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The Very Best Gingersnap Cookies

 This recipe for Gingersnap Cookies has been in my family for 100 years and was passed down to me from my Grandmother Hughena McFeeters.  It is soft, chewy and full of that ginger molasses flavour gingersnaps are famous for.  This recipe has been coveted and never ever shared … till now!

A tall stack of ginger snap cookies with a glass of milk in the background

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I am torn about sharing this recipe to be honest because I have held this recipe for gingersnap cookies so close to my heart for so many years.  I think at one point I said to my son the only way his wife will ever get this recipe is if I “like” her. 

Joking of course… or was I?

One of my best memories of my Grandmother was years ago when I visited her to bake.  We planned a day to spend together so she could teach me all of her best baking recipes and share with me hands-on all of her tips and tricks.

When I arrived, she gave me recipe cards with her recipes all written out for me.  It must have taken her all week to prepare. I am honoured, to say the least. 

It was a very special day for me and I think her as well.  To be honest thinking of this day brings a tear to my eye because I was so lucky to spend time with her learning all of her tips and tricks.

These shortbread cookies and homemade pie crust are two other recipes I learned to make with her that day.

cups and bowls of ingredients, overhead view

Ingredients & substitutions

  • Pastry flour – Pastry flour has a lower protein content than all-purpose flour creating a lighter cookie. I personally always used pastry flour for my cookies. In this recipe, pastry flour can be substituted for all-purpose flour.
  • Granulated sugar – Plain old white sugar.
  • Vegetable oil – Creates a crumbly cookie. I have used safflower oil as well with success.
  • Molasses – Fancy molasses is best with its sweeter lighter flavour but cooking molasses works fine as well in this recipe. Avoid using blackstrap molasses as it is heavier and tends to have a slightly bitter flavour.
  • Egg – The glue that holds most baking together.
  • Salt – Intensifies the flavour of cookies but also works with the gluten protein making a less sticky batter.
  • Baking soda – Don’t mess with the ratios with this ingredient. In this recipe, too little baking soda will create a cakey-bland cookie, and too little the cookies will be hard as a rock cookie. The amount in this recipe creates crunchy crispy edges and a slightly chewy but not cakey centre.
  • Ginger – Ground ginger. Some people who are ginger fanatics have told me they have doubled the ginger in this recipe so if you are a huge ginger fan…give it a try!
  • Cinnamon – Ground cinnamon.

how to make gingersnaps

bowl with liquid ingredients

Preheat over to 350°F. In a large bowl mix together the sugar and vegetable oil.

bowl with liquid ingredients

Add the egg and molasses and mix well until it starts to become a little more solid pulling away from the edges of the bowl as you mix.

adding dry ingredients to bowl of liquid ingredients

Place a sieve over the large bowl and add the flour, salt, baking soda, ginger and cinnamon. Stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture and continue until the dry ingredients have fallen through the sieve.

adding molasses to bowl of ingredients

Mix the sieved dry ingredients into the molasses mixture. Do not overmix.

If the dough is really sticky and impossible to roll into a ball then cover and let the dough chill in the fridge for about a half hour.

spooning dough onto cookie sheet

Roll a rounded teaspoon of cookie batter in a small bowl of sugar until the cookie is covered. Place the cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking sheet.

These cookies will spread so be sure to not space them too close together.

placing cookies on cooling rack

Bake for 10 minutes or until flat and the appearance of cracking on the top.

Remove from the oven and let rest on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

A tall stack of ginger snap cookies tumbling over beside a tall glass of milk

Tips & Tricks

  • Use vegetable oil.  This has a big effect on the texture of the cookie.  I have used canola oil before but the cookies tend to end up a little crunchier. Safflower oil is a good substitution.
  • Proper measuring for this recipe is essential.  For the oil, molasses and really any liquid use a glass measuring cup you can pour from.  I use glass cups with the measurements on the side.  Using a glass cup allows you to get to eye level and see that the liquid measurement is level and exact.
  • For the dry ingredients, use metal or plastic measuring cups that are level along the top.  Scoop the dry ingredients in and use the handle of a knife or spoon to sweep across the top to make sure you have a level and even measurement.  Again baking is a science and exact measurements matter.
  • I like to use Pastry flour for GingerSnaps and many other cookies because it is a finer flour that makes cookies and baked goods lighter and fluffier.
  • When adding the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients I like to use a large sieve that can rest on top of the large mixing bowl.  Lie the sieve on top of the wet ingredient bowl and add all the dry ingredients on top.  Then gently stir the dry ingredients through the sieve and into the wet.  This way you know all the spices are combined evenly and there will not be any flour clumps.
  • For crispy gingersnap cookies take the cookies out a minute later. It’s that easy!
Close up of a ginger snap cookie with a big bite taken out

how long will gingersnaps Last?

Not long because they are so good this has never been an issue in my house. But in all seriousness, if you store them in a sealed container they will be good for up to 3-4 days on the counter.

Can you freeze Gingersnaps?

Absolutely! In fact, this is what I do often so we don’t eat them all at once. Just put them in a resealable freezer container and they will freeze well for up to 3 months.

Make sure to let them thaw before biting into them or you may crack a tooth. They get very hard when frozen.

Update… these Skor Shortbread Meltaway Cookies are now a contender for best cookie according to Zach!

More popular Cookie Recipes

Like this recipe as much as my family does?  Please give it a 5-star rating.

A tall stack of ginger snap cookies with a glass of milk in the background

The Best Recipe For Gingersnap Cookies

Alisa Infanti
Soft, chewy and full of flavour – this Ginger Snap Recipe has been in my family for over 100 years and is still everyone’s favourite cookie!
4.61 from 56 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Baking, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American
Servings 4 dozen
Calories 97 kcal

Equipment

  • Large Bowl
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons
  • Large Sieve
  • Spoon or Fork
  • Baking Sheet
  • Small Bowl
  • Oven

Ingredients
  

  • 2 cups pastry flour
  • 1 ½ cup white sugar divided 1 cup for batter, 1/2 cup to roll balls into
  • ¾ cup vegetable oil
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • ½ tsp salt

Instructions
 

  • In a large bowl mix oil and 1 cup sugar until well combined
  • Add egg and molasses and mix until thick
  • Place a large sieve over the bowl and flour, baking soda, spices and salt and sift into molasses batter
  • Mix the flour mixture into molasses batter with fork JUST until combined
  • Place batter in the fridge for 1 hour
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
  • Roll batter into 1 inch balls and then roll in remaining 1/2 cup sugar to lightly coat
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes until flattened and set but not hard. Do not overbake.
  • Remove from oven and transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookieCalories: 97kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 0.8gFat: 4.74gSaturated Fat: 0.8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2.7gMonounsaturated Fat: 1.1gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 104mgPotassium: 78mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 7.6gVitamin A: 0IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 10mgIron: 0.5mg

Notes

If the dough is too sticky to roll into balls just cover with plastic wrap and let chill in the fridge for a half hour.
For crispy gingersnap let the cookies cook a minute longer.
Tip:  These Gingersnap Cookies taste better when they are completely cooled. 
Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze in a sealed container for up to 3 months.
Please Note:

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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63 Comments

  1. This is my first time making this recipe. I was excited because my husband loves ginger snaps. Easy recipe and they came out beautiful, but not enough ginger taste, and a little too oily. I even added extra ginger. I will make it again with have the oil and sub the other half with applesauce. I used flax for the egg.

    1. Hi Lisa, So glad you enjoyed them. If you prefer more ginger add as much as you like. The cookies may be coming out oily because you did not use egg. A flax egg won’t behave the same way in this recipe. When mixing the egg, sugar and oil together this filling thickens up and the oil is no longer suspended. It works more like a butter, sort of. A flax egg won’t thicken the same which is why these cookies turned out oily. I can’t speak to if using apple sauce to replace half the oil will work but would love to know how they turn out!

  2. 5 stars
    yummy recipe! I did half the recipe and substituted reular egg for flax egg and I used coconut oil instead of veg oil and they are delicious hot and cold… I am saving this one 😉

  3. 5 stars
    Thank you so much for sharing your recepie, everyone’s love them, they are the best ginger cookie I ever had!👍😋

  4. 5 stars
    This is the third year I have made these cookies…They are perfect, my son-in-law’s favorite of all the cookies I bake and I bake ALOT!

  5. I absolutely love these cookies. Do not leave out putting the flour thru the sieve. This recipe is true to its word. Thank you for a great recipe 👏

  6. 5 stars
    I love these ginger snaps. I added to the recipe the second time I made them by using butter, adding 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, doubling the ginger and cinnamon. Thank you for a great recipe

  7. I made these last night and they taste amazing and didn’t last an hour at my office this morning! However, they ended up about twice as thick as the photos and don’t snap. They’re great, dense, slightly soft ginger spice cookies, but just not gingersnaps. The substitutions I had to make were using all-purpose flour and using cane sugar instead of white sugar (they were what I had available). Do you think the cane sugar caused the cookies to rise too much? I’m planning to make another batch tonight with pastry flour and white sugar.

    Also, the printable recipe says to refrigerate the batter for an hour, but the written instructions in the blog post go straight from mixing the batter to rolling the balls without mentioning refrigeration. Do I need to refrigerate? I refrigerated the batch last night but I’m tempted to skip it tonight to see if it affects the rise.

    Thank you for the fantastic recipe!

    1. Hi Ian. I am so glad they were a hit at the office! I have never made this recipe with any other sugar so can’t speak to cane sugar but don’t think that should matter. I am unsure why your cookies did not flatten out but I have made these cookies a thousand times and never had that issue. I would have to say it is too much flour creating a cakier texture. In terms of refrigeration I sometimes do and other times I don’t. Depending on the temperature of your house and even mine sometimes the dough is just too sticky to toss in the sugar so chilling it helps. I recommend that you chill the dough only as much as needed to be able to handle the dough and get it to roll in the sugar. If the dough is hard when rolled it will not spread as thin. I will update this to be more clear in my instructions.

      In terms of crispiness, if you want them crispier and with more of a snap just bake them an extra minute.

      Hope that helps,
      Alisa

  8. The cookies were very tasty, but were a little thicker then the pic, and they didn’t have the snap I was hoping for, but as I said very tasty.

    1. Hi Rose,

      So happy you liked them. I am not sure why they would have been a little thicker but next time just give them a little longer to bake and they will have the snap you are looking for.

  9. 4 stars
    I used 2 1/2 tsp of ginger and added fresh grated ginger, but I would use 4 tsp next time- and bake for 9 mins- they got a bit too dark on the bottom at 10. Otherwise a fantastic recipe!

    1. Hi Sandy, So glad you enjoyed them and if you like more ginger it is never an issue to add more. In terms of cooking time, everyone’s oven is different which is why I always recommended checking on them a minute or two early to see how they are coming along.

  10. 5 stars
    My 11-year-old brother-in-law doesn’t really like sweets. He’ll set aside the most wonderful desserts for days before he considers eating any. With these, he raved. He seriously couldn’t stop eating them and begged me to make these all the time. He even used the word addictive…

    I’d make these just for the smell! Makes everything about the day better. Amazing.

    1. This absolutely makes my day Addy! So thrilled he loves them and I agree they smell amazing!

  11. 4 stars
    These didn’t really taste like “ginger” snaps and were a bit bland as written so I did grate some extra fresh ginger to add. I’m wishing I had doubled the powdered ginger as well. Mine did not flatten to match the picture but I did get an amazing crack. I wish I could include a photo here.

    1. Hi Lorrie! You can certainly add more ginger if that is your preference. I don’t plan to alter the recipe though because as it is this is my most popular cookie recipe and a favourite in our family as it is for over 100 years.

  12. This are the best ginger snaps I’ve made/had. However I think they needed a little more of a ‘kick’ I added an extra half teaspoon of ginger. Made all of the difference!

    1. Hi Charity. Thanks for trying this recipe and I am so glad you liked it! I will have to give the extra ginger a try next time!

    1. You can but all-purpose flour has a higher protein content and will make the cookies a bit tougher. They will still turn out good though. If you have any cake flour use 1/2 a cup of cake flour and 1/2 cup all-purpose to form a 1 cup equivalent. Or you can replace 2 tbsp of all-purpose flour from a cup and replace it with 2 tbsp of cornstarch. These are the best known substitutes for pastry flour.

  13. 5 stars
    Exactly what I was looking for in a ginger snap. Crisp edges and somewhat soft middle. Definite “snap” when you break them. Love the flavor. I received many compliments. I’ll make these every Christmas!

    1. I am so glad you enjoyed them and love that they will be included in your Christmas traditions going forward!

    1. Hi Janet, No, unfortunately, the oil in this recipe matters. Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil are preferred.

  14. this is the EXACT recipe that my Grandma passed down to us! Best recipe ever, never fails!

  15. 5 stars
    I have made these cookies twice this month. This recipe is perfect and easy to make
    They taste like old fashioned ginger snaps.
    They don’t last long in my house

    1. Thanks so much for letting me know. I love hearing these types of stories. I won’t make them until a day before Christmas because my family has eaten them all up twice now too!

  16. 5 stars
    Great recipe! My kids loved them. I added a touch more ginger and only baked them for 8 minutes because my oven runs hot. Thanks Alisa!

    1. I have never tried rolling these cookies out because they flatten out on their own. The dough can be a bit sticky so if you do try rolling them out I would recommend putting the dough in the fridge for about one hour so that it is easier to work with. Please let me know how they worked if you do try this.

    1. This makes my day Alicia! So glad you liked them. This is always one of my family and friends most requested recipes.

  17. My fault for not being super careful reading the recipe, but when you list 1 1/2 cups of sugar in the ingredient list, you really should include the word (divided), or else list the 1 cup sugar for the dough separately from the 1/2 cup used to roll the balls. Really mad right now that I just had to throw out the dough I just made with the 1 1/2 cups sugar instead of 1 cup. Totally my mistake, but I guess I’m used to recipes listing the ingredients more clearly 🙁

    1. Hi Jane, So sorry this recipe was not more clear. This is really great feedback. I will go and update the recipe right now and make sure to be more clear for my future recipes.

  18. 5 stars
    These cookies looks extremely delicious! I will try this on this weekend. Thanks for sharing.

  19. Wow, I love this cookie recipe it is so delicious and look so easy to prepare. I will def try to make this for the whole family.

  20. Wow, I have never tried to make cookies and this recipe looks really delicious and easy. I will try to make this for my kids, thanks for sharing!

  21. 5 stars
    This sounds like an amazing recipe I would love to try def gonna pin! I’m glad u decides to share but I completely understand how u would want to keep a secret.

  22. 5 stars
    This ginger cookies looks really delicious and looks so easy to make. I will try to do this for my parents as they love ginger a lot.

  23. 5 stars
    I have loved ginger snap cookies since I was a child but they were always crispy and crunchy never soft. I have to try this recipe!

  24. From the first look, you gonna say that it’s just a simple cookies but you added a twist by making a ginger as the main ingredients. This will be a great recipe and can’t wait to make this at home.

  25. 5 stars
    Ginger snaps are some of my favorite winter cookies ever! I am going to try your recipe, so I can finally have a soft gingersnap. Mine always turn out crispy.

    1. Powdered ginger so that the ginger can easily be distributed when you sift the dry ingredients into the wet mixture.

4.61 from 56 votes (37 ratings without comment)

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