These big, soft ginger cookies are perfectly spiced and incredibly delicious. They have a melt in your mouth texture and are rolled in sugar before baking for a slight crunch. Easy to make, this small batch recipe yields 4 spectacular ginger molasses cookies.
These big, soft ginger cookies are one of my favorite kinds of cookies. They’ve got the perfect blend of sweet molasses, spicy ginger, and warm cinnamon.
These cookies are soft and chewy with a little crunch from the sugar coating. They’re perfect for dunking in milk or enjoying with a hot cup of tea.
Small Batch Soft Ginger Cookies
Best of all, this ginger cookie recipe yields a small batch of cookies – not the standard 2 dozen. It’s the perfect amount if you’re cooking for one.
Besides, when cookies are this easy to make you’ll want to make them fresh and enjoy them hot out of the oven when a cookie craving hits.
RELATED: The Best Small Batch Cookie Recipes
Ginger Cookies
Ginger cookies bring back many childhood memories.
When I was a little girl, one thing I enjoyed most was climbing into my dad’s recliner and settling in next to him while he watched the nightly news. My dad’s favorite thing to do after dinner was to relax in his big chair with a tall glass of milk and a handful of spiced ginger cookies.
My dad loved his ginger cookies, or rather he loved ginger snaps. These store bought cookies were a favorite of his and he felt the ginger cookies helped with his digestion.
I loved the flavor of those cookies but I was never a fan of the crunch. The snap in the gingersnaps was a bit much for me. I preferred my cookies to be soft.
When I set out to make this small batch ginger cookie recipe, I wanted to make sure the cookies had a gloriously spiced flavor, along with a hint of molasses. I also knew I wanted them to be soft and chewy.
I wanted to create a cookie recipe that would yield a very small batch – 3 or 4 cookies; enough to enjoy in one sitting if desired, or perhaps to enjoy for a day more.
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How To Make Ginger Cookies
This ginger cookie recipe delivers all I hoped and more. I think you’ll love them too.
You might also be interested in our Gingerbread For One recipe.
Ingredients In Soft Ginger Cookies
Scroll down for ingredient amounts and complete baking instructions.
- butter
- sugar
- egg yolk
- molasses
- flour
- ground ginger
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- ground cloves
- salt
Instructions
- Cream the butter and sugar together.
- Mix in the egg yolk and molasses.
- In a small bowl, mix together the spices.
- Add spice mixture to the cookie dough and mix well.
- Roll the cookie dough into a ball and roll the ball in granulated sugar.
- Place on a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.
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What To Do With Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients left over from this ginger cookie recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes.
- Egg white: Meringue Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, Flourless Chocolate Cookies
- Molasses, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves: Gingerbread Granola, Gingerbread
RELATED: Easy Dessert Recipes For One
Tips For Making Soft Ginger Cookies
- Make sure you take the time to preheat your oven before baking.
- Soften the butter to room temperature. Do not melt the butter, it will change the texture of the cookie.
- I use unsulphured molasses in this recipe. I find Blackstrap molasses to be a little strong in baked goods.
- Feel free to tweak the amounts of ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The amounts listed in the recipe are my preferred amounts, however tinker with the amounts to suit your taste.
- Place the cookies on a silpat lined or parchment paper lined baking sheet and space the cookies 2-inches apart.
How To Store Ginger Cookies
This cookie recipe will yield about 4 cookies so you may or may not need to store them.
If you choose to, ginger cookies keep well in an airtight container or in a large zip-top bag at room temperature.
Other Small Batch Cookie Recipes
If you like this small batch ginger molasses cookie recipe, you might also like to try these cookie recipes:
- Lace Cookies
- Cowboy Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
- Shortbread Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- DoubleTree Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
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For examples of the dishes used at One Dish Kitchen, please visit our Store page.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar plus 1 tablespoon, for rolling
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, using a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and 1/4 cup of the sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Mix in the egg yolk and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until combined.
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Gradually add to the creamed mixture and mix well.
- Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch round balls, then roll in the remaining tablespoon of sugar. Place 2-inches apart on baking sheet.
- Bake until lightly browned, about 10-12 minutes. Remove baking sheet from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Hi…just one quick question…do you need to flatten these out into a cookie shape after rolling them in the sugar? I couldn’t see it anywhere in the recipe.
Thanks,
Tina
No, you don’t need to flatten the cookies before baking.
There are two of us.
If I want to double the recipe could I just use 1 whole egg?
Thanks in advance for any response.
Hi Elizabeth,
The cookies have a nicer texture when only the egg yolk is used. I have doubled this cookie recipe with success by using two egg yolks. Save the egg whites and add them to scrambled eggs or consider using them in Meringues (https://onedishkitchen.com/small-batch-meringues/) or cupcakes (https://onedishkitchen.com/how-to-make-two-vanilla-cupcakes/), both of these recipes can be doubled so you can use two egg whites.
Love to try this!!! Don’t like the crunch so this is great!
Is it possible to make this in a toaster oven. Thanks for your time
Yes, the cookies can be made in a toaster oven. Keep the temperature and time the same.
I made these for dessert Saturday night. Super easy and so yummy. They will be a fall staple for sure around here.
Easy to make and tasted great.
I’m so happy you enjoyed the cookies, Ginny. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know.
Joanie