There is a reason these ginger molasses cookies will make you the star of any bake sale or cookie exchange. They are just so addictive! And very chewy!
Everyone has their favorite style of cookie. You could be a crispy cookie person, for instance. Although, I have nothing against crispy cookies, some of my cookies I like slightly crips on the edges but soft and chewy in the center.
The reason these ginger molasses cookies are chewy is because of the white granulated sugar. For years I made ginger cookies with brown sugar and molasses. While that gave me a cookie that was crisp around the edges and soft in the center, it didn’t have the chew I wanted. By nature, white sugar is less moist than brown and you need lesser quantities of granulated sugar. Less sugar = less spread = chewier cookie. So, substituting the brown sugar and using white instead, makes these cookies chewy in the center.
What if you don’t have ground ginger at hand? Can you use fresh ginger instead ground ginger in cookies?
The simple answer is don’t do it. There are various factors to consider when baking cookies. Moisture is one of them. Unless the recipe specifies fresh ginger I don’t recommend substituting it for ground ginger. The second is the the flavor profile. Fresh and ground ginger flavors are different. There is also no one to one substitute. You can’t simply use a tsp of fresh ginger for a tsp of ground ginger because you will need a lot more of fresh ginger. Roughly about a tbs for each 1/8 tsp of ground ginger. Unless you are ready to experiment and are ready to accept the consequence, don’t do it.
What Kind of Molasses to use :
In these ginger molasses cookies, I use a dark molasses. It has a stronger flavor than the light molasses but not as heady as the blackstrap molasses. The bitterness in the dark molasses is just perfect for these cookies. But if you are looking for more sweetness, then use a light molasses.
Baking cookies is extra special during the holidays
The merriment in that moment of sharing a small thing in exchange for so much joy is what matters to me the most. Hope you all have Happy and full of good memories Holiday Season! I love to make the Almond Linzer Cookies , Stained Glass Cookies and the Thumbprint Cookies for my friends and neighbors around the Holidays in addition to these chewy ginger molasses cookies.
I am joining my creative cookie exchange friends to bring you an exciting range of Ginger Cookies. If you are a blogger and want to join in the fun, contact Laura at thespicedlife AT gmail DOT com and she will get you added to our Facebook group, where we discuss our cookies and share links.
You can also just use us as a great resource for cookie recipes–be sure to check out our Pinterest Board and our monthly posts (you can find all of them here at The Spiced Life). You will be able to find them the first Tuesday after the 15th of each month! Also, if you are looking for inspiration to get in the kitchen and start baking, check out what all of the hosting bloggers have made:
- Ginger Curry Sugar Cookies from The Spiced Life
- Favourite Gingerbread Cookies from What Smells So Good?
- Vegan Ginger Cookies with Cardamom from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Ginger Chocolate Ninja Cookies from NinjaBaking
- Ginger Lemon Sandwich Cookies from Sweet Cinnamon & Honey
- Buttery Ginger Shortbread Cookies from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Pepparkakor– Swedish Ginger Cookies from A Baker’s House
- Oat, Orange and Ginger Crisps from Made with Love
- Séches aux Gingembre from Food Lust People Love
- Ginger Sour Cream Cookies from Basic N Delicious
- Ginger Molasses Cutout Cookies from Magnolia Days
- Chocolate – Ginger Chewies from Baking in Pyjamas
- Orange Ginger Cookies from Indian Curries/stew
- Refrigerator Ginger Cookies from DessertStalking Blog
Chewy Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- 1 C whole wheat flour
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 ground cloves
- a pinch of nutmeg powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1-1/2 sticks butter unsalted, room temperature
- 1 C Sugar
- 4 tbs sugar for rolling
- 1/4 C molasses
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 Extra Large egg
Instructions
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt.
- Mix the butter and sugar in a stand mixer. Add in the vanilla, egg and the molasses. Mix until well combined.
- Using a spatula mix in the dry ingredients, a little at a time. Take care to not over mix the dough. As soon as all the dry ingredients are mixed in, gather the dough and cover and keep it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. While the dough is chilling, Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Remove the dough from the fridge and gently form the dough into 1-inch balls. Gently roll the balls of dough in sugar then place them on a non-stick or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet, spaced about 2-inches apart, and bake for 8-10 minutes.
- When they come out the oven, the cookies will have cracks on top and look gooey. Allow the cookies to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack. Eat while warm or at room temperature.