Or, I probably should say “the perfect gingersnaps”, because they definitely are! The recipe is from Alice Medrich, so their deliciousness didn’t catch me by surprise. The cookies are crispy outside, chewy in the middle, loaded with fresh and candied ginger; so pleasantly warm! They are my carb servings which combined with low-fat cottage make a perfectly balanced meal (still on the diet… sort of). Suddenly, this cottage thing seems more appealing.
Makes 51 (which is 5 cookies less than Alice promised :)
Ingredients:
- 2 cups (9 oz) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp salt
- 8 tbsp (1 stick; ¼-lb) unsalted butter, melted and just warm
- ¼ cup unsulfured mild or full-flavored molasses (I used organic blackstrap)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1/3 cup (2.3 oz) firmly packed brown sugar or light muscovado sugar
- 2 tbsp finely minced or grated fresh ginger root
- 1 large egg
- ¾ cup (4 oz) finely chopped crystallized ginger (1/4-inch dice)
- About ½ cup Demerara or turbinado sugar for rolling
Preparation:
Center an oven rack and preheat the oven to 350F. Line the baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt and whisk to combine. Set aside.
Combine the warm butter, molasses, both sugars, fresh ginger, and the egg in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and chopped candied ginger and stir until incorporated. The dough will be soft.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls (1/2 oz of dough for each). Roll the balls in the Demerara sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheet. Bake, in batches (form the rest of the balls while the first batch is baking ), for 10 to 12 minutes, or until they puff up and crack on the surface and then begin to deflate in the oven. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more of the cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake a minute or so longer.
Slide the parchment sheets of cookies onto cooling racks or use an offset spatula to transfer the cookies, and cool completely. Stored in an airtight container, gingersnaps keep for several days.
The baking method is slightly adapted from Alice Medrich’s.
May 15, 2013 at 7:15 pm
i made them and they taste great. but… they did not crack or fluff. they are flat. did i overmix the egg mixture, or not mix enough?
January 11, 2010 at 9:13 am
Hi Vera.
I tried the recipe. It’s delicious! I think adding cloves would actually make it even better. :)
I rolled mine and used biscuit cutters.
where do you buy the demerara sugar?
Thanks for sharing!
September 18, 2009 at 9:23 am
Made these once already and making them again tonight. They really are perfect and the sugar topping makes them look so festive. Can’t wait to make them around the holidays! Thanks for posting.
July 11, 2009 at 11:46 pm
Jackie, either sugar will work (I used them both; I baked these cookies more than once). You can use light or dark brown sugar, as well as light or blackstrap molasses. I didn’t chill the dough before baking. I would rather recommend to premeasure everything and chop the ginger in advance. Then, it will really take a minute to make the dough.
July 11, 2009 at 10:12 am
Hi
I was wondering which sugar did you actually use brown sugar or the muscovado sugar, if you used the brown sugar, did you use light or dark brown sugar. Also is it possible to make the dough and chill it overnight before baking.
November 7, 2016 at 7:19 pm
I buy my sugar at store bakery just if you can buy some of the cookie coating sugar, they will know what you are talking about
January 2, 2009 at 2:41 pm
Tricia, I’m so glad you liked them! Thank you very much for the feedback! Happy New Year!
January 2, 2009 at 2:22 pm
thank you so much for posting this recipe. my son picked them out as “his” cookies to make for our new years party and they were perfect. by far the best gingersnap ever. (how can you go wrong with the ginger trifecta of ground, fresh and crystallized?) they were awesome.
November 29, 2008 at 12:18 pm
Looks perfect… I love the cracked surface — a sign of great gingersnaps for sure.
November 25, 2008 at 8:31 pm
Leslie, I’m so glad you liked them! I think they were not supposed to be puffy. You can see a couple of cookies on the background in their profile – they are quite flat. I’ve just checked Medrich’s photo in the book – yep, not puffy but very much crackly.
Leslie, you sure can post about them. It’ll be my pleasure!
November 25, 2008 at 7:51 pm
Vera..
No, I am not stalking this post…I just want to let you know I made these last night..and AH MY GOODNESS!!! These we sooooooooo good I cant even put it into words! I was scared that I wouldnt like them, becuase of all the different gingers..But they were completely ADDICTING! I stopped counting the number of cookies I ate!! However mine went flat. I thought w/ the first batch I cooked them too long at 10 minutes. the 2nd and 3rd times in the oven, I decreased the cooking times and watched for the puffing and deflating..and they still all went flat!! However they were still moist and soft! Do you mind if I post about them eventually(w/ a link back to u)?
November 24, 2008 at 10:57 pm
Elra, thank you! That’s exactly how many books of hers I have :)
Joie de vivre, thank you! Yes, these containers are perfectly suitable for gift-giving.
Mycookinghut, thank you very much!
Cory, thank you!
November 24, 2008 at 11:26 am
I just can’t get over how wonderful your pictures look. The brown tones in this one are truly divine.
November 22, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Love this!! yum yum!! Nice photo!
November 21, 2008 at 5:48 pm
That is a beautiful way to present the cookies too! I’ve seen those cartons at craft stores. I’ll have to pick some up for holiday cookies!
November 20, 2008 at 9:53 am
They really look mighty delicious!
I have 4 of her books, and will definitely will look in to it. My husband loves gingery type of cookies!
Cheers,
Elra
November 19, 2008 at 6:47 pm
Linda, thank you! The store-bough are usually crispy. But I love mine crispy outside and chewy in the middle.
Javapot, thanks! These cracks will form by themselves. Don’t flatten the dough balls before baking (a lot of recipes call for flattening the balls with a bottom of a glass). They will puff high in the oven and then collapse and form the cracks.
November 19, 2008 at 5:56 pm
They do look good. I was wondering, I don’t suppose you can explain how to get those wonderful looking cracks? They are a definite signature for gingersnaps! Tks
November 19, 2008 at 2:57 am
They look just perfect! Gingersnaps are one of my favourite cookies. Never had them chewy before though.
November 18, 2008 at 7:04 pm
Thank you so much for your kind words!
Natalie, I believe the black treacle is actually unsulfured blackstrap molasses under a different name. So, yes, you can use it.
Kim, the box is a carton lunch box. I buy them in a craft store.
Grace, you are right! This probably explains the shortage :)
November 18, 2008 at 5:44 pm
Ginger snaps are really my all time favorite. I make them every year and everyone always loves them.
Your picture you took is awesome!
November 18, 2008 at 3:01 pm
Oh… I have all the ingredients for these! And am looking for something to bake this afternoon. I love anything Alice Medrich ;)
November 18, 2008 at 2:06 pm
These are adorable! They look perfect and I love the container you have them in. What a fun holiday gift…
November 18, 2008 at 1:19 pm
Oh yumm!! These must smell wonderful baking!
I think I’ll be asking for Alice Medrich’s cook book for Christmas!
November 18, 2008 at 1:25 am
I’ve made these too, and loved them :) Not sure I would consider them diet food though … hehe
November 17, 2008 at 7:12 pm
I love how you can have cottage cheese and a cookie. Unfortunately because I love ginger and molasses cookies so much, I would just go crazy. I’d eat five and that would be disciplined of me. H a
By the way these look totally amazing!
November 17, 2008 at 4:56 pm
I love making these during the holidays! Your recipe looks wonderful and I love them in that cute little box!
November 17, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Those are truly beautiful gingersnaps. I’ve never had homemade ones, only store-bought, but I’m sure they don’t even begin to compare. I’d probably skip the cottage cheese altogether and just go for the cookies!
November 17, 2008 at 10:16 am
You’re right – ginger is really comforting. You’re very disciplined – I couldn’t just eat one. I would just be in carb heaven and then hate myself in the morning.
November 17, 2008 at 4:58 am
Hummmm!!!I love these cookies, they´re so spicy…
Ana
November 17, 2008 at 4:45 am
are you sure those five missing cookies didn’t make their way into your belly as raw dough? that’d definitely be my excuse. :)
November 17, 2008 at 2:39 am
Ohh… I love moist gingerbread in any form, and especially gingerbread made with blackstrap molasses!! Those are the best!! Yummy!!
November 17, 2008 at 12:27 am
Yum! These look just gorgeous. I am a fan of ginger, and chewy cookies, so I’d love to try these.
November 16, 2008 at 11:53 pm
I just love Alice’s recipes too…this one looks delightful!
November 16, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Gingersnaps are up there among my favorite cookies – and yours look so delicious! Beautiful photo!
November 16, 2008 at 7:58 pm
mMmmm, I just love gingersnaps…. so addictive! Yours look wonderful.
P.S. on my chocolate chip cookie post… you’re right, that’s a rooster, not a chicken, LOL. And to think I spent much of my childhood on my grandparent’s farm. You’d think I would know!
November 16, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Gingersnaps are one of my top favorite cookies, but I have never tried to make them. They look and sound amazing. I can’t wait to try them. Thanks for the recipe.
November 16, 2008 at 7:04 pm
The DOOOOO look perfect!!
November 16, 2008 at 4:12 pm
This is exactly the way I love my gingersnaps; crunch on the outside and chewy on the inside. Yum!
November 16, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Gingersnaps are my husband’s favorite cookie. I have made lots of different recipes but haven’t come across the perfect one yet. I will have to give this one a try!
November 16, 2008 at 10:50 am
the perfect gingersnap for the perfect cheesecake … or tea … :)
November 16, 2008 at 10:01 am
oh yes! i had my eye on these too! i agree they certainly look perfect!
November 16, 2008 at 9:25 am
Crackly-ginger goodness! They do look perfect!
November 16, 2008 at 5:29 am
I am a fan of gingersnaps and know I will love these. Where did you get those cute boxes? As always your photos are just charming.
November 16, 2008 at 2:53 am
these look really nice . Can I use black treacle instead of the molasses ?
November 16, 2008 at 2:04 am
I love those cookies and yours look marvelous! That’s such a pretty picture!
Cheers,
Rosa