If you are looking for a bakery-style ginger cookie that is soft, chewy, and coated in a satisfying crunch of sugar crystals, these soft ginger cookies are exactly what you need. This triple ginger recipe uses fresh ginger, ground ginger, and crystallized ginger for a depth of flavor that makes every bite feel like it came straight from your favorite bakery. They are big, bold, and perfectly spiced.
I spent a long time testing batches of these before I landed on the version I am sharing here. The secret is in the three layers of ginger flavor working together, plus that roll in demerara sugar that gives you an irresistible crackle on the outside with a tender, pillowy center. If you love pumpkin spiced cookies, these are going to earn a permanent spot on your holiday cookie tray too.
In This Post
Why this Works
This recipe is built around three forms of ginger, and that layering is what sets these apart from a standard ginger snap or soft ginger drop cookie. Ground ginger gives you that warm, classic spice. Fresh grated ginger adds a brighter, more aromatic zing. And crystallized ginger, which I source from Spiceology, brings a chewy little hit of sweetness and intensity that no single form of ginger can replicate on its own.
The combination of butter and molasses also does a lot of the heavy lifting here. Molasses keeps the cookies moist and adds that deep, slightly bitter backbone that balances the sweetness beautifully. Using unsulfured molasses matters because it has a cleaner, less harsh flavor that lets the ginger and warm spices shine through instead of being overshadowed.
Heather’s Recipe Notes
Drawing from 20 years of recipe development and my time co-founding a spice company, here’s what makes this recipe worth making exactly as written.
- Use a kitchen scale for flour if you can. Spoon-and-level works, but too much flour is the number one reason ginger cookies come out cakey instead of chewy. When in doubt, go a little light on the flour measurement.
- Frozen ginger is a game changer. I always keep a knob of fresh ginger in a zip-top bag in my freezer. It peels easily with a spoon and grates beautifully on a microplane straight from frozen, with zero waste.
- Do not skip the demerara sugar coating. Regular white sugar will work in a pinch, but demerara has larger crystals that stay crunchy after baking and give you that signature bakery-style crackle on the exterior.
- Do not overbake. Pull the cookies when the tops just begin to crack and the edges look set. They will look slightly underdone in the center and that is exactly what you want. They firm up perfectly as they cool.
- Room temperature butter is non-negotiable. Cold butter will not cream properly and warm, melted butter will change the texture of the cookie. Leave your butter out for at least an hour before you start.
The Maillard Reaction
That gorgeous crinkled, golden-brown top on these cookies is not just for looks. It is the result of the Maillard Reaction, a chemical process that happens when proteins and sugars in the dough are exposed to heat. This reaction creates hundreds of new flavor compounds that give baked goods that complex, toasty depth you just cannot get any other way.
In these cookies, the Maillard Reaction is amplified by the molasses and the demerara sugar coating. Both contain higher concentrations of sugar compounds that brown more readily than white sugar alone, which is part of why these cookies develop such a rich color and flavor in a relatively short bake time. It is also why keeping your oven at 350 degrees and not cranking the heat is important. Too hot and the exterior browns too fast before the center has a chance to set up into that perfect chewy texture.
Ingredients to Make Soft Ginger Cookies
- All purpose flour – spoon into your measuring cup and level with a knife or your finger.
- Spices – a blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves add that perfect spice to these ginger cookies.
- Butter – all recipes on Farmgirl Gourmet are tested using unsalted butter, unless otherwise noted.
- Sugar – you’ll want a coarse demerara sugar for the coating on the cookies to give it that nice crunch, but in a pinch, white sugar will work also.
- Crystallized Ginger – is ginger that is sliced and then simmered in a sugar syrup and dried. The interior is still soft with a crystallized sugar exterior. Make sure you keep it in an airtight container to keep it fresh longer. I buy mine from Spiceology.
- Fresh Ginger – adds that fresh zing to this cookie. I always keep a zip top bag of ginger in my freezer. It’s easy to peel with a spoon and even easier to grate with a microplane or fine box grater into any dish or recipe.
- Eggs – all recipes on Farmgirl Gourmet are developed using large eggs.
- Molasses – unsulfured molasses is made from ripe sugar cane and doesn’t require any sulphur dioxide to preserve it. This makes for a cleaner tasting molasses and is ideal for baking and savory cooking.
Subs & Variations
- No crystallized ginger on hand? You can leave it out and the cookies will still be delicious. Add an extra half teaspoon of ground ginger to compensate for the flavor.
- Make them smaller. Use a standard 2-tablespoon cookie scoop for about 48 smaller cookies. Reduce the bake time to 10 to 12 minutes and watch closely.
- Add orange zest. A teaspoon of fresh orange zest folded into the dough adds a bright citrus note that pairs beautifully with all the warm spices.
- Swap the cloves for cardamom. If cloves feel too intense for your palate, ground cardamom is a fragrant, slightly floral alternative that still feels very much at home in this dough.
- Make them gluten-free. A 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend works well in this recipe. The texture will be very similar with just a slightly crispier edge.
How to Make Ginger Cookies
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Storing
- Room temperature storage: Keep cookies in an airtight container or zip-top bag at room temperature for up to one week. Adding a slice of bread to the container helps maintain that soft, chewy texture.
- Refrigerating the dough: The unbaked dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before scooping and rolling.
- Freezing baked cookies: Layer cooled cookies in a freezer-safe zip-top bag with parchment paper between layers to prevent sticking. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
- Freezing dough balls: Roll the dough balls in demerara sugar, place on a parchment-lined sheet, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and bake straight from frozen, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the bake time.
- Avoid stacking warm cookies. Let cookies cool completely on the baking sheet before stacking or storing. Stacking warm cookies traps steam and softens that crisp sugar crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Spreading is usually caused by butter that was too warm or melted, too little flour, or dough that was not chilled. If your kitchen runs warm, try refrigerating your scooped dough balls for 20 to 30 minutes before baking.
Yes, and it actually benefits from it. The dough can be made up to 3 days in advance and kept refrigerated. Cold dough spreads less and can produce an even chewier cookie.
Crystallized ginger is fresh ginger that has been cooked in sugar syrup and dried, leaving the interior soft and the outside coated in sugar crystals. It adds a chewy texture and a sweet, intense ginger punch. You can find it at most grocery stores in the baking aisle or spice section.
Blackstrap molasses has a much stronger, more bitter flavor and is not recommended for this recipe. It will overpower the other spices and make the cookies taste medicinal. Stick with unsulfured molasses for the best result.
That is by design. The centers will look slightly underset when you pull them at 14 to 16 minutes, but they continue to cook on the hot pan as they cool. Overbaking is the fastest way to turn a chewy ginger cookie into a crunchy one.
Absolutely. Cooled cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Layer them with parchment paper in a freezer bag, and thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving.
More Cookie Recipes
- Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Brown Butter Carrot Cookies
- Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies
Soft Ginger Cookies Recipe
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Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup molasses, unsulfured
- 2 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- ⅓ cup crystallized ginger, chopped
- ½ cup demerara sugar, or sanding sugar, for rolling the dough balls
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line 3 large cookie sheets with parchment paper, set aside.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer, add the butter and 2 cups sugar and mix well to combine. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the molasses fresh ginger and blend well. Finally add in the dry ingredients and chopped crystallized ginger and mix on low until dough comes together. Don't over beat.
- Use a large hinged scoop or 1/4 cup measure to scoop out dough. Roll between your palms to make a ball and roll in the demerara sugar. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake 14-16 minutes until the tops begin to crack. Remove and allow to cool before storing.
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Recipe Video
Notes
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is not guaranteed to be accurate.
Did you try this recipe?
Please Leave a Review & Star Rating!This soft ginger cookies recipe was originally published on October 31, 2023. It has recently been updated with new photography, tips, and storing instructions.
Hi! I’m Heather
I’m Heather, a recipe developer and content creator based in Vancouver, Washington. I started Farmgirl Gourmet in 2006 because I believed weeknight dinners shouldn’t be boring and gourmet shouldn’t mean complicated. I’m also the co-founder of Spiceology, so safe to say I think about food for a living. Stick around for recipes that actually make it into your regular rotation.
Can this recipe be made gluten free? My grandson is celiac and a type 1 diabetic.
Hi Geri – if you use a cup-for-cup gluten free flour in this recipe (like this one: https://shop.kingarthurbaking.com/items/gluten-free-measure-for-measure-flour), you can definitely make it gluten free.
Made the cookies according to the recipe. They tasted fantastic however they really spread out and look nothing like the recipe picture. We did use the 1 1/2 cups of butter that the recipe calls for. We tried chilling the dough to see if that helped but it didn’t. Can you please give us some insight for better results.
Oh no Sharon! I have them on my list to bake tomorrow and will make sure I update the recipe (and you) if something is amiss. Others have had success, but I want to make sure they are perfect! ~heather
great cookies , Too bad about the printing !
Awesome Recipe and in my daughters words ‘it’s a family tradition now and we need to make these every month, right mom!” They turned out perfectly and it’s exactly the recipe I was hoping to find!
Soft ginger cookies: Your recipe says “3 sticks” of butter, no matter whether it’s doubling, tripling, or halving. It’s not being changed by the algorithm.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I have updated the recipe. Appreciate your help. ~heather
I really love this recipe and hope you will too!