Description
Delight in these classic chewy gingersnap cookies featuring the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, perfectly balanced with molasses for a rich, chewy texture. These cookies are easy to make and offer a deliciously soft bite with a sweet sugar coating. Optional white chocolate drizzle adds a decadent touch for an extra indulgence.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup softened butter
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
Coating
- 1/3 cup white sugar
Optional
- Melted white chocolate chips for dipping or drizzling
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and prepare two ungreased baking sheets to get ready for baking the cookies.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, baking soda, and salt. Mix thoroughly to ensure even distribution of the spices and leavening agent.
- Cream Butter and Sugars: In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer until smooth and well blended. This creates a creamy base for the cookies.
- Add Egg and Molasses: Beat in the egg and molasses into the butter-sugar mixture until fully incorporated. Avoid overmixing here to prevent cookies from puffing excessively during baking.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually stir the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, forming a cookie dough.
- Shape and Sugar-Coat Cookies: Shape the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. Pour 1/3 cup white sugar into a medium bowl, then dip each dough ball into the sugar, coating evenly. Place the sugar-coated balls onto the prepared baking sheets, spacing them approximately 2.5 inches apart to allow spreading.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until the cookies are lightly browned but still soft to the touch. Avoid overbaking as the cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
- Flatten If Needed: If cookies puff up too much during baking, gently press them down while hot using the back of a drinking glass to achieve the desired chewy texture.
- Cool Cookies: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Optional White Chocolate Dip: Once cooled, you can dip the cookies into melted white chocolate chips for added sweetness and decoration, or drizzle the melted chocolate over the tops.
Notes
- Do not overmix the batter after adding the egg and molasses to avoid overly puffy cookies.
- If cookies puff too much during baking, gently flatten them with the back of a glass while still warm to enhance chewiness.
- Baking sheets do not need to be greased; the sugar coating helps prevent sticking.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
- For a gluten-free version, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free flour blend suitable for baking.
