Description
Giant ginger cookies with molasses make the ultimate Christmas cookie! These are the classic, old-fashioned cookie you think of when you envision a deliciously chewy ginger cookie rolled in sparkling sugar. This recipe goes bold on the warming spices, molasses, and dark brown sugar for plenty of rich flavor. Recipe yields 20 giant cookies.
Ingredients
Cookies
- 3 cups (420 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp (13 g) baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cornstarch
- 3/4 tsp (5 g) salt
- 4 tsp (8 g) ground ginger
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (2 g) ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground allspice
- 1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup (150 g) dark brown sugar
- 6 Tbsp (120 g) unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg (50 g)
- 1 large egg yolk (18 g)
- 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
For Rolling
- 3/4 cup (150 g) coarse sugar
Instructions
- Make dough: Whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until soft and creamy (about 2 minutes). Beat in molasses until combined. Beat in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated.
- Chill dough: The dough will be soft and thick – cover and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Roll cookies: Place coarse sugar in a shallow bowl. Use a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoon capacity) coated with nonstick spray to form 2-inch balls of dough (approximately 56 grams each). Roll in coarse sugar to coat and place three inches apart, 6 balls of dough per baking sheet. Sprinkle any extra coarse sugar over the top.
- Bake cookies for 12 to 13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and crackly, with edges set. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets. If desired, use a slightly larger round cookie cutter to scoot the warm cookies into a perfect round shape as they cool. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. Leftover cookies stay soft and chewy for days. You can also freeze leftover cookies in an airtight container for 2 months.
Notes
Molasses: I use and recommend Grandma’s Original Molasses.
Make ahead: Roll the dough into balls (without the coarse sugar coating) and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in coarse sugar and bake as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.
Standard size cookies: Use a medium cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to form 1 1/2-inch balls of dough (approximately 32 grams each). Roll in coarse sugar to coat and place 9 balls of dough per baking sheet. Bake cookies for 11 to 12 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and crackly, with edges set. Cool for 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks. Yield: 36 cookies.
Keywords: Ginger Cookies, Ginger Molasses Cookies