Soft and Chewy Amish Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe

These Amish Ginger Snap Cookies are a delightful treat with a rich molasses flavor and a perfect blend of warm spices. They have a soft and chewy texture, with just the right amount of crispness on the edges.

Whether you dip them in sugar before baking or drizzle them with white chocolate for a festive touch, these cookies are sure to bring warmth and comfort to your table. Made with simple ingredients and packed with nostalgic flavor, they're perfect for sharing with loved ones or enjoying with a cup of tea or coffee.

Ingredients

1. Oil provides moisture and helps create a soft texture in the cookies. Canola oil has a neutral flavor, allowing the spices to shine.
2. Sugar adds sweetness and helps with browning. It also contributes to the texture by tenderizing the dough.
3. 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.
4. Eggs act as a binding agent, helping to hold the ingredients together and providing structure. They also add moisture and richness to the dough.
5. Baking soda acts as a leavening agent, causing the cookies to rise and become light and airy.
6. 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.
7. Salt enhances the overall flavor.
8. All-purpose flour provides structure and stability to the dough. The amount may vary slightly depending on how thick you want your cookies.

How to Make Chewy 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.)

1. Preheat the Oven
   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
2. Mix the Sugar and Oil
   In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Mix until well combined.
3. Add Molasses and Eggs
   Add the molasses and eggs to the sugar and oil mixture. Stir until everything is smooth and well blended.
4. Incorporate the Dry Ingredients
   Add the baking soda, ground cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, and flour to the bowl. Start with a smaller amount of flour and mix until the dough comes together. If the dough is too sticky, gradually add more flour until you reach the right consistency.
5. Form the Dough into Balls
   Scoop out small portions of dough and roll them into balls. For added sweetness and a glittery touch, you can roll the dough balls in sugar before baking.
6. Arrange on Baking Sheets
   Place the dough balls on greased cookie sheets, spacing them apart to allow for spreading.
7. Bake the Cookies
   Bake in the preheated oven for about 7 to 9 minutes. The cookies should be slightly firm around the edges but soft in the center.
8. Cool the Cookies
   Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a minute or two, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. Optional Decoration
   For a festive touch, dip half of each cookie into melted white chocolate and add sprinkles.
10. Store the Cookies
    Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 or 5 days. Freeze any that won't be eaten within a few days to keep them fresh.

Old-fashioned Gingersnap Cookies - Do You Prefer Them Soft or Crunchy?

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 (also use only 3 ½ cups of flour so they stay thinner).

But I prefer soft and chewy cookies. I enjoy a bit of a crispy edge, but I like the centers nice and soft. And if you bake these molasses cookies for no longer than 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.

What Kind of Molasses Should I Use?

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.

Can I Use Fresh Ginger to Make Gingersnaps?

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 a bit more of it, but I zested ginger root into my batter, and you can't tell the difference.

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.

Freeze them for up to several months. Thaw and enjoy your still-fresh-tasting gingersnap 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. 🙂

Amish Gingersnap 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 the 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.

More Amish Cookie Recipes

• Amish Monster Cookies
• Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Cookies
• Snowtop Chocolate Peppermint Cookies
• Date Pinwheel Cookies Recipe
• Sand Tart Cookies
• Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies
• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies Recipe