Gingersnap Cookies

These ultra-thin gingersnap cookies are made with molasses and ground ginger and baked until lightly browned and crispy. You'll want this gingersnap cookie recipe in your back pocket because you will get cravings.

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated December 21, 2022
Elise Bauer
A plate of very thin and crisp gingersnap cookies
Elise Bauer

My mother doesn't bake. She's a great cook, but she avoids recipes and baking usually entails rather particular recipes, so she leaves the baking to my father and me.

She also has a well developed sweet tooth, so when she has a hankering for a baked good she drops oh so many not-so-subtle hints about what would be really wonderful for dad or me to make.

Her most requested cookie?

This one, the ultra-thin gingersnap.

Thin and crisp, the cookie practically melts in your mouth. Once you have one, it is almost impossible to stop eating them.

Homemade gingersnap cookies on a plate
Elise Bauer

Two Key Tips for Perfection

The original recipe was passed along from food blogger to food blogger years ago by a woman who has since stopped blogging. She claimed to have gotten the recipe from Chez Panisse when she asked for it while interviewing for a job.

The two keys to this recipe I've found:

  1. Thinly slice: Slice the frozen cookie dough as thin as possible, the thinner the cookie, the crispier it will be
  2. Don't leave out the pepper: Don't skip the 1/8 of a teaspoon of finely ground black pepper that the recipe calls for.

Black pepper is an odd ingredient to add to a cookie, but you'll just have to take it on faith that it works in this recipe. Unless you have an aversion to black pepper, be sure to include it.

More Gingery Cookies
Ginger Pennies
Giant Ginger Cookies
Ginger Almond Biscotti

What Makes These Gingersnap Cookies Unique

This gingersnap recipe is different from many others. It’s sliced from a block of frozen dough, not dropped in balls on the sheet like classic gingersnap cookies. Gingernsap dough dropped in balls on the sheet tend to thicker and a little higher in the middle. Slicing the cookies from a frozen block of dough means the cookies will be uniform and thin - plus extra crispy.

Looking for More Great Cookies?

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Gingersnap Cookies

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Freezing 12 hrs
Total Time 12 hrs 25 mins
Servings 48 servings
Yield 96 very thin cookies

In place of parchment I've started to use silicone baking sheets for cookie making; nothing sticks to these mats and clean-up is a breeze.

Fresh ginger also works. Feel free to swap out the ground ginger with the same amount of finely minced fresh ginger.

Ingredients

  • 2 sticks (227g) unsalted butter

  • 1 1/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

  • 2 small eggs or 1 1/2 large eggs

  • 1/3 cup molasses

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

  • 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

  • 1/8 teaspoon finely ground black pepper

Method

  1. Beat the butter, then add sugar, vanilla, eggs, and molasses:

    Beat the butter until soft; add sugar, and beat until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and eggs, and beat until fluffy. Add molasses and beat until well-mixed.

    Wet Ingredients Mixed Together for Homemade Gingersnaps

    Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
  2. Whisk the dry ingredients:

    Vigorously whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, finely ground black pepper) in a bowl.

  3. Finish the dough:

    Add flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture, 1/3 at a time. Mix only until the dry ingredients become incorporated.

  4. Press into the loaf pan and freeze:

    Line a 9- x 5-inch loaf pan with plastic wrap, so that some hangs over the outsides. Press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Pack it tightly, and try to make the top as level as possible. Cover the dough with the plastic overhangs. Freeze until very firm, preferably overnight.

    Gingersnap Cookies Batter in Loaf Pan, Surrounded by Kitchen Towel and Spatula

    Simply Recipes / Annika Panikker
  5. Preheat the oven:

    When it comes time to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F.

  6. Thinly slice from frozen dough:

    Unwrap and remove dough from the pan. Slice brick into thin slices, no more than 1/8 inch.

  7. Bake:

    Working in batches, place thin slices on a parchment or a Silpat-lined sheet pan (space at least an inch apart) and bake at 350°F until the edges turn dark brown, 7-12 minutes, depending on how thinly you have sliced the dough. Check the oven for doneness at 7 minutes.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
94 Calories
4g Fat
14g Carbs
1g Protein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 48
Amount per serving
Calories 94
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 12%
Cholesterol 16mg 5%
Sodium 91mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 14g 5%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 10mg 1%
Iron 1mg 3%
Potassium 48mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.