Ginger Spice Sugar Cookies
I really couldn’t make up my mind here. Sugar cookie or gingerbread? Well, these ginger spice sugar cookies settled the argument by being both.
They roll out and cut as neatly as a classic sugar cookie. But a spoonful of molasses and a warm mix of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg give them that cozy, spiced flavor we all wait for every December.
Sugar cookie shape. Gingerbread flavor. Win. Win.
🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️
Why You’ll Love These Ginger Spice Sugar Cookies
- One bowl. The dough comes together with just a hand mixer, so there’s less to wash. I’m always in favor of that. Mix the wet ingredients first then add in the dry!
- They roll and cut neatly. You get clean shapes like a classic sugar cookie, no fuss.
- Cozy spice. Molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg taste like December in a cookie.
- Soft in the middle, lightly crisp on the edges. Yummmmmmm 🙂
- Chill and go. The dough rests while you get on with your day.
- Plenty to share. It makes about three dozen( depending on shapes made), just enough to fill a tin for the neighbors and keep a few back for yourself.
Ingredients You’ll Need
You’ll find the full list with amounts in the recipe card below. Here’s what I want you to know about the ones that matter most.
Molasses. This is what makes them taste like gingerbread instead of plain sugar cookies. It’s just a spoonful, so these still taste like a sugar cookie with a little extra warmth.
The spices. Ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Together they give you that spiced flavor without it being over the top. If your jar of ground ginger has been sitting in the back of the cabinet a while, this is a good time to grab a fresh one, since old spices lose their punch.
How to Make Ginger Spice Sugar Cookies
- Mix the dough. Use a hand mixer and one bowl, and mix in the molasses and spices. ( more in the recipe card below)
- Chill it. Cover the dough and let it chill while you go about your day.
- Roll and cut. Roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface and cut your shapes.
- Bake. Bake until the centers are soft and the edges are lightly crisp.
- Cool. Let them cool, then pack them in a tin.
Tips for Soft, Pretty Cookies
- Don’t skip the chill. Cold dough is easier to roll and cut, and it holds its shape better.
- Use a light hand with the flour on your counter. Too much can dry the dough out, and then your cookies won’t be as soft.
- Cut your shapes about the same size. Cookies that are the same size bake at the same pace, so you won’t end up with some done and some not.
- Watch the edges. You’re looking for lightly crisp edges with a soft middle. Pull them when you see that, because a minute too long and you’ll lose the soft center. (Not that I would know anything about that…)
Filling a tin for the neighbors? These look pretty next to a few Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies for a mixed plate.
Make Ahead and Storage
The chilling step makes this a good make-ahead cookie. Mix the dough, let it rest, and bake when you’re ready.
Once they’ve cooled completely, store your cookies in an airtight container or a tin so they stay soft in the middle.
🎄❄️🍪
Ginger Spice Sugar Cookies FAQ
A little of both! They roll out and cut like a classic sugar cookie, but the molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg give them a gingerbread-style flavor.
Nope. The dough comes together in one bowl with a hand mixer.
Yes, and it’s worth it. Chilling makes the dough easier to roll and cut, and it can rest while you do other things.
About three dozen, depending on the size of your cutters.
🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️🍪❤️🎄❄️
Ginger Spice Sugar Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- ½ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for rolling
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Cream the butter mixture. In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, molasses, and vanilla with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg. Beat in the egg until fully combined.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Combine. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat just until a smooth dough forms.
- Chill. Divide the dough in half, pat each half into a disc, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour or up to overnight.
- Heat the oven. Preheat to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll and cut. Lightly flour your work surface and rolling pin. Roll one disc to ¼ inch thick and cut out shapes with floured cookie cutters.
- Bake. Place cookies 1 inch apart on the prepared sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges.
- Cool. Move the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before decorating. Repeat with the second disc of dough.
Notes
- Unsalted butter: Let it soften at room temperature until it gives easily when pressed but isn’t greasy or melting. Too-soft butter makes a sticky dough that spreads in the oven.
- Molasses: Use regular unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap, which is bitter and can overpower the spices. A light coat of oil or cooking spray in the measuring cup helps it slide right out.
Try These Next!
- Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
- Soft Ricotta Cookies with White Buttercream Icing
- Classic Ranger Cookies
- Brown Butter Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you make these ginger spice sugar cookies, I’d love to hear how they turned out! Leave me a comment and a star rating below. It really does help, and I read every one. Thank you!
Just don’t be surprised if the tin is empty before you get it to the neighbors.
Merry Christmas from my kitchen to yours ♡
