Just look at the crackle on these Chewy High Altitude Ginger Cookies. And that pretty dusting of sugar on top. Don’t you just want to bite into one?
You should, because inside is this deep, luscious, spicy interior:
It’s the stuff autumn dreams are made of. Mine, anyway.
It’s no secret that I love ginger. I adore its fresh zing, its sweet warmth, its lemony, almost peppery bite. I love how it works in both sweet and savory dishes and how it’s as delicious in a stir-fry as it is in a cocktail. And as someone with a lifelong history of motion sickness, I especially appreciate its anti-nausea properties (these little mints from Trader Joes have saved me from barfing on many a plane).
This time of year, when it’s starting to get chilly and damp outside, there’s just something about a soft, chewy, spicy cookie. Especially dunked in a cup of tea or freshly-brewed coffee. That’s just the definition of cozy. I like this recipe in particular because it has a heavy dose of aallllllll the warm spices: not just ginger, but cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg.
To help with that rich, dense texture, we’ve got a large dollop of molasses, which a friend commented “looks just like chocolate syrup!” but oho, do not make the mistake of dipping your finger in to try it, because its funky, bitter flavor is pretty much the exact opposite of chocolate syrup. Hey, that would be a fun trick to play on your kids, though, wouldn’t it?
This is a really nice dough to work with – a little sticky, but it’s sturdy and resilient and so satisfying to form into these pretty little cakes and dip them into sugar. Speaking of which, I got super excited when I found a recipe for ginger sugar online, because how delicious would a ginger cookie encrusted in ginger sugar be? Like, whoa. But the sugar, though easy to make, takes two full days to dry out (it’s true, I made it), and this seems unnecessarily fussy. If you’re like me, when you’re searching for a cookie recipe it’s because you want to make them pretty much immediately, right? (but if you do try it, please report back)
Let’s talk some more about ginger. I love crystallized ginger, also known as candied ginger, which essentially tastes like an alarmingly spicy ginger gum drop. If you chop it up finely, it virtually melts into the cookies, appearing as a little soft pocket of extra spice. But if you like big chewy nuggets of ginger, then chop more roughly. Or, if that’s just completely too much ginger for you, leave it out altogether.
You can make these any size you like; tiny cookies for serving with tea or large bakery-style palm-sized cakes. Here, I went for middle ground with two-inch cookies, the size resulting from using a medium cookie scoop. They take more than a couple bites to devour yet still leave you wanting another. Though, trust me, you’re gonna want another no matter what the size.
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Chewy High Altitude Ginger Cookies
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins per batch
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 22-24 2-inch cookies 1x
Description
Thick and moist, these Chewy High Altitude Ginger Cookies feature a traditional crackled top and a moist, deeply spiced interior.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups (11 oz) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup neutral-tasting vegetable oil, such as grapeseed
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup (3 oz) crystallized/candied ginger (optional)
- 3 TB granulated sugar or ginger sugar (for coating)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate bowl using a hand mixer, combine brown sugar, molasses, and vegetable oil. Mix on medium speed until thoroughly combined; about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl (this ultra-thick mixture will stick tenaciously, so you might have to put some muscle into it), and mix in the first egg, then the second. Beat about a minute longer, until the batter is smooth and uniform.
- Add the flour mixture on low speed until all traces of flour have disappeared and the dough begins to clump together. Stir in crystallized ginger, if using.
- Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop dough into 1.5-inch balls. Flatten slightly and dip each side in granulated or ginger sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 12 mins. These cookies don’t brown much so be sure not to overbake, which will render them dry and crumbly.
Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.
Notes
… when mixing, make sure your molasses is incorporated fully. Any lingering dribbles of the syrup in your cookies will result in discolored, bitter pockets (ask me how I know).
Perfect, just absolutely perfect, delicious cookies. This time of year when it’s lightly snowing in the Rockies, a fire is going, there’s nothing better than this cookie and a cup of coffee or tea. They just came out of the oven and I had to taste test…. Oh goodness these ginger cookies are heaven. I feel like the pieces of crystallized ginger makes them!! Thank you for another fantastic recipe.
From another Colorado girl,
Silva
It has snowed about an inch in Breckenridge this afternoon and I’m wishing I had one right now! Thanks so much for the note, Silva!
I made these for our More To Life gathering last night, Robyn, and received rave reviews. I made the basic version without the crystallized ginger or ginger sugar and they were delicious. Going to make again soon so my own family can have them all to ourselves… : ) Thanks for the recipe!
Anne, it makes me so happy to hear that people enjoy the recipes I put out there. I really appreciate you letting me know!
My daughter and I baked these up this afternoon. Like Anne, we didn’t have candies or ginger sugar. But we think they’re amazing. Perfect texture and flavor! Easy recipe. And I LOVE a chewy cookie! Believe we may have some for breakfast too! Thanks Robin!
I’m so glad you loved the recipe, Laura! They’re one of my favorites, too.
I’m in Colorado Springs where my cookies always come out hit or miss. First time making these and they are just perfect. I wish I could upload my pictures. The only negative thing I can say about this recipe is that it only makes 24 cookies!
*Omitted the candied ginger and rolled them in organic cane sugar.
Fantastic! I like that it only makes 24 because otherwise I’d eat WAY too many. 🙂 However, my recipes now have a “scaling” function that allow you to easily double or triple. Just look for the 1X, 2X buttons.
Oh no, you are right! If it made more than 24 I’d be in BIG trouble!! Thanks again for an amazing recipe. I use yours a lot for high altitude baking. 🙂
I’ve made these several times now and they are always perfect. For a twist, I tried replacing 1 egg with half a cup of pumpkin and they were phenomenal. Really soft and perfect.
Brilliant idea! Gotta try that.
Hi! I’n wondering what I can substitute for molasses? It’s not available where i live in Bolivia. This sounds like the perfect recipe though! We’re at 13,000 feet.
Hi Cindy! Do you have dark corn syrup available? If so, use an equal amount of that. Other options would be honey or maple syrup, but in those cases I’d cut the amount down by about a quarter to keep the cookies from becoming overly sweet. Good luck, and please report back on what works!
These are excellent! I have made them twice and they are easy and taste marvelous. I like that they are chewy and soft.
I love butter, so for my second batch I used 1/4 cup of melted butter instead of the oil. I love the results.
I also upped the ginger, in addition to dry ground ginger and a heaping half cup of chopped crystalized ginger, I added a heaping teaspoon of grated fresh ginger.
Finally, I used a spice shortcut, substituting 1 1/2 teaspoons of Chai Masala spice, which is made up of cinnamon, cloves, and chai spices. It adds the perfect punch to all the ginger.
Make these right away, you are sure to love them!
Great tweaks – love it!
Wonderful flavor, but I had to add quite a bit more flour because the dough was more like a batter. I used my homemade brown sugar (which I make with blackstrap molasses), so maybe that’s wetter than store-bought stuff. I added just enough flour to make it scoopable and rolled them just in regular sugar. Man, they are sure tasty. I’d love to try this recipe again using the local panela and see how it turns out. The crystallized ginger is a fabulous addition.
Great adjustments! Glad you liked them. 🙂
These are amazing!! My first batch was a little too sweet so I decreased the sugar a bit only because I dipped the cookies in raw cane turbinado sugar which gives an extra crunch. I also added some grated fresh ginger into the half cup of finely chopped candied ginger. Sooooooo good. These are restaurant quality.
I baked these in Colorado Springs, about 6,300′
Saying that these are the greatest ginger snap cookies ever is an understatement. I just about cried when they came out of the oven so perfectly! They taste great too. Woke up feeling like a fall-ish sweet snack and this hit just right. Thanks for the recipe!
I have a recipe for gingerbread crinkle cookies, nuts it’s for sea level. Could I roll these In powder sugar so they get the crinkle effect instead of sugar?
This is an update from my last post. I made the cookies today and rolled in powered sugar instead of ginger Crystal. The got the nice crinkle look I like. I got about 35 cookies in my batch and I didn’t double the recipe either. . I wish I could post a picture
Sounds delicious!
Can I use this recipe to make a chewy version of gingerbread men?
This recipe isn’t suited to rolling out the dough to make shapes. I’d recommend you try my Gingerbread Cookie recipe and err on the side of underbaking for a chewier texture.
I just made this recipe and YUM!! Wow, they are packed with flavor. I live near Breckenridge, but our house is at just shy of 11,000 ft. so I really do struggle with recipes turning out the first time I try them, and BOOM! this was perfect the 1st time! I baked them exactly 12 min. and the centers of the cookies are chewy, with a little bit of crispness on the edge. I am thrilled to have found your website to help me with successful baking at high altitude.