Chewy Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies
These old fashioned ginger snap cookies are the ultimate combination of sweet, spicy, soft, and chewy, with a slightly crisp exterior. The spice combination of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves will make your kitchen smell like the holidays, and you can even make them vegan and/or gluten free.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 152kcal
Equipment
- small saucepan
Ingredients
- 2-¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
- ¼ cup molasses (unsulphured)
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 12 ounces semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (optional)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk in brown sugar.
- In a small saucepan, melt butter and whisk into flour mixture with molasses and egg until well-combined.
- With a wooden spoon stir in remaining 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour until combined well.
- Chill dough, covered, until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 2 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll level tablespoons of dough into balls and in a small bowl roll balls in granulated sugar to coat.
- Arrange balls about 2 inches apart on baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven until flattened and a shade darker, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes, and then transfer with a spatula to wire racks to cool completely.
- **Optional step: Dip completely cooled cookies into tempered chocolate (see "Expert Tips" above) until covered halfway and place on parchment-lined baking sheets until chocolate is completely set.
Notes
- Don't skip the step of chilling the dough. This allows the cookie dough to set up, and will prevent the cookies from flattening out when baked.
- Use unsulphured molasses for these cookies, not blackstrap molasses. Unsulphured molasses is the finest quality, and is the type that most grocery stores carry.
- How to store: Store cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- How to freeze: Place cookies in a freezer-safe bag and store in the freezer for up to 2 months. You can also freeze your portioned-out cookie dough and bake at a later date.
- Recipe adapted from Gourmet magazine.
Nutrition
Calories: 152kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 56mg | Potassium: 73mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 188IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg