Amish Ginger Cookies (Amish Church Cookies)
Soft and chewy Amish gingersnap cookies are an amazing mixture of molasses, spices, and simple pantry ingredients.
There's so much delight in every bite, and they take me back to my childhood, to Sunday church dinner. An older lady in church frequently made these and brought them for Sunday dinner.
I was always happy to see them on the cookie platter because they were one of my favorites. That's why I name them "Amish church cookies" because I associate them with Amish church dinners.
Ingredients
- Oil provides moisture and helps create a soft texture in the cookies. Canola oil has a neutral flavor, allowing the spices to shine.
- Sugar adds sweetness to the cookies and helps with browning. It also contributes to the texture by tenderizing the dough.
- Light or Brer Rabbit molasses gives the cookies their distinctive flavor and deep color. It adds richness, sweetness, and a hint of bitterness, enhancing the spiced flavor profile of the cookies.
- Eggs act as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together and providing structure to the cookies. They also add moisture and richness to the dough.
- Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, causing the cookies to rise and become light and airy.
- Cloves, ground ginger, and cinnamon provide the signature flavor profile of gingersnap cookies. Cloves add warmth and depth, while ground ginger provides a spicy kick and cinnamon adds sweetness and warmth. Together, they create a complex and aromatic blend of flavors.
- Salt enhances the overall flavor.
- All-purpose flour provides structure and stability to the dough. The amount may vary slightly depending on how thick you want your cookies.
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How to Make Amish Ginger Molasses Cookies
I use my kitchen aid mixer for everything, but you can use whatever mixer you have. (Obviously, most of the Amish mix the batter with an old-fashioned hand beater until it's too stiff, and then they finish mixing by hand.)
Mix the oil and sugar in a bowl to make these molasses ginger crinkle cookies. Add eggs and molasses and mix well. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined, scraping sides and bottom to get it all incorporated.
Now you can use a cookie scoop or your hands to make balls.
I dipped some of mine into a bowl of sugar before baking, for extra sparkle. It makes them look pretty. But, if you prefer, you can bake them without.
Place the dough balls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 8 minutes at 350 degrees.
Old-fashioned Gingersnap Cookies
You may think of gingersnap cookies as being crispy, crunchy cookies with a snap to them. And if you like them like that, you can bake them longer to make them crispy.
But I prefer soft and chewy cookies. I don't mind a bit of a crispy edge, but I like the centers nice and soft.
And if you bake these molasses cookies for only about eight minutes, they should stay soft.
Sometimes my mom put a piece or two of bread into the container with the cookies to help keep them soft. But my cookies usually stay soft without any bread.
Molasses
There are lots of different brands of molasses to choose from, and they vary in taste. Some brands have a stronger flavor, are more bitter, etc.
I prefer mild-tasting molasses and would not recommend using blackstrap molasses for baking.
Mild-flavored Brer rabbit molasses is good for cookies. Although I tend to use whatever I have on hand. And sometimes I add a bit of light syrup to produce a milder flavor.
King syrup is technically syrup and not molasses. But I like to use it for baking shoofly pies, molasses crinkle cookies, etc. Most times I use a combination of King Syrup and Golden Barrel baking molasses (one of my favorites) to create a beautifully light molasses flavor.
Gingersnap Cookies with Fresh Ginger
You can use raw ginger instead of ground ginger to make these Amish gingersnap cookies. After I already had some ingredients mixed, I discovered that I was out of ground ginger.
So I googled it, to see if I could use raw ginger, and sure enough. You need to use more of it, but I zested ginger root into my batter, and you can't tell the difference.
Amish Ginger Snap Christmas Cookies
I love making these ginger cookies for Christmas as they are a wonderful and tasty addition to cookie platters.
But I like to create festive-looking Christmas cookies, so I dip my Amish gingersnap cookies halfway into melted white chocolate. Not only does it make them look lovely, but it also adds great flavor.
After the cookies are cooled, melt some white chocolate. (I recommend using a small, deep dish since you want the chocolate deep enough to dip the cookies into.)
Dip half of each cookie into the white chocolate and put on some sprinkles, to create festive Christmas cookies.
Place the cookies onto parchment paper to dry.
Can I Freeze Gingersnap Cookies?
Yes, you can freeze these soft gingersnap cookies. I always freeze any cookies that we won't eat within about two or three days.
As soon as they are cool, place the cookies into an airtight container. Put a piece of parchment paper between the layers to keep them from sticking together.
And you can freeze them for up to several months. Thaw and enjoy your still-fresh-tasting gingersnap cookies.
If you get to try this recipe for Amish gingersnap cookies, I would love it if you left a comment and star rating below. Thank you!
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Soft and Chewy Amish Gingersnap Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 c. oil I use canola oil, but you can use whatever you prefer for baking
- 2 c. sugar
- 1/2 c. light tasting or Brer Rabbit molasses
- 2 large eggs
- 4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. cloves
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 1/2 - 4 c. flour
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- Mix sugar and oil in a mixing bowl. Add molasses and eggs, mix well.1/2 c. oil, 1/2 c. light tasting or Brer Rabbit molasses, 2 large eggs, 2 c. sugar
- Add remaining ingredients, and mix until everything is well incorporated. I tend to go with the lesser amount of flour because I don't like fat cookies.4 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. cloves, 1 tsp. ground ginger, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. salt, 3 1/2 - 4 c. flour
- Roll into balls and dip them into a bowl of sugar, if desired.
- Place on greased cookie sheets and bake for about 7 - 9 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack.
- Store in an airtight container and freeze any cookies that you won't eat within a couple of days.
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