Ginger Spice Cookies
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These spicy ginger cookies are soft, chewy, warmly spiced, and incredibly simple to make. Flavored with ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and a pinch of cracked pepper for extra warmth, they're the perfect Christmas cookie-deeply flavored, aromatic, and beautifully old-fashioned in the very best way.
Recipe Overview
- Flavor: Warm, gingery, lightly spicy
- Texture: Chewy centers with crisp edges
- Effort: Easy
- Time: 15 minutes prep, 15 minutes chilling, 10 minutes baking
- Servings: About 30 cookies, depending on the size
- Perfect For: Christmas cookie boxes, gifting, and holiday baking
What I Love About These Cookies
Every December, these are the first cookies I bake for my family… and often the first that disappear. They're a cozy, dependable holiday treat that stays soft for days and packs wonderfully into cookie tins, hostess gifts, and Christmas dessert platters.
The richly spiced flavors of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and molasses are a comforting and familiar blend that evokes memories of warmth and love, and laughter. For us, it
If you love warmly spiced ginger cookies, you may also love these Belgian speculoos that can be stamped or cut, or these masala chai cookies that can be sliced and baked or scooped, or these perennial favorite, German gingerbread cookies!
Key Ingredients
These classic ginger cookies use pantry-friendly ingredients that blend into a rich, nostalgic holiday flavor.
- All-purpose flour - the base that gives structure
- Cornstarch - keeps the cookies soft and tender
- Ground ginger - warm, aromatic, and unmistakably festive
- Cinnamon & cloves - deepen the spice and add cozy holiday flavor
- Salt & baking soda - balance and lift
- Freshly cracked pepper - subtle heat that enhances the ginger
- Butter (softened) - for a tender crumb
- Granulated sugar - sweetness + rolling for sparkle
- Brown sugar - moisture and chew
- Egg - binds and gives the perfect texture
- Vanilla extract - warmth
- Water & molasses - help bring everything together and add classic gingerbread depth
How to Make Spicy Ginger Cookies
Here's how to make these soft, spicy ginger cookies in a few simple steps.
- Mix the Dry Ingredients: Whisk together the flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, baking soda, and freshly cracked pepper.
- Cream the Butter & Sugars: Beat the butter, ½ cup granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Mix in the egg, vanilla, water, and molasses until smooth.
- Combine: Gradually stir the dry ingredients into the butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Chill while the oven preheats.
- Shape: Line a baking sheet with parchment. Scoop dough into balls and roll in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar.
- Bake: Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes, until lightly crackled and fragrant. Let cool on the sheet for 4-5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
Tips for Making Perfect Ginger Cookies
- Chill the dough for up to 30 minutes before baking. I like to make the dough and chill it while the oven preheats. If you chill the dough for more than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to achieve the right cookie spread while baking.
- Let them cool on the cookie sheet. After baking the cookies, let them sit on the cookie sheet for 4 to 5 minutes before cooling completely on a rack.
- Adjust baking time according to the size of the cookie. I’m using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop. In my oven, the cookies are perfect at 10 minutes.
Serving Suggestions
- Roll in coarse sparkling sugar for holiday sparkle
- Sandwich two cookies with a light cream cheese frosting
- Serve warm with hot chocolate or a festive latte
- Add to Christmas cookie tins with Gingerbread People, Zimtsterne, and Speculoos.
Recipe FAQs
No. These cookies use only ground ginger, creating warm, classic holiday flavor without the bite of fresh ginger.
Add an extra ½ teaspoon of ground ginger, increase the cracked pepper slightly, or add a pinch of cayenne for more heat. The recipe is very flexible.
It enhances the ginger and deepens the spice profile without making the cookies taste peppery. It's subtle-but it makes a difference.
Store them in an airtight container with a small piece of parchment between layers. The molasses keeps them naturally soft, and they stay chewy for several days.
They spread slightly, creating beautiful crackled tops. If your kitchen is warm or your dough feels soft, chill it 20-30 minutes before baking for a thicker cookie.
Molasses is what gives ginger cookies their signature texture and flavor, but in a pinch, dark brown sugar plus a teaspoon of maple syrup can work. The flavor will be milder.
Yes, you can freeze both the dough (in dough balls ready for baking) or baked cookies.
Dough: Scoop, roll in sugar, freeze on a baking sheet, and transfer to a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Baked cookies: Freeze in layers separated by parchment up to 2 months.
Molasses, sugar, and leavening create steam in the oven, forming those classic crackled tops. It's a sign they're baked correctly.
Yes. For bakery-style cookies, use a larger scoop and bake 1-2 minutes longer. For mini cookies, reduce the baking time accordingly.
More Cookie Recipes We Love
- Easy Hamantaschen Cookies with Jam Filling
- Carrot Cake Spice Cookies with Raisins
- Best Chocolate Hazelnut Thumbprints Recipe
- Spiced Cut Out Sugar Cookies for Fall
- Double Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe
SAVE THIS AND PIN IT FOR LATER!
Make sure you don't lose track of this recipe by pinning it for later! If you are not already you can follow me on Pinterest, as well as keep up with me on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. If you make this recipe I would also love it if you'd tag me in your photos and leave a star rating below!
Want to save this recipe?
Enter your email, and we’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get delicious new recipes from us every Friday!
Giant and Soft Spiced Ginger Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 cup butter softened (12 tablespoons)
- 1/2 cup white sugar plus 3 tablespoons (divided)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cornstarch, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1/2 cup white granulated sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy; about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg, vanilla, water, and molasses. Then gradually stir in the sifted dry ingredients into the butter, molasses mixture until a smooth dough forms. Chill the dough while you preheat the oven.
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup.
- Scoop dough with a cookie scoop, then roll into balls; dredge in the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Refrigerate the cookies until cold, about 15-30 minutes.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 4 to 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Make Ahead: Dough can be chilled up to 48 hours or frozen up to 3 months.
- Spice Level: For more heat, add ½ teaspoon additional ground ginger or a pinch of cayenne.
- Rolling Sugar: Coarse sugar adds sparkle and crunch for holiday gifting.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container up to 5 days; they stay soft beautifully.
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Cookies taste great
The dough was too dry
I made them vegan by using 1/4 cup applesauce in place or the egg and using vegan certified margarine. They turned out great!
Hi Rena! Thank you so much for trying the cookies and letting me know the adaptations you made and how you liked them. Your egg replacement is also great for those with allergies too!
These were excellent!
Oh yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed them. I’m making a batch for Christmas next week.
Can you freeze the dough shaped into balls and bake later?
Hi Keller— Yes! Just give them a little extra time when you bake them.
Questions! Do you know how Truvia or other sugar substitute would work–they have both white and brown versions.
Also, I heard blackstrap molasses was not good for cookies, but to use unsulphered only–do you have an opinion on this?
Your cookies look amazing. Also want to try peppermint shortbread ones. :–) Thx!
Hi Linda! I have not tested this recipe using Truvia or another sugar substitute. It’s a great question though. I’m sure you’ve come across the Truvia conversion calculator: https://www.truvia.com/conversion-charts. As you mentioned, they have several different kinds of sugar, some are a 1:1 conversion while others are not.
On molasses, my favorite is unsulphered blackstrap molasses. The color is dark and rich and it is the healthiest molasses because it’s the most concentrated. However, it can also be a tad bitter and some people are not fond of the strong flavor. In this recipe, I’ve found most of the people I bake for prefer a light molasses, which makes the cookies lighter, sweeter, and softer. On brands, I always have a jar of Grandmother’s Original Molasses on hand. Hope this helps!!
Can anyone tell me how much fresh grated ginger I have to use iso powder ginger? I did it before but cannot rember the equivalent…
You will need 1 to 2 tablespoons of fresh grated ginger to replace the ground ginger.
Delicious and tender! These are so flavorful and soft.
Loved this recipe just tried it.
Hi. I just finished making this recipe. While they taste great, and of course make the house smell fantastic, they are really flat. Nothing like the “plump” picture shown that I was hoping for. Any suggestions for my next time?
Hi Shawn, I’m so glad you liked the cookies! I actually baked a batch yesterday to see if I could replicate the problem. I’ve made them countless times and they were all as shown in the photo. My biggest suggestions are to make sure the baking soda is fresh (like within a few months of opening) and that you chill the dough until cold. This helps with spreading. Measure the flour by scooping and leveling with a knife. In my oven, they are perfectly fine at 10 minutes with a 2 tbsp scoop.
I made these for Christmas Eve. They were so delicious! Mine were perfectly baked after 10 minutes. They came out fluffy, then went flat after cooling and the texture was soft and chewy, not crumbly. We loved them! (I was scared to put in the black pepper but it was fine!)
I absolutely love these cookies! We had them last night too and they are always one of the first cookies to disappear. I’m so glad you put in the black pepper — and that you enjoyed them!
My grandma had a recipe for soft molasses cookies but the only thing bad about the recipe was she really couldn’t tell you what the measurements were she says you have to go by taste texture and the look of the cookie they were absolutely to die for but I made your cookie has a good flavor the only thing was they do come out a little flat they’re fluffy when they come out but they go a little flat after sitting for a few minutes so I don’t know if I need to add more flour I don’t know what I’m doing wrong
Hi Linda! I took a day to retest these cookies, which my husband was thrilled with as these are his favorites. I’m not able to replicate this. Adding more flour could cause the cookies to become tough and crumbly. That being said, I wouldn’t add more than 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour.
Also, be sure the softened butter isn’t melty. If I haven’t set my butter out the night before, I often will microwave it for a few seconds. However, if it becomes slightly melty, the cookie texture will be off.
Another tip is to leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a few minutes (3 to 5) so they can further set and hold their shape.
I love my grandmother’s recipes as well, but the measurements and instructions are equally vague (smile). I hope these tips help and thank you so much for trying them!
Hi there. My cookies turned out amazing
This is such a fun and easy recipe. Did I mention that it’s super good???
Love to make these in the Fall. Thanks for this great recipe!
My cookies are hard too. My mom use to use half butter and half Crisco in recipes, will that mixture keep them soft?
why did my cookies get hard?
Can you freeze these ginger cookies? Or better to leave “out”? I will bake these ahead if so. Not, wait till last minute!!
Yes — they freeze really well! I’m beginning my Christmas cookies now too. I wrote an article a while back on which cookies freeze best: https://www.31daily.com/christmas-cookies-bake-ahead/
Happy baking!