There's something magical about gingerbread during the holidays. The warm spices, the rich molasses, and that unmistakable Christmas aroma that fills the kitchen. These gingerbread crinkle cookies are a festive twist on a classic, rolled in two types sugars so they bake up with snowy tops and crackly edges. Soft, chewy, and full of warm spice flavors, they're the kind of cookie that looks as good on a Christmas cookie tray as it tastes fresh from the oven.
Soft, chewy, and dusted in snowy powdered sugar, these gingerbread crinkle cookies bring all the favorite holiday spices in every bite.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love these Cookies
- Festive holiday look with snowy crinkles
- Perfect balance of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves
- Soft and chewy texture
Ingredients You Will Need
- Unsalted butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Molasses
- Milk
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground cloves
- Kosher salt
- Granulated sugar rolling dough balls in
- Powdered sugar rolling dough balls in
Ingredients Tips!
- Molasses - I found that the Grandmas Original holds up to all the spices that are in this cookie.
- Dark brown sugar - When shopping look for the darkest brown sugar. Different times of the year even the Domino's brand is not consistent. The darker the color usually will mean a richer molasses taste. If all you have is light brown sugar you can increase the amount of molasses by 2 tablespoons.
- These cookies have a lot of warm spices that hold up beautifully against the molasses and dark brown sugar. Don't be afraid the measurements are correct.
Step-by-Step Instructions
These are not a hard cookie to make and it is a Christmas favorite of mine.
Prepping
In a small bowl weigh or measure the dark brown sugar and set it aside. In another bowl weigh or measure the flour. Add the baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt to the flour. Then run a whisk through to blend.
Make the Dough
1. Cube room temperature butter into a mixer bowl.
2. Cream the butter for a minute or two using a medium mixer speed until you get creamy soft looking peaks.
3. Next, add the brown sugar and mix on a medium mixer speed for 3 to 4 minutes. You want as much of the sugar incorporated into the butter as possible.
4. Now is the time to add the molasses and milk.
5. Mix on medium speed until the milk and molasses are blended into the butter-sugar mixture. Scrape down the bowl and bottom, then mix for another 5 seconds.
6. Finally add the flour mixture about a third at a time. Just mix until blended into the wet ingredients.
Cover and chill for 2-hours or overnight. I chill the cookie dough that long to meld all the flavors.
Shape Coat and Bake
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C) and grab 2 cookie sheet pans. I line the pans with parchment paper. I also grab a medium cookie scooper so I have consistent size cookie balls.
7. Add the granulated sugar to one bowl and the powdered sugar to another. You'll be rolling the cookie balls into both.
8. Take the cookie scooper and scoop out some cookie dough. You want to make the balls about the same size of 1 ½ - 2 inches in circumference.
Crinkle Top Tip!
Roll in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar. The first layer keeps the second from melting into the dough, so your gingerbread cookies bake up with those bold, snowy crinkles everyone loves.
9. Roll the cookie ball in granulated (regular) sugar first and coat it completely. Then move it to the powdered sugar and roll it around to fully coat.
I added 12 coated cookie balls onto one of the prepared pans.
10. Bake at 350°F (175°C or 180°C) for 12-14 minutes. The tops should be just slightly set when they come out of the oven. Move them to a cooling rack. The outside will firm up and the inside will be soft and chewy.
Enjoy!
FAQs
My rule of thumb is that in cookies, I want an even ginger flavor, so I almost always use ground ginger.
Blackstrap is the third boiling of sugarcane and has an intense and very strong taste. Depending on the maker it can also be a little bitter. This cookie does have a lot of ginger and double coating of sugar so you may be alright.
I keep these in a container with a snap-on, airtight lid. This keeps the outside of the cookie a little crispy from the sugar coating and the inside soft and perfect for gingerbread cookies.
Love the Taste of Ginger? Try One of These
Recipe
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Barbara HallWould you like to save this recipe?
We'll email a link of this post to you, so you can come back any time!
Ingredients
- 12 Tablespoon Unsalted butter room temperature
- ¾ cup (165 g) Dark brown sugar
- ¾ cup (252.75 g) Molasses
- 2 Tablespoon Milk
- 3 cups (375 g) All-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Baking soda
- 1 Tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- 1 Tablespoon Ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ cup (100 g) Granulated sugar rolling dough balls in
- ½ cup (60 g) Confectioners sugar rolling dough balls in
Instructions
- Weigh or measure the dark brown sugar into a bowl and set it aside. Then weigh or measure the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Run a whisk through the dry ingredients to blend them together.
- Cube the butter and add it to the mixer bowl. Blend on medium speed until it looks creamy with soft peaks, about 1 minute. Next, add the brown sugar and continue mixing on medium speed for 3-4 minutes, until the mixture is fully combined and fluffy.
- Add the molasses and milk, then mix on medium speed until fully blended. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing just until incorporated each time. Try not to overmix, if a little flour remains along the edges, gently fold it in with a spatula. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 2 hours or overnight. The extra chill time gives the spices a chance to fully meld and develop flavor.
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C or 180°C). Line two cookie sheet pans with parchment paper and set them aside. I use a medium cookie scoop to ensure all the cookie balls are the same size. Pour the granulated sugar into one bowl and the powdered sugar into another. Finally, take the chilled cookie dough out of the refrigerator and get ready to shape the cookies.
- Scoop the chilled cookie dough and roll it into balls about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter. First, roll each ball in the granulated sugar to coat it completely, then roll it in the powdered sugar until fully covered. Place the coated cookie balls onto the prepared cookie sheet pans, I got 12 to a sheet pan. If the cookie dough becomes too soft while working, you can place the entire pan in the refrigerator to firm up the dough again before baking.
- Bake the cookies for 12 to 14 minutes, or until the tops are just set. Let them cool on the pan for about 1 minute before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container to keep them soft and fresh.
Share this recipe
NUTRITION DISCLAIMER
I am not a certified Dietitian or Nutritionist. The nutrition amounts given below are provided through a program and are only a guideline.
Join the Discussion