Chewy Gingersnap Cookies with Sparkly Sugar Tops

These chewy gingersnap cookies bake up thin and round, with ground ginger, cinnamon, and molasses in the dough. A roll in plain white sugar gives the tops a little sparkle, so they look just as pretty on a Christmas cookie tray as they do in the cookie jar.

I’ve been making these ginger cookies for over 40 years. I roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, coat them in sugar, and press them flat with the bottom of a glass. A batch makes about 30 sturdy cookies, each 2 to 3 inches across, so they’re easy to stack on a platter.

Quick Answer

Chewy gingersnap cookies are thin ginger and molasses cookies rolled in granulated sugar and pressed flat before baking. This batch makes about 30 cookies and takes about 12 minutes per tray at 350°F.

One thing I’ve learned making these is that a glass can work perfectly on the first two or three cookies and start sticking on the next one. When that happens, I press the bottom of the glass into the same plate of sugar I used to roll the dough. A little sugar clings to the glass and goes right onto the next cookie.

Why You Will Love These Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

Thin with a Good Chew. The pressed dough spreads into flat, round cookies that stay chewy.

A Pretty Finish with Plain Sugar. Use the same white sugar you put in the dough to give the tops a little sparkle.

Made for a Party Tray. Pressing the dough with a glass gives you neat, round cookies about 2 to 3 inches across. They’re sturdy enough to stack on a platter and easy for guests to pick up. For a Christmas tray with a few different shapes and textures, I’d put them alongside almond shortbread crescent cookies and coconut macaroons.

How to Make Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

Before you start mixing, turn the oven on to 350°F. Set out a mixing bowl, an ungreased cookie sheet, and a small plate for the sugar. Turn a drinking glass upside down and have a look at the outside of the base. You want a flat surface that will touch the whole cookie evenly. If your glass has a raised ring or a hollow in the middle, use the flat face of a turner spatula instead.

Put ¾ cup of softened butter into the bowl and beat it until smooth. Add 1 cup of granulated sugar and beat it with the butter until creamy. Add ¼ cup of molasses and the egg, then mix until everything is an even light brown. If you can still see a dark ribbon of molasses on the side of the bowl, scrape it down and mix again. Pour ¼ cup of the extra sugar onto the plate so it’s ready for rolling.

Add the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir from the bottom of the bowl and scrape around the sides so you pick up any pockets of flour. Once the flour is mixed in, the dough should feel very soft. Try rolling one small portion between your palms. If it holds together well enough to coat in sugar, keep going. If it’s sticking to your hands so much that you can’t make a ball, chill the bowl of dough until it’s easier to handle.

Roll the dough between your palms into balls about 1½ inches across. Place each ball on the plate and turn it in the granulated sugar until it’s coated all over. Space the balls well apart on the cookie sheet. Give the first one a press if you’re unsure how much room to leave. You’ll see how much wider it gets when you flatten it, and it will spread a little farther in the oven.

Set the bottom of the glass squarely on a dough ball and press straight down. Look at it from the side as you go and stop when it’s about ¼ inch thick. Lift the glass straight up. If the dough starts coming up with it, dip the bottom of the glass into the sugar before you press the next one. Repeat whenever the glass feels sticky.

Bake for about 12 minutes. Look at the centres as well as the edges. The cookies will have spread into wider rounds, and the tops should look dry all the way across. Set the tray down and give the cookies a little time to firm up. Try sliding a spatula under one. If it starts to lose its shape as you lift it, leave it on the tray a little longer and try again.

Ingredients

These gingersnaps get their flavour from molasses and ground spices. The butter, sugar, egg, and flour help the dough hold together when you roll it and spread into thin, chewy rounds in the oven.

Butter. Adds a rich flavour and helps the dough spread into thin rounds as it melts in the oven. It also keeps the cookies tender.

Granulated White Sugar. Sweetens the dough and helps the cookies spread after you press them flat. The sugar on the outside leaves fine, sparkly crystals on the baked cookies.

Egg. Binds the soft dough so it holds together when you roll it into balls. As the cookies bake, the egg helps them set into rounds you can lift off the tray.

Molasses. Gives the cookies their deep, slightly caramel-like flavour and golden-brown colour. It also helps the cookies stay chewy even though they’re thin.

All-Purpose Flour. Gives the dough enough structure to roll and press. It helps the cookies hold their round shape as they spread.

Ground Ginger. Gives the gingersnaps their warm, slightly sharp bite. It mixes evenly through the dough so you get ginger flavour in every bite.

Ground Cinnamon. Adds a warmer, sweeter spice note that rounds out the sharper flavour of the ginger.

Baking Soda. Reacts with the molasses to give the pressed dough a little lift in the oven. It also helps the cookies brown.

Salt. Balances the sweetness and brings out the butter, molasses, and spices.

Chewy Gingersnap Cookie Substitutions and Variations

Butter. Use softened butter so it creams easily with the sugar. Melted butter, oil, and shortening can change how the cookies spread, so I’d stick with softened butter for this recipe.

Granulated White Sugar. I’d use white sugar in the dough to keep the texture and spread close to the original. Brown sugar would deepen the molasses flavour and can change the texture. For rolling, you can use sanding sugar if you want more noticeable crystals. Plain white sugar gives the fine sparkle you see in these cookies.

Egg. Keep the egg in the dough for this version. It helps hold the soft dough together when you roll and press it. I’d test an egg-free version separately because it may handle differently.

Molasses. Fancy molasses is a good choice for a sweeter, milder flavour. Cooking molasses gives a stronger flavour. Skip blackstrap for this batch because it can give sweet cookies a bitter edge. I’d keep molasses in the recipe because it gives the gingersnaps their flavour and works with the baking soda.

All-Purpose Flour. Use bleached or unbleached all-purpose flour. Whole wheat flour can make the cookies denser. If the dough feels too soft to roll, chill it first so you can keep the flour amount as written.

Ground Ginger. Use ground ginger for the flavour in this recipe. If you want a milder batch, use a little less. Fresh grated ginger adds moisture and gives a different flavour, so I’d save it for a separate variation.

Ground Cinnamon. Use either regular ground cinnamon or Ceylon cinnamon. If you’re out of cinnamon, you can leave it out and the ginger will stand out a little more.

Baking Soda. Should remain.

Salt. Fine sea salt can replace table salt in the same amount. Coarse kosher salt varies by brand, so a half teaspoon may give you a different level of saltiness.

White Chocolate. Drizzle it over the cooled cookies with a fork, or dip one edge and leave the rest of the sugar coating showing.

Chocolate and Sprinkles. Dip an edge of each cooled cookie in milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate. Add confetti sprinkles while the chocolate is still wet so they’ll stick. If you’re putting together a cookie box and want a second cookie with white chocolate, try my cranberry cookies with white chocolate and cashews.

Expert Tips, Serving and Storing Suggestions

Tip #1: Look for a flat glass base. A flat underside presses the dough evenly. A flat turner spatula works if your glasses have shaped bases.

Tip #2: Check the centre of the cookie. Around 12 minutes, look for a dry surface all the way across. Check the middle before you pull the tray out.

Tip #3: Give the cookies a moment on the tray. If they start to lose their shape as you lift them, give them a little longer to firm up before moving them.

Serving Suggestions

Serve them plain from the cookie jar or add a few to a Christmas cookie tray. I’d leave some plain so you can see the sugar tops and dip or drizzle the rest. My soft maple oatmeal cookies with ginger are another option if you’re putting out a few kinds. If you’re serving the gingersnaps warm from the tray, try them with a mug of orange spiced hot chocolate.

How to Store Chewy Gingersnap Cookies

Once the cookies are completely cool, put them in a covered cookie jar or an airtight container at room temperature. If you dipped or drizzled them with chocolate, let the coating set before you stack them.

From the Cookie Jar to the Christmas Tray

Most of the time I’d serve these just as they are, with the sugar showing. If you’re putting them on a Christmas tray, would you leave them plain or dip them in chocolate?

Meet Amber

I’m the home cook and recipe creator behind A Cents For Cookery. I learned to cook growing up off-grid in Northern Ontario, where meals were made on a woodstove and preserving, baking, and making ingredients stretch were part of everyday life. Here I share practical family recipes, homemade baking, vintage-inspired cooking, and the kitchen knowledge I’ve picked up over the years to help you make the most of the food you have.

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