Soft Ginger Cookies

These soft ginger cookies are sooooo good! They have an amazing ginger flavor, and are soft, chewy, and are wonderful with a cup of hot tea or coffee – perfect for a cold fall or winter day! This recipe has been adapted from Alton Brown’s Ginger Snap recipe… I changed a few of the ingredient proportions, and baked them just until soft (not hard and crispy like ginger snaps).

The dramatic (but not overwhelming) ginger flavor comes from a combination of grated raw ginger, powdered (ground) ginger, and crystallized (or candied) ginger. You can find crystallized ginger in the spice aisle in tiny bottles ($$$)… but the most economical choice is the Dynasty brand crystallized ginger (“sugar ginger“) they sell at the Asian market for about $2.00/4 oz box.

Molasses and dark brown sugar give this cookie a moist, chewy texture – and a dark brown color. The flash of the camera made the color of the cookie in the photo appear lighter, but they actually look a little darker (gingerbread color) in real life.

If you have leftover fresh ginger that you don’t know what to do with: you can wrap the pieces in plastic wrap, then store in the freezer until needed. (Or you can make yourself some Masala Chai to sip along with your ginger cookies.)

Soft Ginger Cookies:

2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 T. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. molasses
1 egg
1 T. grated fresh ginger
1/4 c. chopped candied or crystallized ginger

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grate a 1-2″ piece of ginger to get about 1 T. (I used a Japanese style ginger grater – if you don’t have one, just use the smallest holes on a regular box grater.

2. Sift the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.

3. Cream the butter and brown sugar.

4. Add the eggs, molasses, grated fresh ginger, and candied ginger to the butter mixture.

5. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry until combined into a uniform cookie dough.

6. Using a cookie scoop, scoop 1″ balls onto a silicone or parchment lined baking sheet. (You will get about 28-30 cookies.) Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and cool on the pan for3-5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Comments

Ams says:

at

I love ginger cookies! But if I’m going to make one with orange flavor instead, what ingredients should I swap with?
- Mika says:
  
  at
  
  If you want an orange-ginger cookie, you might substitute orange zest for some of the grated ginger in this recipe.
  
  If you want more of an orange flavored cookie (without any hint of ginger or molasses), then try my Orange Creamsicle Cookie recipe:
  http://www.the350degreeoven.com/2011/04/cookies-bars/orange-creamsicle-cookies/
  - Ams says:
    
    at
    
    Thank you! Are the Orange Creamsicles soft cookies? Cuz I’m craving for the soft ones instead of the usual hard cookies. Btw, looking at all your recipes have inspired me to bake again and reminds me of my grandmother very much.
    - Mika says:
      
      at
      
      Hi Ams, Yes, the Orange Creamsicle cookies are soft. When you bake them, and you take them out of the oven, the will be very very soft. Leave them on the cookie sheet for a minute to set up before transferring them (with a spatula) to a wire rack to cool. They get harder as they cool – so make sure you don’t overcook them! The soft Ginger Cookies (recipe above) also have a nice texture… soft and moist, but with a stronger ginger flavor.
Monica says:

at

Everyone lives these cookies! Helped me out a lot because it is exact Alton recipe, but I don’t have a scale. 2 minute cook time must be a typo? 12 minutes was good.
I am glad I found your site, your recipes are amazing!
Thank you!
- Mika says:
  
  at
  
  Thanks for the heads up… you are right… 2 minutes was a typo, it should be 12 minutes. Glad you liked it!

Soft Ginger Cookies

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