Ginger Cookies

Name: Ginger Cookies
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour; 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ¼ teaspoon salt; ¾ cup butter (softened); 1 cup sugar; 1 egg; 1 Tablespoon water; ¼ cup molasses; ¼ cup sugar (for rolling dough)

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51 Comments

4.80 from 15 votes

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These Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies turn out perfect every time - they are a tried-and-true family recipe! They taste like Christmas!

Is there a better cookie out there, than these Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies? We don’t think so either.

I’ve been searching for the perfect soft ginger cookie for a long time now . . . and I think that I have finally found it!

I made some of these cookies to take around to the neighbors for Christmas and I had so many people ask me for the recipe. They are that good!

Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies on a counter with one cookie broken in half to show the inside.

Recipe Ingredient Notes

To make Ginger Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

All-purpose flour – I usually use unbleached all-purpose flour, but if you want to make them a little bit healthier, you could use white whole wheat flour
Spices – you are going to need ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves (plus a little bit of salt)
Egg and baking soda – these are going to keep your cookies soft and fluffy
Butter – you definitely want to use unsalted butter (not margarine!) and it needs to be softened to room temperature (if it’s melted, the butter will not cream with the sugars as well)
Sugar – I used white sugar because of the added molasses, but you could do half brown sugar and half white sugar if desired
Molasses – I just use a full flavor original molasses that I find at the grocery store

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:

Cookie dough balls of ginger cookies on a baking sheet.

How to make Ginger Cookies

Preheat oven to 350℉.
In a medium bowl, sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt together; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and one cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg, then stir in water and molasses.
Fold in flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt and mix until well combined. Shape dough into 1-inch balls, roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack.

Storing and Other Tips

If you manage to not eat the whole tray of cookies immediately, these (cookie name) store well. Once cookies have completely cooled, here is how you can store them:

Counter: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want to try and get the cookies to last even longer without becoming crumbly cookies, add a slice of bread into the container of cookies. The bread will give the cookies something to draw moisture from.
Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.

Freezer: Let your Soft and Chewy Ginger cookies cool completely.
- Transfer cookies to an airtight container (a freezer gallon-sized resealable bag works great) in a single layer – store the cookies in multiple bags if you have more cookies than will fit in one bag because if you stack them, your cookies will freeze together and be hard to separate.
- I recommend eating the cookies within 1-2 months for the best flavor, but they will last for up to 3-4 months.
- When you are ready to eat, thaw the cookies at room temperature for about 20 minutes. If you want a warm cookie, stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds.
- Indulge in our favorite, Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies!

When I make these cookies, I always make sure that I NEVER overbake them. In fact, I tend to err on the side of UNDERBAKING them because I prefer that my cookies are super soft.

If you cook these for too long, they will become like crunchy gingersnaps. If you prefer your cookies to be more crunchy, feel free to bake them longer.

I start out baking these cookies for 7 minutes. If I feel like they need a little more time, I will cook them for an additional minute, but not a second longer! 8 minutes is my maximum baking time for a soft cookie.

Stacked ginger cookies, with a few ginger cookies around the stack.

There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.

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Questions & Reviews

Victoria says:

made these tonite! ~~~Seriously, these are the best cookies EVER!!!! Thanx for your recipe!
Mary says:

Is this recipe high altitude or will I need to make adjustments?
Suzy says:

Have to laugh, its the same recipe as is on the back of my molasses.
Cynthia says:

First, these look amazing. And sound even better. I've been researching ginger cookies and I think these are the ones I'm going to try first. But I have a question. In all the research I've done, I've read in several places that a pinch of cayenne really makes the flavor of the ginger pop. My question is.... have you ever tried using cayenne with your ginger cookies? Thanks so much for all the wonderful recipes you post. You're definitely not helping my waist line, but my tummy thanks you (as do my kids).
Erica says:

I LOVE molasses ginger cookies. Alas, I live at high altitude. The adjustments I usually make for baked goods can't keep these from being flat and not puffy. They still taste delicious, though.
Tracy says:

I have I love cayenne in my gingersnaps, definitely gives them a kick!
Jessy says:

How come you use margarine and not real butter? Would it taste different with butter? I'm just not a margarine lover.
Cyd says:

You could totally use butter rather than margarine. Butter tends to give you a flatter cookie, so watch it closely. Butter has a delicious taste. Butter or margarine, it will still work out!
joan says:

what can i do to make this healthy thank you
Ashley says:

I'm excited to try this recipe! Although it never says when to add the dry ingredients. I'm assuming after the molasses?
Cyd says:

Hi Ashley, Thanks for the heads up on that recipe. Yes, add in the dry ingredients after the molasses. This is one of our earliest recipes and we have been trying to go back and update them all. Have a great weekend!
Mary says:

Same exact recipe on allrecipes.com ,I use it all the time and it's amazing. Was something changed on this recipe?
Cyd says:

Hi Mary! We got this recipe from a neighbor at a church function! We love these big soft chewy cookies! Thanks so much for stopping by our blog! Have a great week! Cyd (mom of the Six Sisters)
Karla says:

These cookies are sooo delicious! I am only half through baking the batch and cannot stop eating them! Thanks for the recipe!
Sarah says:

Made these a few weeks ago. My husband told me last night "if I don't get some more of those ginger cookies, there's gonna be some trouble". LOL. Just a note, the first time I made them, I used two baking trays. The first was lined with parchment, and the second had a silicon baking sheet. The parchment cookies were flatter and tougher. The silicon cookies were fluffier and softer. Both tasted wonderful, but the textures were just slightly different. I'll be using the silicon baking sheet from now on. I just bought another so now I HAVE to make these again!
Cyd says:

We love the silicon baking liners!
Julie says:

Would maple syrup work OK instead of molasses? i know it's blasphemy to not use the molasses in ginger cookies but I'm wondering if anyone's done this. Thank you!
Daisie says:

How many cookies does one recipe yield? Thanks!
Cyd says:

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
KimK says:

I would try using the convection oven to keep the cookie fluffy and use real butter.
Denene says:

Just finished making these cookies....they are amazing! Have eaten three of them already! The only thing I did differently was to use butter instead of margarine like the recipe states. This recipe is definitely a keeper! Thanks for sharing
Ann Marie says:

I made these cookies and they are delicious, my son loves them. The first time I made them, I flattened slightly like the recipe states. The second time I left them rolled in balls and they still got extremely flat. I can't seem to get them thick and fluffy like the picture but they are still very good. Any suggestions? Thank you
Cyd says:

If your dough is too sticky add a little more flour or refrigerate the dough for about 20 minutes.
Susan says:

I use white pepper in mine - heats them up nicely! Also, I roll them in sugar w/ginger before baking!
Kim says:

These are amazing! Will now be in my rotation of 3 favorite cookies!
Veronica says:

Can I use honey or Maple syrup instead of molasses? Where i live it is difficult to find. Thanks
Cyd says:

The recipe only calls for 1/4 cup of molasses. But this substitution is for 1 cup, so you would need to reduce these amounts. Replace one cup of molasses with one of the following: 1 cup dark corn syrup, honey or maple syrup 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup water These substitutions may alter the taste of your recipe a bit. If the molasses flavor is vital to the success of your recipe, try the brown sugar substitute. Since brown sugar is made from granulated sugar and molasses, it'll be the closest flavor match. The maple syrup or dark corn syrup would be the next best choice. If you have to use granulated sugar or honey as the substitute, consider increasing the spices in the recipe a bit to make up for the flavors that the molasses would have contributed.
Ragan says:

Ahh these are SO GOOD! Only 1 problem: it is NOT possible to leave them to cool for 5 minutes without devouring them
Cyd says:

Hi Ragan. We love them! And they make your house smell wonderful! So glad you like them!
Taylor says:

Okay these cookies are a ginger-lovers dream! I love gingersnaps but was looking to make something a little more chewy and sweet. These are perfect! Very simple and easy recipe for a college student with not a lot of fancy bakeware. I might have to make these every Christmas!
Tina says:

I need advice on how to keep my husband out of the cookie dough!
Cyd says:

Ha Ha! It's yummy cookie dough!
Tasha says:

I found this recipe a few years ago and have since made these delicious cookies every Christmas for our Christmas Eve party! They are always a big hit!! 🥰 making them again today!!
Cyd says:

Hi Tasha! We hope you have a very Merry Christmas. We are so thrilled you love the Soft and Chewy Ginger cookies from Six Sisters. They are one of our favorites. Have a Happy New Year and thanks so much for stopping by!
Lori Jankowski says:

I have been using a soft molasses recipe for years, but decided to step out of my comfort zone today and tried this recipe. I think the biggest difference is butter vs shortening and I love the difference butter makes to the cookie. You have converted me to use your recipe as my go-to ginger cookie! Thanks for sharing!
Cyd says:

Hi Lori. We are so glad you like them! Have a great week!
Ambre says:

Can I use a gluten free flour in this?
Momma Cyd says:

Gluten free flour can be subbed for regular all purpose flour 1:1 ratio. So it should work just fine.
Chey505 says:

Seriously delicious! Christmas basket gifted and so glad I kept a couple dozen for home. Love the "chewy"; and so easy to make! :)
Mary Lou says:

I wanted to try these so bad. Made them Christmas Eve Day...... but dough too wet! It wasn't firm enough to even make a ball to roll in sugar. Anyone else experience this? I tried adding more flour twice. Still not firm enough. Ended up putting in glass baking dish and baked like a bread or brownie. Tasted GREAT; but I wanted chewy cookies.
Amber says:

This recipe is a fall and winter favorite in our house! It is really delicious and makes the house smell SO good! We have always added white chocolate chips to the recipe and it makes these cookies that much more delicious!😋
Sasha says:

Made these gingersnaps yesterday to freeze until Christmas and oh my goodness! I have never been one to love gingersnaps especially when they are rock hard. These are the complete opposite. So soft with a fudgey centre. Crisp on the outside. I kept my dough in the fridge in between each batch as it was soft and i didn’t want them to bake flat. Couldn’t have turned out any more perfect! I put white chocolate chips in half. Highly recommend. Thankyou for sharing a great family recipe!
Momma Cyd says:

Hi Sasha. So glad that they turned out! And the white chocolate chips sound amazing!!
Bernie says:

Second time I've made these. Wonderful is all I can say! 8 min was all I needed.
Karley says:

I use your website for almost all our new recipes & we love such a reliable source. With these cookies I'm wondering the consistency of the dough. I'd love to make them into holiday shapes for neighbors would that work with this recipe?
Linda Brown says:

I made double this recipe and it very delicious. You were right they are soft & chewy . I would highly recommend this recipe to anyone.
Momma Cyd says:

Hi Karley! It could possibly work cutting these into shapes. We have not tried it before, but would love to hear how they turn out!
Julia says:

My son has an egg allergy. Can I replace the egg with flax egg?
Momma Cyd says:

We have not tried flax egg in this recipe. But this website may answer some of your questions. https://minimalistbaker.com/how-to-make-a-flax-egg/
Kenzie J says:

Good flavor but took waay longer than 10 minutes to bake (and they still seem underbaked!) and doesn’t look like the picture, even though I followed the recipe instructions. They are very flat and much too gooey on the inside.
Bobbi @ Six Sisters says:

So sorry they didn't turn out. It could be many factors included what altitude you live at (Higher altitudes usually lead to flatter cookies) or whether you used butter or margarine, or even the brands of the ingredients. You could try to increase flour by 1-4 Tablespoons and that might help