Name: Gingersnap Cookies
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 22 min
Yield: 32 cookies
Ingredients: 7 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted and cooled until no longer warm to the touch.); 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100g); 1/4 cup dark brown sugar (firmly packed (50g)); 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves; 1/8 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper; Pinch ground black pepper (1/16 teaspoon); 2 Tablespoons unsulphured molasses (it should say “unsulphered” on the label); 1 large egg yolk; 2 Tablespoons whole milk; 1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour (210g); 1/2 teaspoon baking soda; 1/2 teaspoon salt; Additional granulated sugar for rolling

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This Gingersnap Cookie Recipe yields crisp, buttery, snappy cookies! Full of flavor and perfectly spiced with a hint of heat(!) these are classic Gingersnaps (emphasis on the snap!). No mixer and no chilling needed!

These are a classic Christmas cookie recipe! Make them for your cookie tray alongside other favorites like my frosted sugar cookies or peanut butter blossoms!

A Classic Gingersnap Cookie Recipe

Crisp and snappy cookies have never been my specialty.

I’m all about soft, chewy, moist, and bendy cookies. Like, have you tried my chocolate chip cookies? But when I set out to make a Gingersnap Cookie recipe I wanted them to be classic. And classic Gingersnaps are crisp. They, well, snap when you break them. They crunch when you bite into them. I was a little out of my element.

Maybe it’s not surprising then that I started working on this recipe last year and it took until just a few weeks ago to finally get this gingersnap recipe perfected. Whew, it was a lot of work but I finally have a crisp, crinkle-topped, perfectly spiced cookie to share with you.

Those of you in my Facebook group or following me on Instagram already know this, but as promised I do have a soft & chewy gingersnap recipe coming soon! I’ll share that one next week!

Ingredients for gingersnap cookies — Ingredients for Gingersnap Cookies

Tricks for Crisp Cookies

There were a few key tweaks I had to make to this recipe to make it crisp, rather than soft. An egg yolk without the egg white (to keep the cookie from puffing up in the oven), a splash of milk to thin out the dough, more granulated white sugar than brown, baking soda (no baking powder), and a generous roll through granulated sugar before baking all contribute to the final snappy texture of the cookie.

Most importantly, though, was the adjustment to the baking temperature and time.

These rather small cookies bake on 315F (the lowest temperature I think I’ve ever used, other than for my meringue cookies) for 22 minutes. Cooking them low and slow allows them to bake evenly all the way through, so you have crisp interiors to match your crisp exteriors.

Smash ’em Down

Another key crispness factor?

Once the cookies come out of the oven you’ll want to firmly flatten them with the (clean), flat bottom of a glass. Do this within 1-2 minutes of the gingersnaps coming out of the oven. Don’t wait too long or your cookies won’t budge. This simple step will compact the cookie crumb and help them to crisp up as they cool. Plus, gingersnaps are supposed to be thin and this helps give them that thin cookie texture!

Make sure to let them cool completely before sampling. While warm they’ll still be slightly soft in the center.

Let’s Talk Spices

Classic Gingersnaps are well-spiced and they also pack a little bit of heat. With a good classic cookie, there should be a bit of a burn on the back of your tongue after you’ve scarfed down half a dozen of them.

Ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves all contribute to this subtle heat, as does the molasses. However, there are two spices that go into gingersnaps that you won’t find in many other cookies: Cayenne Pepper and ground black pepper.

A little bit goes a long way, but it’s so critical to get that classic gingersnap cookie taste. Check your favorite old-fashioned gingerbread recipe or the label on your favorite store-bought gingersnaps, I bet you’ll find these ingredients there, too!

Enjoy!

And for those of you wondering, still no baby yet! I’m hoping he makes his way here soon because I am so uncomfortable and so ready to meet him!

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