Description
Homemade ginger snaps deliver classic comfort from grandmother’s kitchen with warm spices and crisp edges. Perfect cookies complement afternoon tea or holiday gatherings, offering you a delightful treat that connects generations through simple, delectable ingredients.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, firmly packed
- ½ cup (100 g) white granulated sugar
- ½ cup (100 g) granulated white sugar
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsps ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsps ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp (1 g) ground cloves
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mixing Base: Whip unsalted butter and brown and white sugars using an electric mixer until light and fluffy, creating an airy foundation for the cookies.
- Wet Ingredient Integration: Blend egg and vanilla extract into the butter mixture, ensuring complete incorporation and smooth consistency.
- Dry Ingredient Preparation: Sift all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground spices together in a separate bowl, creating a well-distributed dry mixture.
- Dough Formation: Fold dry ingredients into wet ingredients, mixing gently until a cohesive dough forms without excessive stirring.
- Chilling Process: Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 45-55 minutes to allow flavors to meld and dough to firm up.
- Oven Preparation and Coating: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C), line baking sheets with parchment paper, and prepare a shallow bowl of granulated sugar for coating.
- Cookie Shaping: Remove chilled dough and form 1-inch spheres, rolling each thoroughly in granulated sugar for a sweet, crystalline exterior.
- Baking Technique: Arrange sugar-coated dough balls on prepared sheets, leaving 2 inches between each, and gently flatten with the bottom of a glass for uniform thickness.
- Final Baking: Bake for 10-12 minutes, watching for golden edges and slightly soft centers that indicate perfect doneness.
- Cooling and Serving: Transfer cookies to a wire rack, allowing them to cool completely and develop their signature crisp texture before enjoying.
Notes
- Chill Dough Strategically: Refrigerating the dough for 45-55 minutes helps prevent spreading and enhances flavor concentration, creating a more structured cookie.
- Sugar Coating Technique: Rolling cookies in granulated sugar before baking creates a delightful crackled exterior and adds a subtle sweet crunch.
- Spice Balance Matters: Use fresh ground spices to maximize flavor intensity and ensure the ginger snaps have a robust, aromatic profile.
- Avoid Overmixing: Gently fold dry ingredients into wet mixture to maintain a tender texture and prevent tough, dense cookies.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 150
- Sugar: 12 g
- Sodium: 95 mg
- Fat: 7 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg