These scrumptious Soft Ginger Cookies are so full of flavor, slightly crispy on the edges with a soft and chewy texture on the inside. They are a family favorite and are perfect for holiday gift-giving, Christmas parties, and cookie trays.
Are you a fan of gingerbread? I absolutely love it. I like the soft and chewy kind, not the hard kind that you need to dunk in milk. These easy, Soft Gingerbread Cookies are the best. One of the key ingredients is molasses. Which by itself is not the best-tasting ingredient but look out when you mix it with butter, sugar, flour, and fall baking spices. Considered yourself warned because these cookies are amazing!!
What is molasses?
Molasses is the dark, sweet syrupy by-product from refining sugar cane or sugar beets into sugar. It is a different type of sweetener, just like honey or agave syrup, and is often used to produce a certain type of flavor. Just as honey produces a different taste than sugar, so does molasses. It is next to impossible to describe, but you will know it when you smell and love it when you mix it in this cookie batter.
These delicious cookies are perfect for your holiday gift-giving, cookie exchanges, and parties. They are quick to come together, and they freeze exceptionally well.
How to make Soft Ginger Cookies!
Grab a medium bowl and combine your flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set this bowl aside for a few minutes.
Using a stand mixer or hand-held mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, coffee, and molasses. Slowly blend the dry ingredients into the butter mixture. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll through sugar. Place the cookie dough balls on parchment paper-covered cookie sheets about 2 inches apart and bake for about 12 minutes. Then move to wire racks to cool after 5 minutes.
Can you roll these Gingerbread Cookies for cutting into shapes?
Yes, you most certainly can. Divide the dough in half and shape it into round mounds. Cover each fully with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least four hours up to three days. Remove from fridge and place on a generously floured surface; using a rolling pin covered with flour, roll to one-quarter to one-third inch thick. Using cookie cutters cut and place on parchment paper-covered baking sheets one inch apart. Combine and re-roll scraps. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-12 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove to a wire rack. Cool completely and decorate as desired.
If you are rolling the dough and cutting, then these cookies will become crisper. Much of the aeration is removed by rolling the cookies. The cooking time for cut cookies is reduced to 8-12 minutes. I suggest you run a test run with 1-2 cookies to establish optimum cooking time.
How to freeze these soft ginger cookies
After baking, let the cookies fully cool. Double wrap in Ziploc freezer bags (removing as much air as possible) and place in sturdy freezer containers. Place in the freezer for up to 2 months. When thawing, remove them from all packaging and place them on serving plates in a single layer until they are thawed. Once thawed, they can be stacked for serving, packed in airtight containers, or packaged for gift-giving. It is the condensation that builds up in the freezer bags that ruins the cookies.
If you like gingerbread, you have got to try these cookies. They are delicious, dependable, and easy to prepare. They freeze well, package well, and are perfect for holiday gift-giving! What’s not to love about them?
More cookie recipes you will love!
Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoons prepared dark coffee
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup white sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a medium bowl and combine flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
- Using a mixer, cream butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in egg, coffee, and molasses. Slowly blend flour mixture into butter mixture until incorporated; scraping down the bowl and beaters. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll through white sugar.
- Place on parchment-covered baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes. After 5 minutes, move to cookie cooling racks.
Video
Notes
- If rolling the dough and cutting; these cookies will become crisper. Much of the aeration is removed by rolling the cookies. The cooking time for cut cookies is reduced to 8-12 minutes. I suggest you run a test run with 1-2 cookies to establish optimum cooking time.
- Cover your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. They help the cookies bake evenly, brown better, and lift off the cookie sheet without breaking.
- For optimum results, bake one sheet of cookies at a time. Use multiple cookie sheets or let the single cookie sheet cool before dropping more dough on it, as a warm cookie sheet can cause cookies to spread too fast.
- Store the cookies on the counter in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze them in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
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This post was originally published October 21, 2018 and was republished October 18, 2019 with new content.
https://www.smalltownwoman.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Beth-1.pdf
Kristina Taylor
I followed the recipe exactly. I was worried a tablespoon of ginger would be too strong but these cookies were amazing! Perfect balance of sweet and spice and the texture was great. Thanks for sharing this!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Kristina! The pleasure is all mine!
Mandy Durdin-Maccala
I have made these for the last two years for Christmas and they are so scrumptious. Everyone loves them!
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Mandy! I am so glad that you like them!
Judy
So glad to find this recipe. I absolutely love gingerbread cookies and I want to enjoy them all year. It seems that many people think that gingerbread cookies are just for the holidays. Another plus is these cookies do not require rolling the dough out. Rolling the dough into balls is the same as my other favorite cookies, Snickerdoodles. I will be making these this week. Thanks for sharing this recipe. **
Beth Pierce
The pleasure is all mine, Judy! I hope you enjoy the cookies and I agree with you gingerbread cookies should be enjoyed all year.
Karen Delaney
Made these this morning…They are absolutely delicious…
Beth Pierce
Thanks, Karen! So glad that you liked them!
Kamie
Wow! So yummy! Made these with the boys and the whole batch were gone in a flash! I didn’t end up having real butter, so I used “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” instead. This may have been why my dough was loose. I scooped them, rolled in sugar, & popped them in the freezer for 30 mins. Everything worked great and the cookies kept their domed appearance.
P.S.-
LOVE the coffee flavor. I think my husband ate the most out of the family for breakfast!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kamie! So glad that they worked out for you and thanks for the tip.
Melissa Cushing
I pinned this one because my husband loves gingerbread cookies and everything homemade is best so I am making them for the Holidays 🙂 I appreciate you sharing this yummy recipe!
Mosaic Art Discovery
Ginger cookies are my fav!!! Your recipe looks so so good, I can’t wait to make your recipe, can’t wait.
Beth Pierce
Butter is usually the culprit. I use Land O Lakes butter for all my cookies. Sometimes the butter gets overworked. I always make the first batch a test run. Bake one or two cookies. This allows you to make sure the dough will not spread too much and to test baking time. If the cookies spread too much. Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Another culprit might be old baking soda.
Randi Cockerham
I made these today and they were excellent. Since there is a gluten intolerance in the family I do 95% of my baking gluten free as I did with this recipe. I just substituted an all purpose gluten-free flour blend from King Arthur. I also learned years ago gluten-free baked goods need time for the flours to hydrate. I put the dough in the refrigerator for a couple of hours before rolling and baking. My husband kept asking, and these are gluten-free? Since I haven’t had a cup of coffee in over 40 years, I omitted the coffee. I just added 3 tbs of water to make up the moisture. This recipe is on my Pinterest page to be used many more times.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked them and were able to adapt them to your needs. I love gingerbread cookies.
Sarah
Hi Randi,
I’m glad I saw your post as I have been thinking how I could use Bob’s Gluten Free flour on this recipe. Yes, I learned that gluten free flour sometimes needs more moisture so I’ll try the refrigeration trick too! I subbed GF flour when I made the Mexican “ maranitos “ or piglet cookies!
Debbie
This recipe looks superb!!! could you use it for a gingerbread house?
Beth Pierce
Not sure. I have never tried.
Matteo
Made a triple batch of them for relatives on Thanksgiving, they are delicious, easy to use recipe and I’ll make them again for Christmas 21, only a smaller batch, my 5 quart mixer strained some with the dough so I ended up doing it by hand. If you make these you won’t be disappointed.
Beth Pierce
Thanks Matteo! So glad that you liked them!
Sierra
I love these cookies!! I was even able to make a vegan version with vegan butter and 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce to substitute the egg. Still turned out amazing!!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Sierra! And thanks for the tips for my readers.
Colleen
These cookies are a new favorite. They are delicious and the texture is perfect. Thanks for a great recipe!
Elizabeth
Oh my goodness, these are incredible! They taste like Christmas and have the best soft texture.
Sara Welch
Whipped up a batch of these this weekend and was dreaming of Christmas! Exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth; delicious!
Emily Flint
I firmly believe the only way to make a gingerbread cookie is soft, LOL! This recipe is so delicious, I will be making it all holiday season!
Dannii
Anything with ginger is good with me. These cookies would be perfect for Christmas time.
Marni
I LOVED these cookies!!! They were so so nice, and fluffy, my whole family enjoyed them. I’ll definitely be making these again. My only mild issue was that they tasted rather strongly of coffee. Maybe I used too strong coffee in them? I’m not really sure but they were still amazing!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Marni. Maybe you would enjoy them better without the coffee. I am a huge coffee drinker!
Macie
I love the flavor and texture of these cookies, so perfectly soft and chewy!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Macie! So glad that you liked them!
Sara Welch
Whipped up a batch of these this afternoon and they turned out perfect! Exactly what I needed to cure my sweet tooth! Delicious!
Betsy
One of my favorite cookies! I love these cookies with all the wonderful aromatic spices! The coffee is a really nice touch; really adds a new, unique dimension. Love the way these cookies pair with a cool glass of milk or a warm glass of egg nog!
Chris Stitt
Do you have to use coffee?
Beth Pierce
No you do not have to.
Aimee
These are amazing! They actually turned out just like in the picture. I had some Chinese 5 spice and added a half teaspoon of that too. Yum! Thanks!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you like them. That is a great idea with the Chinese 5 spice!
Tayler
Do I need to cool the dough before baking? I tried to roll the dough into balls and the batter is too sticky and soft to roll right after mixing. Followed the directions exactly
Beth Pierce
If the dough is too loose than chill it.
charlene mccullen
Has anyone tried making these as a pan cookie yet. I had my first gingerbread cookie yesterday and it was in the pan form and lightly iced. Super delicious. Now it’s got me on the challenge of finding the right recipe to make them.
Jasmine
Hi, this recipe looks super good. I can’t wait to make these, soft gingerbread is the best gingerbread. What type of molasses do you use
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much! I use Grandma’s original.
Indi
Beautiful… made these scrumptious cookies with the kids and they had so much fun measuring and adding all the different ingredients. We didn’t have molasses at the time but that didn’t dull the taste. I refrigerated the mix half hour before and it was ok to work with but day after mix was much better and cookies turned out much better too – I baked second batch for about 12 minutes and added extra ginger which worked and I loveddd the undercooked bread texture. Sprinkled some caster sugar on top before baking which gave a little extra sweetness… if I’m honest kids enjoyed making more than eating but I didn’t mind ( all the more for me!). Thank you for this recipe – will be my go to for gingerbread 🙂
Beth Pierce
Thanks Indi! So glad that you liked them. Kids just love to cook and it is so much fun to do it with them.
Indi
Yes certainly, I just need to get over the urge to control for precision and need to just let there be mess, spills and flour clouds! More baking is the way I’m sure 🙂 Thanks once again.
Lynn
Fluffy in the middle and crisp edges as promised! Awesome recipe! Thanks! Also great with the tops dipped in a powdered sugar + milk icing. 🙂
Beth Pierce
Thanks Lynn! So glad that you liked them! I will try to tip!
Dana Chiu
Successfully made these with Arrowhead Mills GF flour (mix includes xanthan gum) and 6 oz. room temp Earth Balance vegan baking sticks for my friend’s daughter who is GF/DF. Used 2 T. of the Lebkuchengewurz spice mixture I referenced in my previous comment/review. Used 1/2 C. brown sugar, and increased molasses to 6 T. Did not roll in sugar as I iced with sifted powdered sugar, drop of lemon oil and enough soy milk to be spreadable. (After making with orange oil, I prefer that over the lemon.) Used decaf espresso (which I also did every time I’ve made these). I forgot to add to my previous post that I used zest of one orange for this GF/DF version as well as for the one made with regular flour.
Dana Chiu
Excellent! I made it as written the first time. I think my butter was way too soft as they spread and were thinner than your photo. BUT they were delicious and chewy! The second time I made I tried to replicate a local bakery’s version of a bar cookie. I used a Lebkuchengewurz spice mix (from The Daring Gourmet) and used 2 T. of this mixture in the cookie recipe, used Kerry Gold salted butter, only 3/4 C. brown sugar, increased molasses to 6 T. and added 2 T. ginger syrup (The Ginger People’s) and did not roll in the additional sugar since I iced with a sifted powdered sugar, couple drops orange essential oil and enough coconut milk to get a pourable/spreadable consistency. I baked this in parchment lined 15×10 jellyroll pan for 14-16 minutes. An offset spatula helped to spread the dough out evenly. I iced while a little warm, then chilled overnight, cut into squares and will store in fridge with unbleached coffee filters between layers so they don’t stick together. The are lovely, chewy and spicy! Thanks for the awesome recipe and Merry Christmas!
Samantha
What temperature is 350F in Celsius
Beth Pierce
Google says 177 degrees C
Dana Chiu
Very good! Soft, spice level was great! I used room temperature butter so mine spread a bit. I used 2 T. espresso and salted Kerry Gold butter. Next time I will chill well in fridge after they are on parchment sheet and bake cold. I put royal icing on mine. Made these for my SIL who requested a soft gingerbread cookie with royal icing. I’d make again!
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked them! I love a good soft gingerbread cookie! Happy holidays!
James Norton
I sandwiched my cookies with some lemon frosting. It made a fantastic cookie crazy good
3 Tbs butter
1 1/2- 2 cups confectioners sugar
1 teas lemon zest
1 Tbs lemon juice
A few drops on cream to get a good spreading consistency
Use about a teaspoon per cookie really yummy!
Beth Pierce
That sounds absolutely divine! Thanks for the tip!
Bridget Lewis
Looking forward to baking this recipe….I live in a high altitude area, any suggestions?
Beth Pierce
Sorry Bridget! I do not have any experience with that but maybe one of the readers will have some advice.
Ja
May I ask did you use a tsp scoop or a Tbsp scoop ? Thank you
Beth Pierce
I did not use a cookie scoop on these. I rolled them into one inch balls with my hands then rolled them through the sugar.
Anastasia
Hello! Thank you for the recipe!
I’ve just made your cookies, they taste really good, but there is one problem- they didn’t spread at all, they stayed in a ball-shape. The batter was very soft and I thought it should spread, but it didn’t. Why did it happen? 🙁
Beth Pierce
Did you by chance use shortening instead of butter?
Lisa D.
Any suggestions for a substitution for the coffee?
neuroticmom
When i took mine out of the oven they where beautiful round mounded cookies but after about 3 minutes were flat 🙁 Still tasted great but wondering how I can keep them plump? Bake longer ?
Beth Pierce
I would not bake them any longer. A couple of quick tips. Make sure your baking soda is fresh. I always run a trial run by baking 2-3 cookies first. If they spread too fast refrigerate the dough for a couple of hours.
Erin
These scrumptious Soft Gingerbread Cookies are just so adorable!!
Demeter
I am so ready to make these this weekend! Ready to get into the holiday spirit.
Sara Welch
What perfect little bites of heaven! These are always a hit during the holidays; excited to bake these and package for gifts! Delish!
lawrence gosselin
Can the coffee be left out or substituted?
Beth Pierce
Yes it can!
Katie
Had to add extra flour and put the dough in the refrigerator to firm up a bit to roll but otherwise a great recipe
Mandy @ South Your Mouth
I love everything about this recipe! PERFECTION!
Sheila
Light brown sugar or dark brown sugar?
Beth Pierce
Light brown sugar
Dee
Sounds delicious and can’t wait to try…. One problem…. We can’t get molasses here as we live abroad, is there an alternative /substitute?
Beth Pierce
You can try dark corn syrup. I have not tried it but it is recommended for a substitute for molasses.
Rebecca Rice
I’m completely amateur when it comes to cooking/baking, but I can follow a recipe and it usually turns out well. This looks like a great recipe and I want to try it for a small gathering of sorts, but the inclusion of coffee in this recipe befuddled me. I love coffee, but I’m not sure about putting it in a recipe. I don’t even have a coffee maker. I saw someone’s comment about switching out coffee for tea and the reply about that being okay or just omitting that step completely. My concern is whether or not the cookies will still be good if I skip that step. Should I tweak the amount of one ingredient or more and, if so, by how much? Or will the cookies still come out tasty if I leave the rest of the ingredients alone and simply skip adding the coffee? Like I said, amateur here.
Beth Pierce
Hey Rebecca the coffee is there just to lend a little more taste to the recipe…albeit a subtle taste. If you don’t have a coffee maker than I think I would just sub a couple tablespoons of water. Like I said it is subtle and I think you will still love the cookies. This dough may require a little bit of refrigeration depending on how soft your butter is. Run a test run with two cookies and if they spread too fast cover your dough and place in the fridge for 45 minutes. Too soft butter can lead to too much spread and I want everyone’s cookies to turn out right.
Rebecca Rice
Thank you so much for the reply! I will take your advice into account. Merry Christmas!
Kathy B
Forgot to rate on my comment. 5 Stars!
Beth Pierce
Thanks Kathy! Have a fabulous day!
Kathy B
Loved these cookies. The spices are just right! Mine weren’t as “fat” as yours look, but they weren’t too thin and they stayed soft. Everyone loved them. One thing – I used my Kitchenaid to do most of the mixing so my dough was too soft/warm to form into balls, but a few minutes in the refrigerator did the trick.
Beth Pierce
So glad that you liked them! I use my Kitchenaid quite frequently for cookies and yes sometimes that means refrigeration time,
Colleen
Hello, these look delicious and I want to try them. What kind of molasses did you use? I didn’t realize there were different types.
And do you know what the difference is? Blackstrap, Fancy etc.
Beth Pierce
I used unsulphured molasses available from my local high end grocery store. I am not aware of all of those types.
Judy Lavallee
Can these be frozen either baked or just dough? If so, how?
Beth Pierce
How to freeze Soft Gingerbread Cookies.
After baking let the cookies fully cool. Double wrap in Ziploc freezer bags (removing as much air as possible) and place in sturdy freezer containers. Place in freezer for up to two months. When thawing remove from all packaging and place on serving plates in single layer until they are thawed. Once thawed they can be stacked for serving, packed in airtight containers, or packaged for gift giving. It is the condensation that builds up in the freezer bags that ruins the cookies.
You can also freeze the dough. Roll the dough into balls. Place on parchment covered baking sheets. They should not be touching. Place in freezer until frozen solid (about one hour). Move to double Ziploc freezer bags. Store in safe place in freezer. To bake remove as many as you want. Roll in sugar and place on parchment covered baking sheets. Let them thaw while the oven preheats. They may need one more minute baking time.
Martha Merza
Can these be baked and then frozen? I would like to make them ahead for Christmas. Do they get hard over time? I made some last year (a different recipe) and they were hard in 3 days. Just did not retain that nice soft texture.
Beth Pierce
Yes they can be baked and frozen. Make sure you wrap them well. I am struggling with my memory on how long these stay soft but I am not sure because they do not stay around here long. My hubby loves gingerbread. I think at one point I had some that were almost a week and they were still delicious.
Steph
These we so good and so soft!! Perfect perfect perfect gingerbread cookie. So glad I came across this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much! So glad that you enjoyed them!
Jo-anne
When you say prepared coffee what does it mean. Instant coffee?
Beth Pierce
As if you if would drink it. In drinkable form.
Sue
How much water do I put in 2 tablespoon of coffee
Beth Pierce
It is two tablespoons of prepared coffee. So two tablespoons of coffee as it would be served to you. I hope that helps.
Yseniazavala
What can we substitute the coffee with?
Beth Pierce
Milk or water.
Beth
Taste was good but I rolled my dough out, and 9h are they ever hard! It makes me sad, I guess I’ll have to try and just do drop cookies next time.
Beth Pierce
So sorry Beth. I should have left more directions on this recipe. Yes if gingerbread dough is rolled out it will become more crisp as the aeration is removed when rolled. It would also require a little shorter cooking time; closer to ten minutes. I am going to make notes on the recipe right now.
Syl
This is for the person who said the cookies turned out hard. Put a slice of bread in a bag/container with the cookies. They should draw the moisture from the bread. Try with a couple first. Good luck ?
Chantale Bailey
These cookies are amazing! I had to decrease the cooking time to 10 mins for softer cookies, i think it was because they were smaller.
Beth Pierce
Gotcha! So glad that you liked them. I love gingerbread cookies. Whenever I make cookies I always do a test run with one or two to establish baking time because there are so many variables that come into play.
Jamie
Gingerbread cookies are an all time favorite at our house. A must for holiday baking and sharing!
Beth Pierce
Thanks so much Jamie! We love them too! Delicious!
Kathy
How can I share this?
Beth Pierce
In the left hand corner of each post are boxes for the major social media networks. Just click on them and you will be able to share to Facebook, Pinterest etc. Thanks for asking!
Renee Hannah
what could be used in place of coffee?? I don’t drink coffee and don’t care for that flavor in things. Perhaps strong black tea?
Beth Pierce
I think that would work well or just omit it.
Laura Chapin
at what temp do these get baked? I am either blind or it is not posted in the recipe
Beth Pierce
No Laura. You are not blind. I totally missed that one. I have added it now. Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention.
Layla
Made these cookies for my family on Halloween and they loved them! Delicious and easy to make. Thanks!
Beth Pierce
The pleasure was all mine!
Cheryl
i love warm gingerbread cookies with a cup of coffee!! Thanks for the recipe
Beth Pierce
My pleasure Cheryl!! I love them too! So delicious!!
Sandy
In the ingredients it dont mention baking soda but does in the instructions how much do we use
Beth Pierce
I just checked it. It is the second ingredient down. 1 1/2 teaspoons
Mary Erney
This recipe is amazing. My cookies did not spread out much but still delicious. Should I use real butter?
Beth Pierce
Yes. As a matter of fact I started using Land O Lakes butter this year because I think it is superior quality.