Description
Grandma Geri’s Gingersnaps are soft, flavorful molasses cookies infused with warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and a hint of cayenne pepper. These cookies feature a rich, buttery dough rolled in sugar before baking, resulting in a chewy and sweet treat with a delightful spice kick, perfect for holiday baking or cozy snacks.
Ingredients
Scale
Cookie Dough
- 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
Coating
- Sugar (for rolling the dough balls)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for baking the cookies.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, beat the cold butter cubes with the sugar for about 4 minutes until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale in color, which helps create a tender cookie texture.
- Add Eggs and Molasses: Incorporate the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition to ensure even distribution. Then add the molasses and mix thoroughly to combine all wet ingredients.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and cayenne pepper to evenly distribute the spices and leavening agents.
- Mix Dough: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until combined. Avoid over-mixing to maintain a tender texture.
- Roll Dough Balls: Pour sugar into a small bowl. Shape the dough into small balls and roll each ball carefully in the sugar to coat thoroughly, adding a sweet crunchy exterior.
- Prepare Baking Sheet: Place the sugar-coated dough balls on a baking pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, spacing them apart to allow for spreading during baking.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 12-15 minutes until they are set with lightly cracked tops but still soft.
- Cool and Serve: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Notes
- This recipe is Grandma Geri’s famous soft molasses gingersnap cookie, known for its tender texture and rich spice flavor.
- The secret ingredient to these cookies is a small pinch of cayenne pepper, which adds a subtle warmth that enhances the spiciness.
- Rolling the dough balls in sugar before baking creates a sweet, crisp outer layer while keeping the inside soft.
- Use cold butter for best results to help create a tender, flaky texture.
- For storage, keep cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week or freeze for longer preservation.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 160
- Sugar: 15g
- Sodium: 120mg
- Fat: 8g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 25mg
