Homemade Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies
Melt in your mouth texture and the subtle spice of delicious ginger and molasses makes these cookies a definite holiday treat.
Coconut Oil vs. Butter in Cookies
There has been a debate for years about which oils are the best, which provide the most health benefits, which will save your heart and arteries. When it comes to baking, certain types of fat just make a better product. So the great debate in the food world – what type of fat should you use?? If basing your decision purely on taste and texture preferences, here are some differences of using coconut.
- Coconut oil is 100% fat vs butter that has about 16% water. If there is less moisture, then you get a crispier cookie.
- Coconut oil has a distinct coconut flavor – it isn’t super strong especially considering the other ingredients in your baked good, but you may taste a hint of coconut.
- You should use room temperature ingredients because coconut oil will ‘seize’ up if you use other cool ingredients.
Christmas Traditions in the Kitchen
Are there foods that you make every year? Those recipes that were passed down from your Grandma and you make them with your kids now. If you don’t have many of those types of recipes, this one is a great place to start! The smell of ginger and other delicious spices baking in your kitchen will make your home smell like Christmas and is something your kids will look forward to every year! This recipe is fun for your kids, because they can help roll the balls of dough and roll them in sparkly sugar.
Whole Wheat vs White Flour in Cookies
Whole wheat definitely has white flour beat in the nutrition department. But what does it do to your baked goods? Whole-wheat flour makes your baked goods denser and a lot heavier than those made with just all-purpose flour. You can start by substituting some whole-wheat flour for all-purpose flour, but no more than 25 percent of the total amount unless you’re willing to really sacrifice the texture of your baked goods. Unlike white flour, whole-wheat flour contains wheat bran. The bran cuts through the gluten and detracts from the airy texture of the cake or the flaky texture of the pastry.
A few tips when using wheat flour in your baked goods:
- You can replace white flour with whole-wheat flour cup for cup. For every cup you exchange, add five teaspoons of water.
- If you are making bread with 100 percent whole-wheat flour, add two teaspoons of vital wheat gluten per cup to create a stronger structure and higher rise. For each teaspoon of wheat gluten you use, add another one and a quarter teaspoons of water.
- If using 100 percent whole-wheat flour, allow the dough to rise in volume by just one and a half times, as opposed to the typical two times.
- Bread is a great baked good to replace white flour with wheat.
The Perfect Christmas Cookie
These cookies are amazingly soft, chewy and have the perfect amount of ginger for a totally delicious bite every time. Making a few healthier swaps to this recipe are a great way to bump up the nutrition, but still have a sweet treat! We hope you enjoy these cookies with your family this holiday season!
Soft and Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 cup flour, whole wheat
- 1 cup flour, all-purpose
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ginger root, fresh
- 2 tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer or large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg, molasses, and fresh ginger and mix until well combined.
- In another bowl, add the flours, baking soda, cloves, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine. Add to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Make sure you don't overmix.
- Make small dough balls about the size of a golf ball and roll in the sugar. Place each ball onto the baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes and let cool on a cooling rack before serving. Enjoy!
Nutrition
www.superhealthykids.com
Natalie Monson
I'm a registered dietitian, mom of 4, avid lover of food and strong promoter of healthy habits. Here you will find lots of delicious recipes full of fruits and veggies, tips for getting your kids to eat better and become intuitive eaters and lots of resources for feeding your family.
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Have you ever read the 101Cookbooks blog? Her triple ginger cookies are amazing!
No, but a quick google search got me right there! Those do look delicious, and I’ve always wanted to try crystallized ginger, but never have!
These look beautiful! My daughter’s favorite but now need a gluten-free version 🙁
You should try some and let me know how they turn out!
Here’s one http://glutenfreegirl.com/a-return-to-baking/
Better yet… start another blog… “Mother to a Gluten Free teen!” LOL
The peer-reviewed research for coconut oil is abundant and has been around for years: http://coconutoil.com/
Thanks Brian! Great reference.
These are yummy. I’ve made a similar recipe with the addition of chocolate chips. My pickiest eater says they are his favorite cookies. I think I’ll make these for his birthday next week.
Do you know how many calories these are? Like per 100 g or serving?
Hi Rebekah! I don’t have the calories, but if you wanted to analyze the recipe, you can do it on nutritiondata.com!
Thanks
Amy
Are these crunchy or soft and chewy?
Soft and chewy!
Oh my gosh. I just made a batch of these, and I’m sitting here eating them fresh out of the oven. Absolutely fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe!
Cloves like totally didn’t do it for us but sprinkling powdered sugar so topped it off for perfectionnn!!!! #yumyumyum
Could these be used to make cutout cookies like gingerbread?
I think it would work if you added a little extra flour to make them easier to handle. Let me know if you try it!
Hey Amy I wanted to know if I could substitute molasses with honey? since it’s not easily available in the place where I stay
It will change the flavor a bit, and not really taste like a ginger cookie.
Just made these and rolled them in turbinado sugar. Holy smacked they are amazing! Awesome recipe, thanks for sharing!
Can I use almond flour instead?
Hi Christelle, I’m not sure if almond flour would work as a 1:1 substitution because I haven’t tried it myself. I think you might end up with a cookie with a very different texture than the original. But if you feel like experimenting, I say go for it!
Coconut Oil vs Butter…So which provides the most health benefits, and which will save your heart and arteries?
Hi Kim, both butter and coconut oil are saturated fats and probably have comparable health effects in the long term. We believe in balance, so we use both, and also plenty of extra virgin olive oil and fatty nuts and seeds. Here’s an article we wrote to help unravel the confusion about coconut oil and health. I hope it helps! https://www.superhealthykids.com/parenting/why-we-don-rsquo-t-buy-coconut-oil/
I love these cookies and make them often for my family, thank you! This year I’m making some to pass out for christmas. Do you know how long they store well for and if I should store in fridge vs leaving them out? When I’ve made them in the past they never last long enough for me to find out!
Hi Brittney, I would store these in the fridge for maximum freshness beyond the first day or two!
These were amazing! Not overbearing and very soft!
I’m glad you enjoyed them Angela!
Hi there! I’m about to make them but I wanted to know if I can sub fresh ginger for ground? How much would I need ?
Thanks!
Yes! You can absolutely substitute fresh ginger. Rule of thumb is 3x as much fresh as ground. So, for the 2 teaspoons in this recipe, you would want to substitute 2 tablespoons. Let us know how they turn out for you!
I ended up having to add extra whole wheat because the cookies came out super oily ! Other than that they tasted great!
Very oily and can’t taste any spice, and I even cut the oil and added extra spice. Very sad…