Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies

4.65 from 70 votes

Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies

Try this delicious Old Fashioned Ginger Snap Cookies recipe for a classic, crispy cookie with a chewy center and plenty of spice.

Prep Time7

Cook Time13

Chill Time1

Total Time1 20

Course: Christmas

Cuisine: German

Servings: cookies

Calories: 146kcal

Author: Eden Westbrook

Equipment

Ingredients

¾ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup unsulphured molasses
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg room temperature
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or ½ teaspoon pre-ground nutmeg
½ cup granulated sugar to roll dough in
¼ cup turbinado sugar to roll dough in

Instructions

In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, cream shortening and sugar for about 3 minutes.
¾ cup vegetable shortening, 1 cup granulated sugar
Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract. Mix again until everything is combined.
½ cup unsulphured molasses, 1 large egg, 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
In a separate large mixing bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in batches (I did about a third of the dry ingredients at a time, mixing in well after each addition).
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Cover with plastic wrap and chill the gingersnap dough in your refrigerator for at least 1 hour up to overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Mix turbinado sugar and the ½ cup of granulated sugar together on a large plate.
½ cup granulated sugar, ¼ cup turbinado sugar
Use a small cookie scoop to scoop out dough and roll gently into balls. Roll the cookie dough in the sugar on the plate until fully coated in sugar.
Place each sugar-coated cookie ball 2 inches apart on two parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees C (180 degrees C) for 6 minutes, turn the baking sheets 180 degrees for even baking, then bake for another 6-7 minutes.
Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before carefully transferring to a wire cooling rack to completely cool for 10-15 minutes.
Keep in an airtight container to keep the gingersnaps snappy for 3-5 days. They will soften the older they are.

Notes

Freezing Cookies and Dough

Freeze your gingersnaps in a freezer-safe, zip-top bag for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the unbaked dough on a baking sheet then put them into the freezer-safe zip-top bag to bake whenever needed.

Want chewy gingersnaps? Leave them in a cookie jar or other not-air-tight container. They'll be soft in a few hours.

Nutrition