Soft Gingersnap Cookies

ByJennifer UpdatedDecember 11, 2025

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Glistening with sugar and bursting with warm, fragrant spices, these soft gingersnap cookies are a delicious Christmas tradition!

Side view of a stack of the best gingersnap cookies on a white plate with the outside glistening with a dusting of sugar.

Cookies That Smell Like Christmas – Gingersnaps

This old fashioned cookie fills the house with an aroma that brings back memories of time spent together and holiday nostalgia.

Nothing beats a fresh batch of old fashioned gingersnap cookies!

My mom shared this recipe that came from a county fair cookbook with winning cooking contest recipes. We tested the recipe to find just the right balance of cinnamon, cloves and ginger.

Overhead view of a baking sheet with a dozen of the best gingersnap cookies fresh out of the oven.

We’ve been on a cookie making spree lately from these Oat Bran Cookies to Caramel Cookies and old fashioned peanut butter cookies, we like a variety of treats in our cookie jar.

Ingredients Needed

All purpose flour
Sugar
Baking soda
Salt
Gingersnap Spices – cinnamon, ground cloves and ginger
Butter – soften to room temperature before using
Egg
Molasses – gives the cookies the darker color and old fashioned flavor

Ingredients to make gingersnaps are flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, ginger, butter, sugar, an egg and molasses on a wooden counter top.

How to Make Soft Gingersnap Cookies

Sift together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.
In a mixing bowl blend butter, sugar, egg and molasses.

Granulated sugar poured over softened butter and an egg in a medium mixing bowl.

Molasses poured into a bowl of beaten butter, sugar and egg.

Slowly add dry ingredients to butter mixture. Mix well.
Shape dough into balls the size of walnuts.

Cinnamon, ground gloves and ginger added to a bowl with sifted flour, soda and salt.

Mixer stirring together an old fashioned recipe for gingersnap cookie dough.

Dip half of each ball in sugar and place on greased baking sheet sugar side up.

Baking sheet with the steps showing how to make soft gingersnap cookies by coating in sugar and flattening with the bottom of a glass on a wooden counter top.

Bake at 375°F for 10 – 12 minutes. The edges will just barely start to look lightly brown, but the center will be very soft when removed from the oven.
Use a glass to shuffle each warm cookie in a circular motion until perfectly round.
Allow to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Warm gingersnap cookies with soft centers on a baking sheet with a non-stick liner.

Of course, we love eating warm cookies with a glass of milk, but making them together is just as much fun. I love that these Gingersnaps are rolled into balls and dipped in sugar. This is a great, easy activity to do with kids!