Gingersnap Cookies
Updated Aug 20, 2025
Easy gingersnap cookies made in a food processor with ground ginger, dark brown sugar, molasses, and cinnamon. Ready in just 20 minutes!
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Make a batch of my Gingersnap cookies!
I don’t know what it is about gingersnaps, but the second they hit the oven, the whole house just smells like fall meets the holidays. The mix of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon is so nostalgic for me, it always takes me back to sneaking cookies off the cooling rack when I was little. These gingersnap cookies bake up with crisp edges and a soft chewy center.
Happy Cooking!
– Yumna
Gingersnap Cookies Ingredients
- Dry ingredients: All-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
- Wet ingredients: Unsalted butter, molasses, and honey.
How to Make Ginger Snap Cookies
Make the Dough
Bake the Cookies
Gingersnap Cookies
Video
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened and cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon honey
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a food processor, combine flour, dark brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add butter cubes and process until butter is in tiny bits. Add molasses and honey.
- Process on low speed until thick crumbles form and the wet ingredients are evenly distributed.
- Remove the blade attachment and use your hands to form the crumbles into a dough.
- Divide the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon-sized balls using a spring-loaded scoop and drop onto prepared baking sheets, spacing 4" apart. Gently flatten dough with the smooth side of a spatula.
- Bake for 10–11 minutes until flattened and crisp at the edges.
- Cool cookies on baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Recipe Variations
- Add candied ginger. For an extra burst of ginger flavor and chew, add very finely chopped crystallized ginger after the honey and molasses.
- Give them a crunchy sugar coating. Roll the cookie dough in turbinado sugar or demerara sugar before baking.
- Make sandwich cookies. Fill them with cream cheese frosting, buttercream frosting, or chocolate ganache.
Recipe Tips
- Use room temperature butter. You want it to be soft, not melted, so it easily creams together with the sugar. If it’s too soft, put it back in the fridge for a few minutes or start over with a fresh stick.
- Cut the butter into cubes. Smaller pieces blend into the dry ingredients more quickly and evenly, so you don’t end up with pockets of butter or overworked dough in some spots.
- Let the cookies cool completely on a wire rack. This lets air circulate all around them so they cool quickly and crisp up nicely. If you leave them on the baking sheets, the bottoms will continue to cook, and you risk your cookies burning and turning soggy.
- Re-crisp the cookies as needed. They get soft pretty easily after baking. If you like crisp cookies, I recommend putting them in the oven or toaster oven at a low temperature for 5 minutes.
FAQs
Store the cookies in an airtight container for 2–3 days at room temperature, or up to one week in the fridge.
Yes! To freeze baked ginger snap cookies, freeze them solid on a baking sheet, then place them in a freezer bag. Or, wrap them individually and place them in a freezer-safe container. They’ll keep well for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the toaster oven.
To freeze prepared ginger snap cookie dough, portion the dough into individual cookie-sized rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the freezer for about 1–2 hours until firm. Transfer the dough balls to an airtight container or freezer bag and store for up to 3 months. Bake from frozen according to recipe instructions, adding a few extra minutes to the baking time. You don’t need to thaw the dough beforehand.
Because of the molasses in the cookies, it can be hard to tell when to take them out of the oven. The cookies will be flat and have cracks on the surface. Check the edges gently with your finger or a knife to see if they’ve hardened. They only take about 10 minutes to bake, so keep an eye on them!
Comments
Delicious but a little too much butter for me. How do you think they would be if I used 1/4 cup of butter instead?
Hi John, I haven’t tried that, but I think it should work. Let me know if you test it and I may test it as well. Thank you!
I just made this recipe this week. My daughter and husband loved them. I’m wondering, can I make them ahead and freeze them?
Thanks, Elizabeth! So glad you and your family loved the cookies!! These cookies actually freeze really well. I recommend freezing them solid on a baking sheet before placing them in a freezer bag. You can also wrap them individually and then place them in a freezer-safe container. If you’re looking to make the cookie dough ahead of time, you can also freeze it in individual cookie-sized rounds on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 1-2 hours until the dough becomes firm. Next, transfer the dough balls to an airtight container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer up to 2 to 3 months. Hope that helps!!
Delicious cookies! Definitely will double next time. I made this with my stand mixer (didn’t have a food processor) starting with creaming butter and sugars. They turned out well. What is the benefit of the food processor method? Different texture?
So glad to hear! I find the food processor faster for this recipe, but the stand mixer works just fine too! Also, I like making the dough in the food processor because it comes together easier and prevents overworking the dough which can make the cookies tough.
Looking forward to trying this recipe.
You’ll have to let me know what you think when you make it, Richard! Hope you enjoy!
Dear Yumna; I cannot find molasses anywhere 😩😩😩; would you recommend something I could substitute them with? Maybe more honey? What would you think? 🤔
Unfortunately I have not tried this without molasses yet, as that’s what gives it the main flavor.
Hi Gaby. I’m not sure where you are but, like you, I can’t get molasses here in Belize. However, Belize grows sugar so it’s definitely here! I just had to research. Molasses is, basically, the purest part of sugar cane. They extract it here and create “Rapadure/Rapaduro) which is a hardened version that needs to be melted to create the molasses we know.
Perhaps there’s something similar where you are? Perhaps they call it by a different name?
Interesting fact: Brown sugar as we know it is just molasses mixed with white sugar.
Another fact: What we in the US know as “raw” sugar is sugar that still has a touch of mlasses in it 🙂
La meilleure recette de biscuits au gingembre, facile a faire
Thank you!!
Nice recipe of Ginger snap cookies
Thank you!
These are amazing, buttery (but not too buttery), crispy cookies! I love that they crisp but aren’t rock solid. A great go-to cookie recipe that I’ll be putting in the rotation!
Thank you so much!! I’m so happy to hear that it’ll be in the rotation!
Mine came out very flat
Was it flatter than pictured? They are very flat in general.
So good! I made a batch of big ones and small ones. Next time I’ll just double the recipe.
I agree, you can easily double the recipe. It’s too little! haha
The recipe sounds amazing…..do I not need to refrigerate the dough before baking?
There’s no need but it doesn’t hurt! Enjoy it!