Soft & Chewy Gingersnaps
It’s Day 2 of Cookie Week here on Dessert For Two, and we’re re-visiting an old favorite. I shared this recipe a few years ago, but I think it bears repeating.
These are the ginger cookies that dreams are made of: soft and chewy with just enough crystalline crunch from the sugar coating. These cookies say ‘Christmas’ to me more than any other cookie.
They’re made with shortening to ensure they have that perfect chewiness. They’re full of molasses, ground ginger and cinnamon. If you eat these cookies with a cup of chai tea, you’ll be in heaven. Trust me.
Ingredients
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons shortening
- ½ cup sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 large egg white
- 2 tablespoons molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 cup flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Have ready a shallow bowl filled with sugar for rolling cookies in.
- In a medium bowl, beat together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the egg white and molasses and mix well.
- Dump the remaining ingredients on top and beat until just combined.
- Take large tablespoon-size chunks of dough and roll into 1” balls. You should get 12-13 cookies. Roll each cookie in sugar. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 12 minutes.
- Let cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will be very soft, but they will firm up as they cool.
these are so on my list of things to do before Christmas.
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Gingersnaps might well be my favourite cookie and these look so perfectly delicious!
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I love gingersnaps! If they’re soft and chewy, are they technically ‘ginger chews’? Either way, they look delicious
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Christina Reply:
December 18th, 2012 at 5:06 pm
Yeah, you’re probably right! They should be ginger chews
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Definitely a favorite of mine. Love this!
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Gingersnaps make the holidays for me. Love these!
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Ginger cookies of any kind are my favorite Christmas cookies ever! Especially when they’re all tied up so nicely
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I’d love a big tin of these for the holidays!
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Oh my! Soft and Chewy Gingersnaps are my 2nd favorite cookie EVER!! (My first favorite being what you posted just before this haha – love mexican wedding cakes!) And I love getting just one batch from the recipe so I don’t feel so guilty about….eatiing them ALL
Thanks for a great recipe!!
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Christina Reply:
December 18th, 2012 at 5:05 pm
I aim to please
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I love chewy gingersnaps too! So much more than the crunchy ones. I’m a sucker for chewy cookies in general and always use at least some shortening to achieve that chewiness. These look awesome!
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I posted a recipe for ginger cookies today too!! AND I also said that one of the cookies paired with a cup of chai tea would be perfect. How funny!
Yours look amazing. You can check mine out here:
http://www.countingmycupcakes.com/2012/12/chewy-ginger-cookies.html
Merry Christmas!
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One of my favorite holiday cookies!
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Lovely photograph of a delicious cookie. I make chewy ginger cookies every Christmas but I love them so much I often make them throughout the year too.
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I’ve never made gingersnaps before, but I do like them a lot.
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Hiya!
would it be okay if I use butter instead of shortening?
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Christina Reply:
December 18th, 2012 at 10:10 pm
No, you’re not going to get the same texture. Butter causes cookies to spread and crisp when cooking. They will not be soft and chewy if you use butter.
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These cookies with a hot mug of chai sounds like the perfect evening. Love me some chewy cookies, yum!
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Gingersnaps are my favorite! I love ones that are soft and chewy, not that the ones that are so hard they break a tooth.
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I love chewy ginger snaps! I can’t get enough of them!
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I agree with you on the shortening thing. My snickerdoodle recipe uses shortening, and they’re so chewy and yummy. To shortening haters, I say: Pipe down!
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Do these make a dozen as well?
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