There’s something special about the aroma of freshly baked ginger cookies filling the kitchen. These big soft ginger cookies are perfectly chewy with lightly crisp edges and a rich blend of molasses, ginger, cinnamon, and warm spices in every bite. They’re easy to make, stay soft for days, and deliver the cozy flavors everyone loves.
Whether you’re baking for the holidays, putting together a homemade cookie gift, or simply craving a comforting treat, this recipe is a wonderful choice. Pair them with a cup of coffee, tea, or hot cocoa, and you’ll have a bakery-style cookie that’s sure to become a family favorite.
Table of Contents
Why We Love These Big Soft Ginger Cookies
- Stays soft for days — Thanks to molasses and butter, these cookies keep their tender, chewy texture long after baking
- A true holiday classic — Warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves fill your kitchen with the most inviting seasonal aroma
- Kid and family approved — Easy to shape, fun to decorate, and loved by every age at the table
- Pantry-friendly ingredients — No specialty shopping needed; you likely already have everything on hand
- Perfect for gifting — They travel well and make a thoughtful, homemade holiday treat
- Quick and simple — From mixing bowl to cooling rack in under 30 minutes
Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients:
The best part? You probably already have most of the ingredients needed to make these soft ginger cookies. If you’re missing a few items, simply add them to your grocery list before you get started:
- Sugar: Granulated sugar sweetens the cookie dough, and a little extra is used to coat the dough balls before baking for a lightly crisp, sparkly finish.
- Flour: All-purpose flour forms the base of the dough, giving the cookies their structure while keeping them soft and tender.
- Spices: A comforting blend of ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves gives these cookies their signature warm, festive flavor.
- Baking Soda: This leavening agent helps the cookies puff up slightly, creating a soft and chewy texture.
- Salt: Just a small amount of salt balances the sweetness and brings out the rich flavors of the spices and molasses.
- Butter: Butter adds richness and moisture, resulting in cookies that are soft in the center with lightly crisp edges.
- Egg: An egg binds the ingredients together while adding moisture for a tender, well-textured cookie.
- Molasses: Molasses gives these gingerbread cookies their deep caramel-like sweetness, rich color, and classic warm flavor.
Step-By-Step Direction
Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 2 tablespoons of sugar in a small bowl and set it aside for later.
Step 2: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until evenly combined.
Step 3: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of sugar in a large bowl until the mixture becomes light and creamy. Mix in the egg, then add the molasses and water, stirring until smooth. Gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing just until a soft dough forms.
Step 4: Lightly flour your hands and roll the dough into 24 small balls, about the size of a walnut. Coat each dough ball in the reserved sugar.
Step 5: Arrange the coated dough balls on ungreased baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between each one. Gently press them down with the bottom of a glass.
Step 6: Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops develop cracks while the centers remain slightly soft. If using multiple racks, rotate the baking sheets halfway through baking for even results.
Step 7: Let the cookies rest on the baking sheets for 5 minutes after removing them from the oven. Transfer them to a wire rack and allow them to cool completely before serving.
Tips for The Best Results
Use room-temperature butter — Softened butter creams more evenly with the sugar, giving you a smoother dough and a better cookie texture overall
Don’t overbake — Pull the cookies out while the centers still look soft and slightly underset; they firm up as they cool and will be perfectly chewy
Flour your hands generously — Molasses dough is naturally sticky, so keep your hands dusted with flour when rolling the balls to prevent sticking
Flatten evenly — Pressing each ball with a flat-bottomed glass ensures your cookies bake uniformly without one side spreading more than the other
Rotate your pans — Switching the racks halfway through baking promotes even browning and prevents the bottoms from getting too dark
Storage
Room Temperature: Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5–7 days. They’ll stay soft and chewy throughout.
Add a Bread Slice: Tuck a small slice of white bread into the container — it releases just enough moisture to keep the cookies from drying out.
Freezing Baked Cookies: Layer cooled cookies between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-safe container or zip bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature for about an hour before serving.
Freezing Cookie Dough: Roll the dough into balls (skip the sugar coating), freeze on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, roll in sugar and bake straight from frozen — just add 2–3 extra minutes to the bake time.
Big Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 tbsp water
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place 2 tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl and set aside for rolling.
- Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the egg to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined. Mix in the molasses and water until smooth.
- Gradually add the sifted flour-spice mixture to the wet ingredients, stirring until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Do not overmix.
- With lightly floured hands, roll the dough into 24 walnut-sized balls. Roll each ball in the reserved sugar until evenly coated.
- Place the dough balls onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing them 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten each one using the flat bottom of a glass.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the pans between racks halfway through, until the tops are cracked and the centers appear just set.
- Remove from the oven and let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For the softest results, pull cookies from the oven while the centers still look slightly underdone — they will continue to set as they cool on the pan.
- Room-temperature butter is essential for proper creaming. Cold butter won’t incorporate air the same way.
- If the dough is too sticky to roll, refrigerate for 20–30 minutes before shaping.
- Store cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days. Place a slice of bread in the container to help retain moisture.
- To freeze baked cookies, layer between parchment paper in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- To freeze unbaked dough balls, skip the sugar coating, freeze on a sheet until solid, then bag and store for up to 3 months. Roll in sugar and bake from frozen, adding 2–3 extra minutes.
Nutrition (per 1 cookie / 1 serving):
- Calories: ~145 kcal
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fat: 6g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Protein: 1g
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 95mg
- Cholesterol: 25mg
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