These soft ginger cookies are one of my all time favorite cookies. They are perfect for holidays, but fantastic enough to make any time of year. They have the perfect balance of spice, sweetness, texture and flavor. They are delicious with a little dip in white chocolate, like the picture, but equally good without it. These are a staple in my holiday cookie lineup for a reason.
These cookies have ginger, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, and a little molasses so they are similar to gingerbread, but lighter in flavor and softer in texture. Using my medium sized cookie scoop they form the perfect little ginger bite.
The dough does require an hour chilling time after mixing so they don’t spread too much, so plan for that. I like that this recipe makes a lot of cookies, because they freeze super well and you can just pull a few out of the freezer now and then for a treat. If you make these once, you are going to want to make them again.
Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup AP flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus a few tbsp for rolling the cookies
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- melted white chocolate for dipping optional
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla until well blended.
- Mix in egg, then blend in molasses. With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment.
- Scoop dough out about 1 1/2 tbsp at a time, shape into balls then roll in sugar.
- Transfer to parchment paper lined baking sheets, spacing cookies 2 inches apart. Bake in preheated oven 6-7 minutes. They should be just barely set and fully cooked in the center. Don't over bake. These are best on the soft side.
- Cool on baking sheet several minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. If dipping in chocolate, melt the white chocolate and dip half the cookie.