Description
Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies bring warm holiday spice to your table. Learn how to bake these sweet, festive treats with Nina’s kitchen tips.
Ingredients
Scale
- Cookie Base:
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
- ½ cup (110g) packed light brown sugar
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- ¼ cup (60ml) unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Flavorful Spices:
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Crinkle Coating:
- ½ cup (60g) powdered sugar (confectioners’ sugar) for rolling
- Optional Add-ins:
- 1 teaspoon orange zest (for a bright note)
- Pinch of black pepper (for a subtle kick)
Instructions
- Cream the Butter & Sugars:: Grab your softened butter and both sugars, then beat them together in a big bowl until they’re light and fluffy. I usually aim for about 2-3 minutes with my hand mixer. This step is crucial for that tender cookie texture, so don’t rush it! I remember one time I didn’t cream it enough, and my Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies felt a bit dense, like little hockey pucks. You want it pale and airy, like a cloud, almost.
- Mix in the Wet Ingredients:: Next up, beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until everything is well combined. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, because molasses loves to cling! I always make sure my egg is at room temperature here; it just mixes in so much smoother. It’s wild how much difference a little temperature makes, honestly.
- Combine Dry Ingredients:: In a separate bowl, whisk together your flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Give it a good whisk to make sure all those lovely spices are evenly distributed. I usually do this while the wet ingredients are mixing, trying to be efficient, but sometimes I forget the salt! Oops, not this time for these Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies.
- Combine Wet and Dry:: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed until just combined. Be careful not to overmix! Overmixing can lead to tough cookies, and we’re going for soft and chewy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies here. As soon as you don’t see any streaks of flour, stop the mixer. It’s okay if there are a few tiny lumps; it’ll be fine.
- Chill the Dough:: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill it in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or even overnight. This step is non-negotiable for Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies! It helps the flavors meld and makes the dough much easier to handle. I’ve tried to skip this before, thinking I could just power through, but the dough was too sticky and the cookies spread like crazy. Learn from my mistakes, friend!
- Roll and Bake Your Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies:: Once chilled, preheat your oven and get your powdered sugar ready. Roll spoonfuls of dough into balls, then generously roll them in powdered sugar until completely coated. Place them on a baking sheet and bake until the edges are set and the centers are still soft. They’ll puff up and then crinkle beautifully as they cool. The smell of these Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies baking? It’s pure magic, I tell ya!