Soft Chewy Ginger Cookies (Printable)

Chewy cookies rich in ginger, cinnamon, and molasses, with a crisp sugar coating and warm spices.

# What You Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons ground ginger
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 2 teaspoons baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 1 cup granulated sugar
10 - 1/4 cup molasses
11 - 1 large egg
12 - 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

→ For Rolling

13 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar

# How to Make:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
03 - In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
04 - Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing just until incorporated.
06 - Scoop dough into 1-inch balls (approximately 1.5 tablespoons each) and roll each in the reserved granulated sugar to coat.
07 - Place the coated dough balls 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
08 - Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are set but centers remain slightly soft for a chewy texture.
09 - Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • They're chewy, not crunchy, with a sparkling sugar shell that catches the light when you plate them.
  • The spice blend is warm and balanced, never overpowering, so even people who claim not to like ginger end up eating three in a row.
02 -
  • Under-baking is your friend here—if they look dry or brown around the edges, you've baked them too long and they'll turn crispy instead of chewy.
  • Molasses is hygroscopic, meaning it holds onto moisture, so these cookies actually improve slightly after a day or two as the moisture redistributes throughout the batch.
03 -
  • Room-temperature butter is non-negotiable—if yours is too cold or too warm, your dough won't emulsify properly and your cookies will either be dense or spread too thin.
  • Scooping the dough into uniform balls makes them bake evenly, so consider investing in a cookie scoop if you make batches regularly; it's worth every penny.
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