The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2024)

The Best Ginger Snaps. Thin crispy spiced cookies with plenty of warm ginger flavour. Just a Ziploc bag is all you need to decorate them for the Holidays too.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (1)

Cookies with royal icing decoration.

Today’s ginger snaps recipe comes to you courtesy of the ladies of the household. Spouse loves anything ginger and this is her recipe for crispy ginger snaps, one of the most perfect coffee or tea cookies.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2)

Ginger is such a warm, comforting spice.

Number 1 kid dressed them up for Christmas with some simple snowflake designs. The designs were piped on using royal icing in a simple Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (3)

Ginger snaps

So, no special decorating equipment is required. It’s another great recipe for the Christmas freezer or at any time of year.

Looking for more Christmas baking ideas. We have a whole collection of our Fan Favourite Christmas Baking Recipes.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (4)

Best Christmas Baking Recipes

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (5)

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (6)
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Originally published December 2015. Updated November 2019 to provide nutritional information and a new printable recipe page.

The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (7)

Yield: 24 three inch cookies

The Best Ginger Snaps

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes

The Best Ginger Snaps - thin crispy spiced cookies with plenty of warm ginger flavor. Just a Ziploc bag is all you need to decorate them for the Holidays too.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 1/2 tbsp ginger
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup molasses

FOR THE ROYAL ICING

  • 1 large egg white
  • About 1 1/4 cups icing sugar, powdered sugar icing sugar (powdered sugar)
  • pinch cream of tartar

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and set aside.
  2. Cream together the shortening, butter, sugars and molasses until light and fluffy.
  3. Fold in the dry ingredient mixture until a soft dough forms.
  4. Refrigerate for a couple of hours until the dough is well chilled.
  5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  6. Roll out to about 1/8 of an inch or a little thicker.
  7. Use cookie cutters to cut out the cookies and transfer to a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
  8. Bake for 15-18 minutes depending upon the size of your cookies. The cookies pictured were made using a 3 inch cookie cutter and took about 17 minutes. You don't want to under bake them or they will not be crispy.
  9. Store in airtight containers. Freezes well.

TO MAKE THE ROYAL ICING

  1. Beat together the egg white, cream of tartar and about 1 cup of the icing sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Beat in the remaining icing sugar a tablespoon at a time until the icing reaches a spreadable consistency.
  3. Use a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off to draw on snowflake patterns.

Notes

Nutritional information calculated for undecorated cookies.

Recommended Products

Rock Recipes a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Our product recommendations are almost exclusively for those we currently use or have used in the past.

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

24 3 inch cookies

Amount Per ServingCalories 137Saturated Fat 2gCholesterol 5mgSodium 160mgCarbohydrates 19gFiber 1gSugar 11gProtein 1g

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The Best Ginger Snaps Cookie Recipe, decorated for Christmas! (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between ginger snaps and ginger cookies? ›

Ginger Snaps are simply a variation of the traditional Gingerbread cookie. They're known for their crisper quality; their “snap” if you will.

Why won t my ginger cookies crack? ›

Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)

Can I substitute butter for shortening in ginger snaps? ›

The molasses and ground ginger are what give these cookies their distinct flavor. And what make them taste Christmas-y! If you can't find shortening or live somewhere where it isn't sold, you can us all butter instead. It will alter the consistency a bit, but it will work!

Are ginger snaps healthier than other cookies? ›

Most ginger snaps are lower in fat and sugar than other types of cookies, and you'll also get a good dose of certain vitamins and minerals, as well.

Why are my ginger snap cookies flat? ›

Too little flour and too much sugar are often the source of flat cookies, so measure carefully and accurately by using dry measuring spoons and cups for dry ingredients (so that you can spoon the ingredients into them and sweep away the excess) and use cups with pouring spouts for liquids.

Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Why are my ginger snaps puffy? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

How do you know when ginger cookies are done? ›

Easy to Notice Signs:
  1. Golden Brown Edges – Check the edges of the cookies for a golden brown colour. This indicates that the cookies have caramelized and are likely done. ...
  2. Set Centres – Gently touch the centre of a cookie. ...
  3. Light Cracking – Look for light cracks on the surface of the cookies.
Oct 18, 2023

What makes ginger snaps crack? ›

What Makes Cookies Crispy and Crackled? A heavy amount of baking soda interacts with the molasses in this recipe to encourage spread. This allows cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, creating that beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture.

What can I use instead of molasses in ginger snap cookies? ›

The Best Molasses Substitutes

Honey, dark corn syrup, and maple syrup can also be used to replace molasses in recipes.

Is it better to use Crisco or butter in cookies? ›

Which One Should I Use in Cookies? Basically, cookies made with butter spread more and are flatter and crisper if baked long enough. However, they are more flavorful than cookies made with shortening. Cookies made with shortening bake up taller and are more tender, but aren't as flavorful.

Is it better to use Crisco or butter for cookies? ›

While shortening can be used as a replacement, it lacks the same depth of flavor and deliciousness that butter provides. So if you're looking for a truly flavorful cookie, we recommend sticking with butter. Plus, butter is also much easier to work with than shortening!

Are ginger snaps anti inflammatory? ›

Gingersnaps are a healthier alternative to other cookies, being that they are generally low in calories and have many benefits. The ginger that is in these cookies has anti-inflammatory properties, is known to help treat nausea and fight heart disease and other illnesses.

What is the difference between ginger snaps and spiced wafers? ›

The difference is that their ginger snaps contain "ginger" while their spiced wafers contain "spices". Never having had the ginger snaps, I'd suspect the spiced wafers are also crisper.

What is another name for ginger snaps? ›

The gingersnap is also known as a "ginger nut," especially in the U.K. It's a sweet, brittle cookie that's flavored with plenty of ginger and often other spices like cinnamon, cloves, or nutmeg, and baked in small rounds.

What is a substitute for ginger snaps? ›

*If you don't have gingersnaps, you can use graham crackers, but add in a 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 3/4 tsp ground ginger and a pinch of black pepper to give them some spice!

Why is ginger snaps so good? ›

Ginger Snaps is a great werewolf movie because it has a unique take on the genre. It follows two teenage sisters who are dealing with the physical and emotional changes that come with the onset of puberty, and how those changes can be exacerbated by a werewolf curse.

References

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