If you’re looking for a cozy (and frugal) holiday baking idea, these gingerbread crinkle cookies are the sweetest little treat to whip up this season. They’re soft, chewy, and full of warm gingerbread spice, like Christmas morning in cookie form. They’re made with simple pantry ingredients you probably already have, so you can get to holiday baking without spending lots at the grocery store. Perfect for cookie swaps, homemade gifting, or just a quiet night in with a mug of tea and twinkle lights.
Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
One of my favorite Christmas baking recipes my mom made every year while I was growing up were the classic chocolate crinkle cookies.
Every December, I’d help her make chocolate crinkle cookies, almond snowball cookies, and rich sandwich cookies filled with raspberry jam.
Since ginger is another one of my favorite flavors (along with chocolate and matcha!), I wanted to make a gingerbread version of the classic crinkle cookie recipe.
These gingerbread crinkle cookies are festive, cozy, and to me they smell like December happiness.
They are just as easy to make as the chocolate version, and I have a hack to make sure they stay coated in the powdered sugar (instead of having it disappear by getting absorbed into the dough, which can sometimes happen).
(For more Christmas cookies, try these easy M&M cookies – they’re fun to make with kids.)
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookie Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make these delicious Christmas cookies:
- all-purpose flour
- ground ginger
- cinnamon
- cloves
- baking soda
- salt
- brown sugar
- butter
- molasses
- egg
- vanilla
- granulated sugar (for rolling)
- powdered sugar (for rolling)
For gingerbread lovers, try this Starbucks copycat recipe for a gingerbread latte.
Ginger Crinkle Cookies Tips
There is a chill step for these gingerbread crinkle cookies. By chilling the dough before you roll it into balls, this helps keep the finished cookies thick and chewy. 🥹
You can either wait the 1 hour chill time, or you can make the crinkle cookie dough the day before and chill the dough overnight. Pull the dough out of the fridge and start rolling those balls!
Use a small cookie scoop to make uniform cookies. It helps them bake evenly and look extra pretty. 💕
Use this size cookie scoop for this gingerbread crinkle cookie recipe. It’s a good universal scoop for baking cookies at home.
If you want to use vegan butter (like Earth Balance) or margarine, make sure you use a harder one, otherwise the cookies will spread too much.
Why we double roll these crinkle cookies in sugar:
It’s not just for the sugar high. Rolling in granulated sugar first helps the powdered sugar stick better and prevents it from melting into the dough as it bakes. It’s a great hack!
You can freeze the dough for later. Roll the dough into balls, freeze on a tray, then transfer to a bag. When you’re ready, roll frozen dough in sugar and bake. You don’t need to thaw the dough first!
Okay, let’s bake!
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cloves
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, softened (you can also use vegan butter or margarine)
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 egg, free range
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
- ½ cup powdered sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla.
- Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until just combined.
- Chill the dough in the fridge for 1 hour or overnight (this keeps the cookies thick and chewy).
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Roll dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar.
- Bake these Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are set and centers are soft.
- Cool for 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 135Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gSodium: 48mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 1gSugar: 16gProtein: 2g
If you love ginger, try these very popular Gingerbread Scones!
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