A favorite cookie at holiday time and any time that calls for a flavor-packed treat! Soft Ginger Cookies With Candied Ginger are spicy and sweet.
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There's no wrong time to whip up a batch of old-fashioned Ginger Cookies. They're especially nice to share in December and at Christmastime—for cookie exchanges or to leave out for Santa.
With flavors of ginger, cinnamon, clove, and molasses, the warmth of these cookies makes them a favorite in wintertime—especially New England wintertimes! When that cold air sets in, the landscape gets frosted, and the wind starts to bite, we reach for cookies to beat back the chill. And candied ginger cookies really do the trick, with nothing more than sugar and spices.
That doesn't mean you can't enjoy easy Ginger Cookies during the rest of the year, too. They're always welcome in the fall, alongside a cup of hot cider. And I included Soft Ginger Cookies in one of the first care packages I sent to my daughter when she was away at college!
Whether you make them as a food gift or just to fill up your cookie jar, this ginger molasses cookie recipe is one you MUST try.
Reader Review
"These featured in the Christmas cookies at our family gathering this year. (followed recipe exactly). Family loved them. Easily the most popular cookie we made this year."
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Why you'll love these treats
When you pick up a ginger cookie, you know what you're looking for: a sweet cookie with the taste of not just ginger, but also cinnamon, molasses, and clove. A little crunch from a crystalline sugar coating on the outside is lovely, too. My Soft Ginger Cookies have all these elements, plus one more that all ginger lovers will be psyched to hear about: bits of candied ginger!
Chopped, crystallized ginger folded into the cookie dough gives the baked cookies little chewy bites that explode with intense ginger flavor.
And as delicious as they are, ginger cookies with crystallized ginger are also just wonderfully fragrant. If you love baking treats that fill the house with a delectable scent then you'll really like this recipe!
🔪 How to make Soft Ginger Cookies With Candied Ginger
Ingredients for Ginger Cookies:
- Candied ginger: Also called crystallized ginger. The chewy ginger candy is spicy, and flavorful.
- All-purpose flour: King Arthur Flour is my go-to brand for all kinds of flour.
- Ground ginger: This spice gives the cookies their signature flavor. Check your ginger to make sure it hasn't expired!
- Baking soda and baking powder: These leavening agents give the cookies a lighter texture.
- Cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom: Classic ginger cookie spices, they bring a wonderful, warm flavor to the cookies.
- Unsalted butter: It creates a tasty and tender cookie. Use a good quality butetr for the best flavor, like Cabot or Kate's brands.
- Vegetable shortening: This fat also creates a tender texture in the cookies.
- Brown and granulated sugars: Both sugars sweeten the cookies; brown sugar also adds moisture and a hint of molasses flavor.
- Egg: Use a large egg in this recipe.
- Molasses: Just a little of this thick, sticky sweetener adds a flavor to the cookies that pairs perfectly with the warming spices.
- Vanilla Extract: Use a good quality extract like Nielsen-Massey Vanilla.
Chop the candied ginger
Cut each piece of candied ginger into little chunks.
Mix the dry ingredients
Whisk together the flour, spices, and leaveners. Stir the chopped candied ginger into the dry mixture.
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Blend the wet ingredients
Beat the butter, shortening, and sugars together in a mixer until light and creamy. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla.
Combine the wet and dry mixtures
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture, and pulse the mixer to slowly combine them. Chill the dough.
Roll the dough
Roll portions of dough by hand and coat them with sugar. Place them on a baking sheet.
Bake
Bake the cookies, then remove them to a cooling rack. Then, eat them all up!
FAQs
Yes, old-fashioned ginger cookies with candied ginger do freeze well. Let them cool completely, then place them in a single layer inside freezer-proof, resealable bags. Freeze the cookies for up to three months. Let them thaw still in the bags in the fridge.
Both candied ginger and crystallized ginger are created by simmering pieces of fresh ginger root in a sugar syrup, then coated in sugar and dried. While candied ginger is technically simmered longer and is sweeter than crystallized ginger, the two names are often used interchangeably. Whether the ginger you pick up is labeled "candied" or "crystallized" they can both be used in this best Ginger Cookie recipe.
Ginger cookie tips:
- Keep the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches: it will keep the dough from getting too soft and make it easy to handle.
- The flavor in these cookies is all about the spice, so it's important that your spices are fresh! Check the expiration dates on your spices and replace the old ones.
The recipe for Soft Ginger Cookies With Candied Ginger is below. Here are more of my favorite cookie recipes:
💬 Did you make and devour this recipe? Leave a comment below.
📖 Recipe
Soft Ginger Cookies With Candied Ginger
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Ingredients
- ½ cup (about 2¼ ounces) candied ginger
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached
- 1½ tablespoons ground ginger
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened (4 ounces)
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ¾ cup granulated sugar, plus extra for rolling dough balls
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
Mince the candied ginger:
- Use a sharp knife and cutting board. Slice each piece of candied ginger into thin strips, then slice the strips crosswise to make little chunks.
Make the dough:
- Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and cardamom in a large bowl. Stir in the minced candied ginger.
- Beat the butter, shortening, ¾ cup of granulated sugar, and the brown sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 4 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Mix in the egg. Add the molasses and vanilla extract, and mix these in as well.
- Add about half of the dry mixture into the bowl with the wet mixture. Pulse the mixer a few times to start to bring everything together. Add in the rest of the dry mixture. Pulse the mixer a few more times. Then, use a large spoon to finish mixing the dough together by hand.
- Place the bowl of dough in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Roll the dough balls:
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pour some granulated sugar into a small bowl.
- Roll the dough by hand into balls about one inch in diameter. Then, roll the balls in the sugar to coat them thoroughly. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- (Stash the rest of the dough in the fridge between batches.)
Bake the cookies:
- Bake the cookies for 11-12 minutes, until the cookies are lightly browned and the edges have begun to set. Remove the cookies to a cooling rack.
- Cool the cookies for at least 5 minutes before eating them. Once they're cool, store them in a tightly sealed container for up to 4 days.
- Makes about 38 cookies.
Notes
- Keep the bowl of cookie dough in the fridge between batches: it will keep the dough from getting too soft and make it easier to handle.
Nutrition
Sophie says
I made them exactly per the recipe (double batch) for our work cookie club and they were a hit! I think they even tasted better the second morning. I have already been sharing the recipe out with co-workers.
Nancy Mock says
I'm so happy to hear this, Sophie! Thank you so much for trying my ginger cookies and for sending your co-workers my way, too. 😍
Sara H. says
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I didn’t have shortening so I used vegetable oil and for the ground ginger I put 1 tablespoon instead of 1.5 tablespoons. The ginger cookies came out delicious. It was my first time attempting a ginger flavored cookie and didn’t know what to expect. The results were impressive, the taste and the chewy texture were spot on. I measured 2 oz balls of dough for each cookie and the time you recommend 11-12 mins worked every time for each tray I popped in the oven thank God. This is my new go to recipe for any candied ginger surplus in the pantry. I’ve already shared the recipe to a friend who enjoys ginger candy too.
Nancy Mock says
I'm glad you liked them, Sara!
Anonymous says
These featured in the Christmas cookies at our family gathering this year. (followed recipe exactly). Family loved them. Easily the most popular cookie we made this year.
Nancy Mock says
That's wonderful! I'm so happy to hear the Ginger Cookies turned out well and that they were a hit with your family. Thank you very much for making the recipe a part of your celebrations. Happy Holidays to you!