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An easy-to-make ginger snap recipe. These homemade ginger biscuits (a.k.a. ginger snap cookies, ginger nuts, or gingersnaps!) are the best ginger cookies for pie crusts and cookie platters. They’re also ideal for dunking in a cup of tea, coffee, hot chocolate, or mulled wine.
Why Make This Ginger Snap Recipe?
During the cold winter months, there’s nothing more comforting than the spicy scent of ginger snap cookies baking in the oven. It doesn’t take much convincing for me to whip up a batch of these crunchy, spicy-sweet biscuits. With their crisp edges, sugary coating, and signature crackled tops, they bring the perfect balance of warmth and nostalgia to any chilly day. Made with classic winter spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, these ginger snaps capture all of the best flavors of the season.
What I love most about this ginger snap recipe is just how easy and fuss-free it is. (These cookies take less than an hour from start to finish and don’t even require chilling!) The result is a crunchy biscuit that reminds me of the store-bought ginger snaps I grew up with—but so much better. They’re perfect on their own, but equally ideal for dunking in a hot cup of tea or coffee, dipping in sweet dips (like my hot cocoa dip) or adding to a holiday cookie platter. In fact, they make a wonderful gift: just fill a festive tin, and they’ll keep beautifully for up to a week at room temperature. These ginger snaps also freeze well.
If you’re looking for a creative twist, try pulsing the cookies in the food processor to make a delicious ginger snap crust for pies, tarts, and cheesecakes. Whether I’m baking them up for Christmas festivities or just because I’m in the mood, these ginger snaps are an irresistible treat all winter long.
What Are Ginger Snaps? (Or Are They Ginger Biscuits?)
Growing up in Central PA, ginger snap cookies were always one of my personal favorites. Along with sand tarts, they’re a Pennsylvania Dutch classic frequently enjoyed during the holiday season and throughout the year. If we didn’t have time to make our own, we bought the Stauffer’s brand at the local grocery store, or visited their factory outlet in York, PA.
After I moved to the UK, I discovered that ginger snaps are equally popular here. They’re called ginger nuts (or ginger biscuits) instead, and they come in a sleeve rather than a bag or box, but other than that they’re pretty much the same thing.
But whether you call them ginger snaps, ginger nuts, or ginger biscuits, the key to these spicy-sweet cookies is to make sure they’re thin, crunchy, and crispy, rather than soft and chewy. (For a softer cookie with a similar flavor profile, I’d suggest making a batch of classic gingerbread cookies, or my chocolate molasses cookies instead.) In addition to their crispier texture, ginger snaps feature a more pronounced ginger flavor than gingerbread cookies, are scooped rather than cut, and are finished with a roll in granulated sugar rather than piped with royal icing.
Ginger Snap Cookie Ingredients
To make these ginger snap cookies, you’ll need the following ingredients:
- All Purpose Flour – All purpose flour (a.k.a. plain flour) forms the base for the dough. For this recipe, it’s important to use your kitchen scale to measure by weight rather than volume—too much flour can make the cookies doughy and dense, rather than crisp and crunchy.
- Baking Soda – Baking soda reacts with the acidic molasses, helping the biscuits to spread as they bake.
- Spices – Ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves, plus 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt, give the biscuits their classic ginger snap flavor. Use fresh, good-quality ground spices—spices lose flavor as they age.
- Granulated Sugar – You’ll need granulated sugar to make the dough (sugar adds sweetness, and increases spread) plus more for rolling the balls. You can substitute caster sugar, but be sure to measure by weight rather than volume.
- Unsalted Butter – Softened, and at room temperature.
- Light Brown Sugar – Light brown sugar, dark brown sugar, or muscovado sugar will all work for this recipe.
- Black Treacle – I tested these with the Lyle’s brand of black treacle, as well as with Grandma’s brand molasses. Either one will work. (Again, I suggest measuring by weight rather than volume—the sticky syrup will adhere to a measuring cup, and you’ll lose too much product if you try to scrape it from cup to bowl.) Do not use bitter blackstrap molasses.
- Egg – One large, room temperature egg adds moisture to the dough, and acts as a binder.
What to Do With Homemade Ginger Snaps
My favorite thing to do with homemade ginger snaps is to turn them into a ginger snap pie crust for my cranberry curd tart with Italian meringue. Ginger snaps also make a delicious alternative to graham crackers as a crust for pumpkin pie, key lime pie, or New York cheesecake.
However, you can also use these spicy-sweet cookies to:
- Accompany dessert hummus or sweet dips like my hot cocoa dip or strawberry fruit dip.
- Dunk in a mug of coffee, tea, homemade hot chocolate, or mulled red wine.
- Pair two cookies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a festive ice cream sandwich.
- Alternate layers of crushed ginger snaps with fruit, compote, mousse, or whipped cream to make a seasonally appropriate Eton mess, such as my Eton mess recipe with cinnamon and pears.
- Use as a topping for yogurt or pudding, or as a parfait garnish.
- Break ginger snaps into small pieces and add them to homemade granola or trail mix.
Make-Ahead and Storage Suggestions
You can make the ginger snap dough up to 24 hours in advance, cover the bowl tightly with clingfilm/plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use. Allow dough to stand at room temperature for 15 minutes prior to rolling.
Store leftover ginger snap cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or layer between sheets of parchment and freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Other ginger recipes you might enjoy:
Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Cranberry Curd Tart
Carrot Ginger Candy
Gingerbread Loaf with Walnuts and Pears
And if you do make these, or any of my recipes, don’t forget to tag me @bastecutfold or use the hashtag #bastecutfold on Instagram. I always love to see what you’re making!
Print
Ginger Snaps
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Description
A ginger snap recipe for homemade ginger biscuits, a.k.a. ginger snap cookies! The best ginger snaps for pie crusts, snacking, and dunking.
Ingredients
300 grams all purpose flour (10 1/2 ounces; 2 1/3 cups)
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
200 grams granulated sugar (1 cup), plus more for rolling
170 grams unsalted butter, softened (6 ounces; 1 1/2 sticks)
50 grams light brown sugar (1/4 cup, packed)
115 grams black treacle (1/3 cup) or molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
Instructions
Line a half-sheet rimmed baking tray with a silicone mat. Preheat oven to 350° F / 176° C.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and kosher salt.
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix granulated sugar, butter, and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Add the black treacle and egg and mix on medium-high speed until well combined.
Add the dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until just barely combined.
With your hands, roll dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll each ball in additional granulated sugar.
Place balls on prepared baking tray, allowing room for the cookies to spread as they bake.
Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until cookies crispy and golden brown around the edges, with cracked tops.
With a flat metal spatula, transfer ginger snap cookies to a wire rack. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Store leftover ginger snap cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 18-20 minutes
- Category: Biscuits and Cookies
- Method: Oven