These soft, chewy ginger cookies are irresistible — a holiday favorite we bake every year.
Soft Version of a Classic
Lo’s favorite cookies are anything with ginger — he’ll happily eat a store-bought box, but homemade always wins. When he wants a crunchy bite we make classic ginger snaps; when he wants something soft and chewy, these Ginger Cookies are his go-to.
We bake these year-round sometimes, but they’re especially lovely at Christmas alongside Frosted Sugar Cookies, Snowball Cookies, and Gingerbread Cookies.
Why we love it:
- Soft texture. These are soft and chewy rather than crisp like traditional gingersnaps.
- Warm flavor. Molasses combined with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg gives a cozy holiday taste ideal for fall and winter.
- Make-ahead friendly. The dough chills before baking, so you can prepare in advance.
Ingredients
Prep time: 5 minutes
Chill time: 1 hour
Bake time: 10 minutes
- 1 cup sugar, plus extra for rolling
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup unsulphered molasses (do not use sulfured or blackstrap)
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon applesauce
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour — cookies puff in the oven then flatten; add ¼–½ cup more flour for thicker cookies
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger (increase to 1 teaspoon for stronger ginger flavor)
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Optional: Melted white chocolate for dipping or drizzling
How to make ginger cookies
- Mix wet ingredients. In a large bowl or stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream 1 cup sugar with ¾ cup softened butter. Add ¼ cup molasses, 1 egg, and 1 tablespoon applesauce, and mix until smooth.
- Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together 2¼ cups flour, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon cloves, ½ teaspoon ginger, ½ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Add to the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Chill. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
- Preheat. Set the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Shape and bake. Scoop dough (about 1-inch balls), roll in additional granulated sugar, and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for about 8 minutes — cookies will puff then flatten. Let them sit a few minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool. Keep any remaining dough chilled while baking additional batches.
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Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon applesauce
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar and softened butter. Add molasses, egg, and applesauce and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Scoop dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake about 8 minutes — cookies will puff then flatten. Let them rest on the sheet a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Notes
Store cookie dough: Refrigerate covered up to 2 days, or freeze in a Ziploc for up to 3 months.
Store baked cookies: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 7–10 days or freeze for 4–6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Recipe FAQ
Fridge: Refrigerate the dough up to 2 days.
Freezer: Freeze cookie dough balls in a freezer-safe container up to 3 months; roll in sugar just before baking.
Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 7–10 days or in the freezer for 4–6 months.