I have been making ginger snaps for a very long time but I never posted them on the blog. In fact almost a year ago I made the ginger snap cookies and photographed them but I did not end up sharing them because I took the photos when the sun was setting and they did not turn out that great.
In any case, I knew with the cold weather already settling in I wanted cookies that were full of spice and warmth. Ginger snaps are the perfect cookie recipe for winter. This ginger snaps recipe is even better because it doesn’t require butter. It’s hard to get butter to room temperature when it’s -25 outside. Now I know butter vs. oil in ginger snaps are a divisive issue. However, as a student, no butter recipes are perfect for me when I want a quick cookie fix. It takes 10 minutes to make cookie batter, 30 to rest and 10 to bake. In less than an hour I can consume cookies and resume watching Netflix. So here you go my Chewy Ginger Snaps Recipe.
Jump to RecipeSUGAR AND SPICE
The first time I made these cookies I added extra flour because the dough was so soft I could not roll it into balls. That was a mistake because I added too much flour to the ratio of my liquid ingredients.
What I needed to do was to let the dough rest in the fridge to firm up. In 30 minutes the dough is firm enough to roll into balls and then roll into sugar. I urge you not to skip the rolling in sugar part. This step adds a crunchy texture to the cookies and an extra level of sweetness that off-sets the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Finally, the cookies only need about 8 minutes to bake. They will continue baking on the tray when you remove them from the oven and those beautiful little cracks will form on top!
Looking for another Christmas cookie? Check out my recipe for chocolate gingerbread cookies!
CHEWY GINGER SNAPS
ginger. spice. molasses.
Ginger Snaps
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/3 cup cane or baker's sugar for rolling
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350F/180C and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
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In a large bowl whisk together the oil, molasses, brown sugar, and egg until combined. Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Fold the ingredients together with a spatula.
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At this point, your batter will be very very soft and you won't really be able to scoop your cookies. Place the batter in the fridge for 30 minutes to 1 hour for the dough to firm up. Do not add extra flour. You will just add more gluten and change the structure and taste of the dough.
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Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, roll the dough into golf-ball-size and then roll it into the sugar (sugar on a plate). Make sure to coat all sides. Place 4 – 6 cookies on a sheet and cook for 8-10 minutes. 8 minutes for soft chewy and 10 for slightly crispier cookies.
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Let the cookies rest on the pan for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Store cookies in a cookie jar or airtight container for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
You can easily half this recipe (to make around 10 cookies) however you will want to add one whole egg and 1/4 cup extra flour (so 1 1/4 c of flour total).
This dough should not be prepared overnight or cooled in the fridge for more than 2 hours since the batter already has baking soda mixed in. If you let it rest too long you will get a super flat cookie!
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THESE COOKIES ARE THE EPITOME OF WINTER AND CHRISTMAS. AS THEY BAKE THE WHOLE KITCHEN IS ENVELOPED IN A WARM GINGER SPICED AROMA. THE GINGER SNAPS PAIR PERFECTLY WITH A TALL COLD GLASS OF MILK OR A LATTE IF YOU ARE FEELING INDULGENT. WHAT ARE YOUR FAVOURITE COOKIES TO BAKE DURING THE WINTER?
