These soft ginger cookies without molasses are bursting with cozy, warm spices, making them perfect for the holidays. Thanks to the addition of a secret ingredient and the perfect amount of brown sugar, these cookies stay irresistibly chewy and soft-no molasses needed! Jam-packed with a rich ginger flavor and requiring no chill time, these cookies come together in 45 minutes or less!
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Are you looking for simpler and easier Christmas treat recipes? We've got you covered! Try these easy chocolate truffles or this heavenly peppermint candy cane bark for a quick and easy Christmas treat. Or this classic recipe for my grandma's butter tarts is insanely delicious and perfect when paired with a glass of hot buttered rum!
Ginger Cookies Without Molasses
Most soft ginger cookie recipes have molasses as an ingredient and it helps to make the cookies chewy and soft but the molasses flavor just isn't for everyone, I get it. So we found a way to make these soft and chewy ginger cookies without molasses!
These ginger cookies are made without molasses and are still every bit chewy and delicious, thanks to the addition of brown sugar and using two kinds of butter.
Our secret is that we combine real butter with margarine, and that is what gives these ginger cookies an irresistibly soft texture. We use the same secret in our soft and chewy chocolate chip cookies, and it just makes the cookies so, so delicious.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This cookie recipe requires no chill time in the fridge before baking! Making it a quick and easy recipe, and perfect to make with kids.
- These ginger cookies are a great treat for the holidays and are perfect for Christmas cookie exchange boxes.
- This recipe uses ingredients that are simple and readily stocked in most kitchens.
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Soft Ginger Cookie Ingredients
- All-Purpose Flour - All-purpose flour may be substituted for a 1 to 1 gluten-free flour blend.
- Ginger - You may choose to substitute powdered ginger for fresh minced ginger. Although these cookies are plenty gingery using powdered ginger, fresh ginger will give them an even more elevated flavor. Substitute for 1-2 teaspoons of fresh ginger. Keep in mind that using fresh ginger will add a little bit more liquid to the recipe, and the cookies could spread out a little more than usual.
- Butter & Margarine - It is highly recommended to combine butter and margarine in this recipe. The butter gives the cookies an irresistibly smooth flavor while the margarine helps keep the cookies extra soft and chewy. We use the same secret combination in our chocolate chip cookie recipe. Although, if you prefer, the margarine can be omitted and replaced by real butter.
A full list of ingredients with exact quantities can be found on the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
- All Real Butter - I do recommend making these cookies with a combination of margarine and real butter, but you may omit the margarine and use all real butter if you prefer.
- Add a Simple Vanilla Icing - Make these frosted ginger cookies by adding a quick icing made with powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla. Whisk together 1 cup of powdered sugar with 2 teaspoons of milk and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. Drizzle or dip the ginger cookies into the vanilla icing. The icing will be thick, just like in this lemon poppy seed cookie recipe, and will harden as it sets.
- Kid-friendly - This is the perfect recipe to make with kids as it is quick, uses minimal utensils and there is no chill time for the cookies before baking, perfect for those short attention spans! A couple of other quick and easy Christmas recipes to make with kids is this peppermint candy cane bark and these graham cracker toffee bars are also great to make with small hands.
Special Diet Alternatives
- Gluten-Free - To make these ginger cookies gluten-free, substitute the flour for a 1-to-1 gluten-free baking blend. Ensure all other products used are made in a gluten-free facility, especially the baking soda (some brands are gluten-free, some are not).
- Vegan - To make these vegan ginger cookies, substitute the butter and margarine for a plant-based alternative. Substitute the egg with a flax egg, made by combining 1 Tablespoon of ground flax seed with 2 ½ Tablespoons of water. Ensure the brand of sugars that you use are certified vegan, some brands are not vegan friendly, while others are.
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How to Make Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies
The Dry Ingredients
In a small mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients and set aside.
Making the Cookie Dough
I like to use a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment for this step, but you can also use a handheld mixer or a good old-fashioned whisk and a wooden spoon. Whisk together the butter and both sugars on high speed until light and fluffy (like in the picture), this will take around 2 minutes with an electric mixer.
Add the egg and mix to just combine.
Lastly, add the dry ingredients and mix until no dry bits remain. Be careful to not overmix the cookie dough!
Scoop the Cookies
Using a cookie scoop or a regular spoon, scoop cookies to be around 1 Tablespoon each, or the size of a golf ball. Roll the cookies with your hands and place on a cookie sheet, leaving around 2" of space between each dough ball.
Bake and Cool
Bake the cookies until the bottoms are golden brown, this will take around 12 minutes.
As soon as the cookies are finished baking, remove them from the cookie sheet and place them on a cooling rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips For Making Soft Ginger Cookies
- No need for fancy gadgets. I use a stand mixer to make this recipe, but a hand mixer may be used, or even just some elbow grease and a good old-fashioned whisk and wooden spoon.
- Be wary of overmixing the dough, this goes for any cookie recipe. When adding the dry ingredients, do it quickly and stir the batter just until there are no dry bits remaining.
- Unbaked dough balls can be frozen and are perfect to have on hand for a quick sweet treat. Freeze the unbaked dough balls on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Once completely frozen, transfer the dough balls to a zip-top bag or an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the dough balls thaw on a baking sheet and increase the baking time by a couple of minutes if the dough balls are still cold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ginger cookies and ginger snaps taste very similar. Ginger cookies are softer, thicker and chewier, whereas gingersnaps are crisper and crunchier and live up to the "snap" in their name. If you want a good recipe for gingersnaps, try this recipe.
Yes, you can. Fresh ginger will give the cookies an even more gingery taste. Try substituting the powdered ginger for 1-2 teaspoons of fresh ginger.
The combination of margarine and butter in a cookie recipe produces the chewiest and softest cookies imaginable! We use the same trick in our chocolate chip cookie recipe, and it is so, so delicious.
Store leftover cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Baked ginger cookies and unbaked dough balls can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To bake unbaked dough balls, let the dough thaw at room temperature for a few hours and bake as normal. You might have to increase the baking time by a couple of minutes if the dough is cold going into the oven.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
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Soft Ginger Cookies without Molasses
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Print Recipe Pin RecipeIngredients
- 1 ½ cups All Purpose Flour
- ½ teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ cup Brown Sugar firmly packed
- ¼ cup Butter softened
- ¼ cup Margarine
- 1 large Egg
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg and salt. Stir to combine and set aside.
- Add the granulated sugar, brown sugar, butter, and margarine to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes until creamy. Add the egg and mix for about 30 seconds. Add in the dry ingredients and mix on a medium-slow speed, until just combined, be careful to not overmix the dough.
- Using a cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out cookies that are about the size of a golf ball, or around 1 tablespoon each. Roll them into spheres and place on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2" between each cookie. Bake for 11-13 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown.
- Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet and transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
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Notes
- Avoid overmixing the dough. Only mix the dry ingredients until no dry bits remain in the batter.
- To use fresh ginger instead of powdered ginger, substitute powdered ginger for 1-2 teaspoons of fresh minced ginger. Fresh ginger could cause the cookies to spread a little thinner as it will add some additional liquid to the recipe.
- Regular flour can be substituted for a gluten-free 1-to-1 blend, making these cookies gluten-free.
- To make these cookies vegan, substitute the butter and margarine for a plant-based alternative. Substitute the egg for a flax egg, made by combining 1 tablespoon ground flax seed with 2 ½ tablespoon water.
- Margarine can be substituted for all real butter but using margarine will ensure that these cookies are ultra-chewy and soft.
- Add a simple vanilla icing to the tops of these ginger cookies to make them extra special. Combine 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons milk, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Stir to combine and drizzle overtop of the cookies.
- Ginger cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Baked cookies and unbaked dough balls can be frozen for up to 3 months. To bake dough balls, let thaw at room temperature for a few hours, increase the baking time by a couple of minutes and bake as normal.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator and it will vary based on the ingredients that you use.
April says
These cookies are so delicious!!
Jessica says
Thank you!