Description
Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps are soft molasses cookies rich with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a hint of cayenne pepper. These classic cookies feature a tender texture and a sweet, spicy flavor coated in sugar, making them perfect for cozy gatherings or holiday treats.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookies
- 1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) cold butter, cut into cubes
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 4 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ginger
- 2 teaspoons cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Optional Smaller Batch
- 12 tablespoons butter (3/4 cup or 1 1/2 sticks)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ginger
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For Coating
- Sugar for rolling dough balls
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to ensure even baking temperature.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream the cold butter cubes with sugar for about 4 minutes until the mixture becomes light, fluffy, and pale in color, which adds air to the dough.
- Add Eggs: Add the eggs one at a time into the creamed mixture, mixing thoroughly after each addition to fully incorporate them.
- Add Molasses: Pour in the molasses and mix well, blending the deep, rich flavor throughout the dough.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cayenne pepper. Gradually add this dry mix to the wet ingredients and stir just until the mixture is combined, avoiding overmixing to keep cookies tender.
- Form and Coat Cookies: Pour sugar into a small bowl. Shape the dough into small balls, then roll each ball into the sugar to coat evenly.
- Bake: Place the sugar-coated dough balls onto a lined baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until the cookies are set but still soft.
- Cool and Serve: Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on the pan for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Grandma Geri’s Famous Soft Molasses Cookies have a secret blend of spices and cayenne pepper that make them uniquely flavorful.
- Do not overmix the dough to maintain the cookies’ soft texture.
- Use cold butter to help achieve the perfect dough consistency for soft cookies.
- Rolling dough balls in sugar adds a sweet, crunchy coating that contrasts delightfully with the soft interior.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 25g)
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 90mg
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 0.5g
- Protein: 1g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
