Ooooh I love these buttery old fashioned ginger molasses cookies. You can also add a lovely and not-too-sweet frosting. I know you will enjoy them too!
Why I Love This Recipe
I have been ginger cookie obsessed this season! This is a late-breaking life situation. I didn’t grow up with ginger cookies of any kind but was inspired by a store-bought variety in recent years.
As a result, now I can’t stop. I’ve been making and tweaking recipes like crazy. All were very good, but this is one of our favorites so far!
These cookies are soft, warm, and perfectly gingery with those classic crackly tops we all love. They are delicious straight from the oven, or you can frost or drizzle with cream cheese frosting or white chocolate.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make these yummy ginger cookies. Most of these are pantry staples and easy to find at any grocery store.
Softened Butter Let the butter sit out at room temperature until softened. Do not melt it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Properly softened butter creams with the sugar much better and helps create a soft cookie texture.
Sugars This recipe uses three types of sugar. Brown sugar goes into the cookie dough for moisture and chew, granulated sugar is used for rolling to create that crackly top, and powdered sugar is used for the frosting.
Molasses Use dark molasses for these ginger cookies. Look for brands like Brer Rabbit unsulphured dark molasses or Grandma’s. Do not use blackstrap molasses, as it is too strong and bitter for this recipe.
Egg You only need one egg. Room temperature eggs mix more smoothly into the dough. To warm it quickly, place the egg in a bowl of warm water for 5 to 10 minutes, or run warm tap water over it for a few minutes until it no longer feels cold.
Flour All-purpose flour works perfectly for this recipe.
Spices This recipe uses a cozy blend of cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, and nutmeg. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your taste, whether you prefer something mild or more boldly spiced.
Salt & Baking Soda
Classic cookie essentials. Baking soda helps the cookies rise and stay soft. Make sure it is fresh for the best results.
Variations
If you are looking for recipe options, here are different ways to change up your ginger cookies. Try ’em all!
Plain Ginger Cookies. Go bare. Some people just want pure and uncomplicated ginger cookies.
These stand up wonderfully all by themselves!
Sugar-coated. Roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar before baking to achieve a beautiful, subtle sparkle plus mouth-watering sweetness.
Glazed or Iced. A drizzle of white chocolate or a light glaze is delicious on top of these cookies.
Frosted. Go for the full tilt and top with a luscious cream cheese frosting.
Extra Ginger. Add chopped crystallized ginger to these cookies for added ginger flavor and crunch.
Instructions Overview
This is an overview of the easy cookie-making process. Look for the full, printable recipe with exact measurements is further down the page.
1 Mix the Dough
Cream the butter and sugar until fluffy, then stir in the molasses and egg, and fold in the dry ingredients. If your dough feels a little soft and sticky, pop it in the fridge for a bit. It makes rolling much easier.
2 Roll in Sugar
Scoop out the dough, roll it in sugar, and plop it onto your cookie sheet. Don’t worry about perfection, these cookies have character.
3 Bake
Bake until the edges are golden, and the tops have that beautiful crackle. Let them cool just enough to handle, then it’s time to taste!
4 Drizzle or Frosting, optional
Go ahead and frost with cream cheese frosting or drizzle some melted white chocolate for an extra special treat! These are also amazing plain!
Tips & Tricks
This cookie recipe is pretty foolproof, but knowing and applying basic cooking, measuring, and baking skills is always a good idea.
Once you know them, your cookies will be better and more consistent. To learn how to make cookies a lot better check out this post.
Without further ado, here is the yummy recipe!
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Recipe
Print
Soft Ginger Cookies with Frosting
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Perfect for the holidays! Your family will love these pillowy soft ginger cookies.
Ingredients
Cookie Ingredients
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup sugar for rolling
Frosting Ingredients
8 ounces (1 brick) of cream cheese, room temperature
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups powdered sugar
(or white chocolate chips instead of frosting)
Instructions
Cookie Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheets with a Silpat liner or parchment paper.
With an electric mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, approximately 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go. Add the molasses and egg. Mix well until combined.
Whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and baking soda. Slowly add them to the wet mixture and blend until combined. Do not overmix. You can chill your dough at this point for 30 minutes if it is too soft to roll.
Add the granulated sugar to a small shallow bowl when the dough is ready. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. (I use a cookie scoop.) Roll in sugar to coat and place on the baking sheet, leaving enough room for spreading. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until set. The outside should become golden and crackle. Cool on the cookie sheet before removing to cooling racks. Enjoy plain or drizzle with white chocolate, or frost.
Option 1. Cream Cheese Frosting
Beat the cream cheese, butter, and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth. Slowly add the powdered sugar until it is blended and creamy. If it becomes too thick, add a tablespoon of milk or water. Repeat as necessary until it becomes the right consistency. If it gets too thin, add in more powdered sugar.
Option 2. Quick Icing Method
In a glass bowl, microwave the white chocolate chips for 30 seconds. Take the bowl out and stir. Place the bowl back in the microwave and repeat for 30 more seconds. Stir again. Being careful not to burn, return to the microwave, and cook as needed in 10-second increments until you get the right consistency. I used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips; they melted and drizzled beautifully.
Notes
Storage Keep cookies at room temperature in an airtight container for up to one week or freeze them.
Freezing You can also freeze the cookie dough balls before baking for up to 3 months. Freeze on a tray or baking sheet to set, then put in a ziplock freezer bag or an airtight freezer container.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Please comment below on how your ginger cookies turn out! I’d love to hear from you. Be sure to subscribe or follow me on social media for more inspiration!
xo,
Cindy
Did you try this recipe?
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Thank you!
About Bloom
Cindy Munson is a lifelong sewer, pattern designer, and former graphic design studio owner. She shares approachable, stylish sewing projects through her blog, Be Brave and Bloom. Her mission is to help others discover the joy of making and live a more creative life. Cindy works from her sunny sewing studio in Minnesota, where she lives with her husband of over 30 years.
Cookies are delicious and look so good!
Awesome! Thanks.😃