by Chenée Lewis
Best old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe! These chewy ginger crackles are the best soft ginger cookies! And we’re making these gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix!
If you like this spicy ginger crinkle cookies recipe, try my Brownie Mix Cookies with White Chocolate, Cherries and Pistachios, my Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies, or my Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar!
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Spicy Ginger Crinkle Cookies Recipe
These cookies have all the flavors you expect from classic soft ginger cookies -- molasses, ginger, and other spices, all coated in a lovely crinkle layer of powdered sugar.
But that's not the best part! These cookies are SO easy because they're made with cake mix! Yes, just like my Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies or my Lemon Blueberry Cookies, the base for this old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe is a boxed cake mix! So when you don't have the time to make traditional German Lebkucken from scratch, you're in luck!
What causes cookies to crinkle?
The question is: Why do gingerbread cookies crack? Well, the crinkle comes from the outside of the cookie setting and hardening in the oven before the inside. So as the inside of the cookie bakes and expands, it creates cracks and separations in the outside of the cookie.
This process is furthered by the addition of powdered sugar before baking. Powdered sugar draws out some of the moisture from the outer layer of the cookie, emphasizing the crinkle effect even more! That's how we get those beautiful crinkly tops on these molasses ginger crinkle cookies!
If you want to try another delicious cookie recipe, try these ube crinkles or my Coconut Pecan Cookies!
What are ginger cookies made of?
- spice cake mix - to make this recipe super easy, we'll make our gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix! I used a 15.25-oz Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix. We'll just be using the dry mix, not a prepared cake batter.
- all-purpose flour - we're adding some flour to thicken up the batter a bit.
- vegetable oil - the secret to moist ginger crinkle cookies! Oil keeps these cookies soft and chewy.
- eggs - give a little lift and richness to our cookies.
- molasses - you'll need unsulphured molasses for this old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe -- I used Grandma's Original Molasses.
- cinnamon and ginger - we're boosting the spice flavors a bit to give these cookies the classic, spicy gingerbread flavor!
- powdered sugar - we'll coat our ginger molasses crinkle cookies with powdered sugar before they bake to create that stunning crinkle effect!
Equipment
This is a one-bowl and wooden spoon recipe! You don't need an electric mixer, or even a whisk! These ginger crinkle cookies come together so easily so it's the perfect low-key holiday cookie for beginners! Here are a few more tools you might need:
Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top?
The most likely reason for your cookies not crackling is that your oven isn't hot enough. You can use an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven temperature and make sure it's fully hot before baking your chewy ginger crackles!
Why are my crinkle cookies flat?
There could be a couple of reasons for flat ginger crinkle cookies. First, your dough may not have been sufficiently chilled. Make sure you chill the dough for at least an hour before scooping. Also, you may have not added enough flour -- I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour to make sure that that the measurement is accurate.
Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies Tips and F.A.Q.
Fully chill your dough before shaping.
The cold dough will help you form round cookie balls, and will keep the powdered sugar from melting into the dough. I'd recommend chilling your dough at least 1 hour.
Press cookie dough balls firmly into powdered sugar.
The method I use is to roll the dough ball into the sugar, pressing down firmly to allow the sugar to stick. This is better than simply tossing the dough with the sugar. Then you can allow the excess sugar to fall off before you place the dough ball on your baking sheet, so that you don't end up with clumps of powdered sugar on your finished cookies.
Use the right kind of molasses!
This is so important. Molasses can vary in sweetness, consistency, and ingredients. For this recipe you need mild unsulphured molasses. Unsulphured molasses is sweeter and doesn't contain preservatives, and comes in mild, dark, and blackstrap varieties. I prefer mild unsulphured molasses for baking because it offers less bitterness, so for this recipe I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses or something similar.
Should gingerbread cookies be crunchy?
These molasses ginger crinkle cookies should be soft and chewy!
How do I store these gingerbread crinkle cookies?
You can keep these in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 2 months!
If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!
More Christmas Cookie Recipes You'll Love
- Peppermint White Chocolate Sugar Cookies
- No Chill Gingerbread Cookies with Stout and Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
- No Spread Sugar Cookies
- Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
- Lemon Curd Cookies
- Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies
📖 Recipe
Ginger Crinkle Cookies
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Best ginger crinkle cookies recipe! These chewy ginger crackles are the best soft ginger cookies! And we’re making these gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix!
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine :American
Servings: 36 cookies
Calories: 83kcal
Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses - you'll want mild/light unsulphured molasses
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 15.25-oz spice cake mix
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour - (32 grams)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup powdered sugar - for rolling
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.
Mix together all ingredients other than powdered sugar in a large bowl with a mixing spoon, until fully combined.
⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 15.25-oz spice cake mix, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into powdered sugar, pressing down to get the powdere sugar to stick to all sides of the dough ball.
1 cup powdered sugar
Place dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.
Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
Molasses type:Molasses can vary in sweetness, consistency, and ingredients. For this recipe you need mild unsulphured molasses. Unsulphured molasses is sweeter and doesn't contain preservatives, and comes in mild, dark, and blackstrap varieties. I prefer mild unsulphured molasses for this recipe because it offers less bitterness, and we're not adding sugar. So for this recipe I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses or something similar.
Storage and Freezing:You can keep these in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 2 months!
Nutrition
Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 83 kcal | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 3 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 10 mg | Sodium: 94 mg | Potassium: 57 mg | Sugar: 10 g | Calcium: 31 mg
Nutrition Disclaimer
Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!
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Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Chenée Lewis
