Irresistible Ginger Crinkle Cookies: Your Ultimate Recipe for Soft, Chewy, and Perfectly Spiced Holiday Delights
Ginger Crinkle Cookies are a symphony of textures and flavors – soft and delightfully chewy in the middle, with perfectly crisp, sugar-dusted edges. Infused with the warm, comforting spice of ginger and other seasonal aromas, they deliver the best gingersnap taste imaginable, making them our absolute family favorite for the holidays! Dive into this foolproof recipe and discover why these cookies will become a cherished tradition in your home. PLUS, don’t miss your chance to win a $250 gift card to Minted.com!
My Secret Love Affair with Ginger Crinkle Cookies
I have a confession to make, and it might surprise you: I’m not typically a huge cookie enthusiast. If given a choice, I often gravitate towards the rich decadence of brownies or the moist layers of a beautifully decorated cake. Perhaps it’s an unusual preference for someone who loves to bake, but it’s true. However, there’s one particular cookie that absolutely, unequivocally floats my boat and has captured my heart. It’s the glorious ginger cookie.
Whether you call them ginger cookies, gingersnaps, or ginger crinkles, these spiced delights are my ultimate weakness! But I am admittedly picky. My ideal ginger cookie must be soft and wonderfully chewy on the inside, a stark contrast to those hard, crunchy varieties you often find in store-bought boxes. I crave that satisfying texture that melts in your mouth while offering a delightful resistance. That’s precisely what this recipe delivers, every single time. 😉
Why This Ginger Crinkle Cookie Recipe is THE BEST
This particular recipe for ginger crinkles isn’t just a favorite; it’s my absolute go-to. I originally got it from my talented cousin, and it has since become a staple in my kitchen. I find myself baking these delectable cookies not only during the festive holiday season but throughout the entire year whenever a craving for warm, spicy goodness strikes. And believe me, the cravings strike often!
What makes this recipe truly stand out is its incredible simplicity combined with an utterly amazing flavor profile. It’s packed with the quintessential warmth of ginger and a harmonious blend of aromatic spices that instantly evoke feelings of comfort and joy. Each cookie boasts a luscious, soft, and chewy center, perfectly contrasted by the slightest crispness around the edges – a textural masterpiece in every bite. The signature crinkled appearance, dusted with sparkling sugar, adds to their charm, making them as beautiful to behold as they are delicious to eat.
Another fantastic aspect of this recipe is its reliability. These cookies come out perfect every single time without fail. It’s genuinely a foolproof recipe, making it ideal for bakers of all skill levels. Even if you’re not an experienced baker and perhaps a bit intimidated by complex recipes, fear not! If you can accurately measure ingredients and follow simple steps, you are more than capable of creating these fantastic ginger crinkle cookies. They’ll impress your family and friends, and you’ll feel like a seasoned pro.
These spiced wonders are hands down one of the best cookies to bake during the holidays. Their festive aroma fills the home, and their comforting taste is exactly what you crave when the weather turns chilly. They also make magnificent edible gifts. Package some of these beauties into holiday gift boxes, and trust me, your neighbors, friends, and even your kids’ teachers will absolutely adore you for sharing such a homemade treat. They are a gesture of warmth and love, baked right into a cookie.
Tips for Achieving the Perfect Ginger Crinkle Cookies
While this recipe is incredibly forgiving, a few simple tips can elevate your ginger crinkle cookies from great to absolutely extraordinary. Follow these pointers to ensure maximum flavor, irresistible chewiness, and that iconic crinkled perfection:
- Quality Ingredients Matter: Use fresh, high-quality spices. Ground ginger loses potency over time, so ensure yours is relatively fresh for the most vibrant flavor. Good quality molasses is also key for that deep, rich taste and chewy texture.
- Don’t Overmix: Once you add the dry ingredients to the wet, mix only until just combined. Overmixing can develop the gluten in the flour too much, resulting in tough cookies instead of tender ones. A few streaks of flour are better than an overmixed, stiff dough.
- The Sugar Roll: The generous coating in sugar before baking is crucial for the “crinkle” effect. As the cookie bakes and expands, the sugar coating cracks, creating those beautiful fissures. You can use regular granulated sugar, or for a coarser, sparkling effect, try turbinado sugar.
- Mind the Baking Time: Eight minutes in a preheated oven is the sweet spot for soft and chewy cookies. They might still look slightly underdone in the center when you pull them out, but they will continue to set as they cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes. Overbaking is the enemy of chewiness!
- Cooling is Key: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This allows them to firm up slightly without losing their softness and prevents them from breaking. The crinkles will become more pronounced as they cool.
- Chill the Dough (Optional but Recommended): While not strictly necessary for this recipe, chilling the dough for 30 minutes to an hour can help prevent the cookies from spreading too much and deepen the flavors. This is especially useful if your kitchen is warm.
Variations & Serving Suggestions
These ginger crinkle cookies are fantastic as is, but you can also experiment with small additions to customize them:
- Extra Spice: For an added kick, include a pinch of freshly ground black pepper or a tiny dash of cayenne pepper. It won’t make them spicy but will add a subtle warmth that enhances the ginger.
- Citrus Zest: A teaspoon of fresh orange or lemon zest can brighten the flavor profile beautifully, complementing the ginger and cinnamon.
- Chocolate Chips: Who doesn’t love chocolate? A handful of mini chocolate chips folded into the dough can add a delightful surprise.
- Serving: Enjoy these cookies warm with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream, alongside a hot cup of coffee or spiced tea, or simply on their own. They’re also a wonderful addition to any dessert platter.
Storage
Store cooled ginger crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5-7 days. To maintain their chewiness, you can add a slice of bread to the container; the cookies will absorb moisture from the bread, keeping them soft. For longer storage, the baked cookies freeze beautifully for up to 3 months. You can also freeze the unbaked dough balls (after rolling in sugar) and bake them from frozen, adding a minute or two to the baking time, for fresh-baked cookies on demand!
Ginger Crinkle Cookies
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Ingredients
- 2/3 cup coconut oil melted (or canola oil)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 4 Tbsp. molasses
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ginger
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350º F.
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Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and ginger together in a bowl.
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In another bowl, mix oil and sugar together until combined.
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Add egg and beat well. Stir in molasses.
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Blend in dry ingredients until just mixed. Roll into 1 ” balls and then drop in a bowl of sugar to coat.
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Place on ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven.
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Remove and cool on wire rack. Cookies will flatten and crinkle. Enjoy!
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