These gingersnap cookies are crisp at the edges, soft and chewy in the center, and seasoned with all of the warm, wintry spices of the season: ginger, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. They come together in one bowl and couldn’t be more festive for the holiday season.

An overhead view of a stack of gingersnap cookies.

This classic gingersnap cookie recipe is inspired by one that appeared in the 2022 Bake from Scratch: Holiday Cookies edition. It’s a one-bowl job, made with all the expected gingersnap ingredients —namely, molasses—plus a splash of maple syrup.

When the cookies bake, they puff in the oven, then collapse upon cooling. They are ripply-edged, sugar-coated, soft and chewy in the center, and spiced just right with all of those warm, wintry notes of the season: ginger, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg.

The key to crackly-topped success here? Not chilling the cookie dough balls. Let’s review:

In A Good Bake, Melissa Weller writes: “The rise-and-fall process is a result of the baking soda reacting with the … brown sugar before the cookie is set. When the cookies are removed from the oven, they fall, giving them that crackle top. How quickly the cookie rises before it sets up is the key to achieving that finish.“

Because room temperature dough rises more quickly than cold dough, you’ll have better success if your dough balls are not chilled. Find step-by-step instructions below.

PS: 30 Christmas Cookies to Make and Gift All Season Long

How to Make Gingersnaps, Step by Step

Gather your ingredients:

Ingredients to make gingersnap cookies on a countertop.

For spices, you’ll need: cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.

Spices to make gingersnap cookies.

First, melt the butter and let it cool briefly; then add brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup, and salt.

A bowl of melted butter, brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup and salt, unmixed.

Whisk to combine, then add 1 egg and some vanilla.

A bowl of gingersnap cookie batter with one egg added.

Whisk until smooth then add the spices and baking soda and whisk until blended.

A bowl of batter to make gingersnap cookies.

Finally, add the flour and stir just until it is absorbed.

A bowl of gingersnap cookie batter.

Chill for 30 minutes (or longer if necessary).

Just-mixed gingersnap cookie batter.

Portion the batter roughly into 14 balls.

Portioned gingersnap cookie dough balls.

Roll into balls; then coat each one in turbinado or granulated sugar.

Rolled portions of gingersnap cookies coated in raw turbinado sugar.

Transfer to a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350ºF. The cookies will puff as they bake…

Just baked gingersnap cookies on a sheet pan.

… and collapse as they cool. Let them cool completely on the sheet pan.

Just-baked gingersnap cookies on a sheet pan.
Just-baked gingersnap cookies on a cooling rack.

Pile them onto a plate or …

A plate of gingersnap cookies.
A stack of crisp and chewy gingersnap cookies.

… bag them up and give them away.

A bag of gingersnap cookies tied with a bow.
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An overhead view of a stack of gingersnap cookies.

Crisp and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies (One Bowl)

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Description

These gingersnap cookies are crisp at the edges, soft and chewy in the center, and seasoned with all of the warm, wintry spices of the season: ginger, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. They come together in one bowl and couldn’t be more festive for the holiday season.

Adapted from the Maple Gingersnap Cookie recipe in the Holiday Cookies Bake From Scratch magazine.

Changes I’ve made to the recipe include using melted butter as opposed to softened, one bowl to mix, a slightly larger cookie size, and a lower baking temperature. 

Notes:

  • For best results, use a scale to measure. I use the scale both to measure the ingredients and to portion the batter into 14 equal balls. 
  • Molasses: Do not use blackstrap molasses, which will make your cookies more cake-like in texture and unpleasantly dark in color. Regular molasses or “fancy” is what you need.
  • Chilling: I find chilling the batter necessary after mixing it to allow the batter to firm up and make it easy to portion into balls. After this, I do not find it necessary to chill the portions to prevent spreading. If you are finding that your cookies are spreading, try chilling the portions for at least one hour before baking. You also can chill the balls for longer if that works better for your schedule.
  • Spreading: The material of your sheet pan could be causing your cookies to spread more. I find my old, slightly blackened pans cause the cookies to brown more on the bottom but spread less. My new sheet pans cause the cookies to brown less and spread a little more. 

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter 
  • 3/4 cup (165 g) packed brown sugar 
  • 3 tablespoons (63 g) maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons (42 g) molasses (not blackstrap), see notes above
  • 1/2 teaspoon (2 g) kosher salt or fine sea salt
  • 1 egg (50 g)
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
  • 2 teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon (2 g) cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
  • 2 teaspoons (10 g) baking soda
  • 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup turbinado or granulated sugar

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter over low heat and let cool slightly, about 15 minutes. 
  2. In a large bowl whisk together the butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, molasses, and salt. 
  3. Add the egg and vanilla and whisk to combine. 
  4. Add the spices and baking soda and whisk until thoroughly combined.
  5. Finally, fold in the flour with a spatula. The dough should form a ball, but it will be wet and sticky. If your dough is more like the texture of batter, add more flour a couple tablespoons at a time until it comes together.
  6. Chill the batter for 30 minutes to allow it to firm up and make it easier to portion into balls. 
  7. Heat the oven to 350ºF. 
  8. Use a scoop or a scale to portion the batter roughly into 14 portions. If using a scale, portion the batter into 50-gram balls. If using a scoop, use a 3-tablespoon spring-loaded scoop or something similar. 
  9. Use your hands to roll each portion into a ball. Place the turbinado sugar or granulated sugar into a bowl. Drop each ball into the bowl and turn to coat.
  10. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer the sugar-coated balls to a sheet pan, being sure to leave enough space in between each ball. On my 1/2 sheet pan, I bake 5 balls at a time. As noted above, I do not find it necessary to chill the portioned balls to prevent spreading, but if you are nervous, bake off one cookie on its own to see how it does. If it spreads more than you would like, chill the remaining portions for at least 1 hour before baking them off. 
  11. Transfer pan to the oven and bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies will look browned around the edges and will be puffed in the center. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cooling rack. If you wish to create ripples at the edges, pick up the pan and drop it two or three times. Let the cookies cool completely on the sheet pan, at least 20 minutes. 
  12. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough balls or transfer the unbaked balls to the fridge until ready to bake. 
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Cookies
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American