Simple and classic gingersnaps. These cookies are one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes. Perfectly spiced and perfect with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate.

Holiday Cookies
I don’t make a lot of cookies but when I do I tend to stick to the classics and it doesn’t get more classic than homemade gingersnap cookies. Sweet and spiced with holiday spices there’s no better coffee companion than a stack of these cookies.
I tend to prefer cookie recipes that call for melted butter like my molasses cookies, but for these gingersnaps, I’m totally willing to wait for the butter to soften so I can cream it with the sugar. To make up for that effort, you only need one bowl – first, you mix the wet ingredients and to it you add the dry ones. One bowl = easy clean-up.
These gingersnaps are one of a few cookies I love to make every holiday season – they’re not just delicious but they also are a sort of holiday aromatherapy. They smell amazing while they’re baking.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Wet ingredients: butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, molasses, eggs, vanilla
- Dry ingredients: all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
Make & Bake the Cookies
- Beat the butter and sugars together until light and creamy. Add the molasses, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add all of the dry ingredients, mix until the dough comes together and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or up to one day if you want to make it ahead).
- I like to scoop about a tablespoon of dough, roll it into a ball, roll the ball in granulated sugar, and place it on the baking sheet. The cookies won’t spread much, so I like to press on the dough ball with the bottom of a glass to create a disc.
- For softer cookies, bake them for 8 to 10 minutes at 350°F. For crisper cookies, add 1 to 2 minutes to the bake time.
These gingersnap cookies are all about the holiday cheer – make them to share or make them for just for you. I think you will ❤ them!
Happy holiday baking,

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More Classic Cookies
- Snickerdoodles | These holiday cookies have crispy edges and soft and chewy middles. Spiced with cinnamon these are one of my favorite cookie recipes.
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies with Chocolate Chips | This is my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe. The cookies have the most wonderful chewy texture and I love the combination of raisins and chocolate chips mixed into the dough.
- New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookies | Once I tried this famous recipe it became my only chocolate chip cookie recipe. These cookies are a bit of a project, but so worth the effort.

Gingersnaps
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Description
Gingersnaps are always a favorite during the holidays!
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup extra to top the cookies
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat both sugars together with the softened butter until fluffy. Add the molasses, egg and vanilla extract. Beat together until combined. In a separate bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together until combined. Add to the wet ingredients and mix together until combined, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary. At this point, the dough will be very soft so cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at 30 minutes.
- Once the dough is firm, scoop approximately 1 tablespoon and roll it into a ball. Roll the balls in the extra sugar and line them up, about 2 inches apart, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Once all the dough balls are made, lightly press down on each of them with the bottom of a glass.
- Bake for approximately 8-10 minutes. Pull them out of the oven once the top of the cookies feels dry and firm. If you want a crisper cookie, leave them in the oven 1-2 minutes longer. Cool them for a few minutes on the baking sheet before removing them to wire racks to cool completely.
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 137
- Sugar: 11.3g
- Sodium: 57.2mg
- Fat: 6.1g
- Saturated Fat: 3.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2.1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 19.5g
- Fiber: 0.4g
- Protein: 1.4g
- Cholesterol: 23mg
Keywords: gingersnaps, homemade ginger cookies
The nutrition information in this recipe is an estimate only and was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
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