Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

These are one of my all time favorite cookies! They’re the perfect staple at the holidays….or any time of the year. The flavor and the scent that fills your house are both amazing.

My mom has been making these since I was a kid. And recently I analyzed my thoughts on gingerbready treats (important things to do in life). I realized that I’m not a huge fan of traditional gingerbread “people”-shaped cookies. They’re often too crunchy and there’s rarely enough frosting on top to compensate for the bland cookie.

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies on the other hand are divine! They have tons of flavor, they’re crispy on the outside, dusted with sugar, and soft and chewy in the middle. They make the season bright for kids young and old. You will love them. Let’s make cookies!


Gingerbread Crinkleย  Cookies
These cookies flatten and crack as they cool. The secret in keeping them soft is to remove them from the oven as soon as they are set but before they start to brown.

2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cup shortening*
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses

4 cups flour
4 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. ginger
l/2 tsp. cloves
l/2 tsp. salt

Cream together the sugar and shortening. Add eggs and beat until thick. Add the molasses and stir until combined.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Add to creamed mixture and stir just until blended. If the dough is very soft (hot day? warm kitchen?), wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.

Shape into 1โ€ balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets. Bake at 350ยบ for 7 – 10 minutes or just until set but before they start to brown.

* This is a very old recipe and, like many cookie recipes from the 1950s, and uses vegetable shortening instead of butter. You can substitute 1 1/2 cups melted and cooled butter for the shortening but you will have to increase the flour to 4 1/2 cups and definitely chill the dough before using.

Want to mix up the recipe?
Check outย  CHOCOLATE DIPPED GINGERBREAD COOKIES HERE.

  1. 1) Lis

    I noticed that the comments were empty, so I’ll try to summarize what I wrote before. If you get the comments working again, and want to delete this one, that’s fine! ๐Ÿ™‚

    I love this recipe and am incredibly impressed at how forgiving it is. The first time I made these, I had two 5 year olds and a 2 year old ‘helping.’ There was shortening up to the elbows all around, and flour on the counters, table and floor. When I added the molasses, we all couldn’t believe how badly the dough smelled and I couldn’t help but think, “Well, if it turns out as bad as it smells, people will understand since the kids were helping.” Boy, was I ever wrong. Once they started cooking they smelled WON-derful!

    The second time I made them alone, doubled the recipe and made 180 cookies. Everyone raved about them – and I am *not* a baker by any measure! They also freeze wonderfully; after a few minutes, they are just as chewy as they were the day they came out of the oven. ๐Ÿ™‚

  2. 2) Alicia

    Thanks for the great recipe. Very simple and they turned out great (and I even forgot to add the cloves)!

  3. 3) Aliya

    Thank you for linking back to this! I remembered making these last year but didn’t remember where the recipe was from or just what they were called. Now I can make them for my husband again. ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. 4) Laura

    Thanks for the recipe! These are so yummy. My husband loved these! I love that they are so simple and you don’t have to roll out dough like other gingerbread cookie recipes! I used the butter substitution and sucanat instead of sugar and they turned out great.

  5. 5) Amelia

    These were absolutely perfect! I like ginger cookies in al their forms, but these are my ideal. I did sub in a half cup of butter along with a cup of shortening because I think that gives a firmer, cracklier crust. Thanks for sharing my new favorite ginger cookie recipe!

  6. Mmmmmm… These are sooo good!
    For any English readers, I substituted the molasses for black treacle and reduced the sugar to just 1 cup and it worked perfectly.
    I seriously recommend these!
    – Faye :o)

  7. 7) Julie A

    Thanks for this fantastic recipe! They’ll be Santa’s coomies tonight!

  8. These are scrumdiddlyumptious! I’ve already made them several times this year. Next time I whip up a batch, I’m going to take TJ’s vanilla ice cream (the BEST vanilla ice cream EVER!) and make gingy ice cream sandwiches. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe! It’s now a family favorite!!

  9. 9) Leigh Anne

    I make these every Christmas! They are so good and so soft! I sub coconut oil for the shortening and its great. If I use the refined coconut oil there isn’t a coconut flavor but if I use the unrefined there is a slight coconut flavor that I actually love. I really need to write this recipe down but I just come to your blog each year and get it ๐Ÿ™‚

    • 10) Dana

      What a fun idea to use Coconut Oil! I’ve got to try that!

      • 11) Jen

        We also make them using coconut oil. They are amazing!

  10. 12) Liz J

    I am finally writing this recipe down! It’s so yummy can’t wait to bake them again.

    • 13) Dana

      Haha. Yay! Now I want them too ๐Ÿ™‚

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