly flour a large cutting board and rolling pin. Roll dough into 1/4" even thickness. Use 1 1/2 - 2" cookie cutters for best results. Place cookies 2 inches apart on lined baking sheet and place in fridge for 10 minutes. Bake about 8-9 minutes or until cookies have puffed out and are still soft. Let cool on baking sheet for 10 minutes, and gently transfer to wire rack to cool completely before icing.
Equipment
- Candy Melts, for decorating
Notes
- Always ensure flour is measured accurately; use this simple Scoop and Level method.
- If you prefer, you can use apple juice or milk instead of orange juice.
- You can use light brown sugar in lieu of dark brown sugar, though dark brown sugar provides a deeper molasses flavor and color.
- If you're rolling out the cookie dough and cutting into shapes, keep unbaked shapes in the fridge until it's their turn to bake; this will help them keep their shape as they bake.
- Decorating ideas: melt white chocolate for a super-easy and pretty drizzle. Use colorful sprinkles. Try candy melts, for smooth and tasty icing colors.
- If you enjoyed this recipe, please come back and give it a rating! ♡
Nutrition (per serving)
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 95mg | Potassium: 66mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg