Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (2024)

Jump to Recipe

If you’re looking for a quick, tasty holiday treat that won’t take much time to prepare, then easy crinkle cookies are the perfect sweet treat for you! These delicious gingerbread-flavored cookies have a light and fluffy interior with just the right amount of crunchy exterior.

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (1)

Not only do they require fewer ingredients than typical cookie recipes, but these crinkle cookies also look festive and cute, making them the ideal addition to any Christmas get-together or dessert table. Baking these gingerbread crinkle cookies will make your home smell divine while creating a delicious treat that everyone is sure to love!

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies Ingredients

Making gingerbread crinkle cookies is an enjoyable activity to do with the kids or by yourself. It is fun to mix the ingredients together and see the batter transform into yummy gingerbread-flavored treats.

To get started, you’ll need some basic pantry staples: all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground nutmeg, ground ginger, and cinnamon.

All of these flavorful ingredients come together for a gingerbread cookie with a delightfully spicy flavor.

You will also need some soft butter, molasses, brown sugar, and an egg for binding it all together when mixed with the dry ingredients. And after rolling the dough into balls and coating them in powdered sugar, your gingerbread crinkle cookies are ready to be baked!

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (2)

How To Make Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies?

To make gingerbread crinkle cookies, start by creaming together butter and sugar in a large bowl.

Next add molasses and one egg to the mixture before sifting together all of your dry ingredients -flour, baking soda, and allspice – directly into the wet ingredients. Give it all a good stir or beat with an electric mixer until everything is well combined.

Lastly, roll spoonfuls of the dough mixture into balls and roll them in some additional icing sugar before putting them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and baking in the oven for about ten minutes until their edges are crispy but still soft in the center.

What Makes Gingerbread Cookies Crack?

When it comes to crinkle gingerbread cookies, have you ever paused to consider why they get those crinkled cracks on the surface? It’s all thanks to the butter in the dough melting as it bakes.

When the heat of the oven melts that butter, it creates steam which causes the crackle-crinkle effect you find on top of the gingerbread cookies once they’re done baking.

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (3)

Baking tips for the Best Crinkle Cookies:

If you are looking for the most scrumptious gingerbread crinkle cookies, here are some tips for you.

  • The key to getting the perfect crinkle cookie is all in the dough. Be sure not to overwork the dough and keep your cookie shapes as even as possible by making them all the same size. Before rolling out your gingerbread mix, make sure it is chilled for about 30 minutes. This will make it much easier to work with—so no more sticky messes!
  • Once you have rolled the dough into balls, be sure to coat them generously with powdered sugar. The sugar will help to create the crinkled effect once the cookies are baked.
  • When baking the cookies, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. This will prevent them from sticking to the baking sheet and will also make cleanup a breeze.
  • Finally, be sure to let the cookies cool completely before serving. This will ensure that they are nice and crisp.

Leftover cookie storage:

For gingerbread crinkle cookie lovers, leftover cookies don’t have to go to waste. With a few simple steps and the right storage methods, your gingerbread crinkle cookies will stay soft and delicious long after you’ve made them.

To do this, make sure you store your cookies in airtight containers or resealable bags; the less exposure to air they have, the better.

They last about 5 days at room temperature if stored properly. You can also refrigerate them for up to two weeks, or freeze them for up to two months.

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (4)

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 2 hours

Baking time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ cup molasses
  • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Powdered sugar for rolling

Instructions

  1. Cream together the butter and sugar using a hand mixer until they have a smooth airy texture - it should take around 3 minutes of beating at medium speed.

    Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (5)

  2. Add the molasses and the egg to the mixture and combine until fully incorporated.

    Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (6)

  3. Mix in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and spices, until there is no flour visible in the dough.

    Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (7)

  4. Let the dough chill out in the fridge for two hours, covered tightly with plastic wrap.
  5. Preheat the oven to 375 F and divide the dough into 18-20 spoonfuls. Shape them into perfect balls.

    Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (8)

  6. Roll each cookie in powdered sugar until they're fully covered. Place the sweet spheres 3 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet and you'll be ready to bake!
  7. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes to create a golden outer shell with an ever-so-slightly gooey center.
  8. Allow your cookies to rest and settle on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then move them to a rack so they can cool down completely.

    Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (9)

Nutrition Information:

Amount Per Serving:Calories: 101Total Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 140mgCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2g

Did you make this recipe?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest

Easy Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies - Top Recipes (2024)

FAQs

Why don t my ginger cookies crackle on the top? ›

Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? ›

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? If the dough is too wet, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. In order for a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. If your cookies are not crinkling then there is too much free water in the dough.

Why do crinkles not crack? ›

The most common reason for cookies that don't crack is either that the oven was not hot enough or the baking powder was expired. Be sure to allow plenty of time for your oven to heat, and use a fresh container of baking powder!

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? Soft gingerbread biscuits are ideal. They ought to be flexible. However, they should still be somewhat elastic, and if you hold them too firmly because you're so excited to eat them, you might even be able to leave your fingerprints on the cookie!

How to get powdered sugar to stay on crinkle cookies? ›

The Secret to a Good Sugar Top

The tip that sent me into the kitchen was to give the chilled dough a double coating of sugar. First roll the cookies in granulated sugar and then roll them in powdered (confectioners') sugar.

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›

How To Make Cookies Chewy Without Cornstarch
  1. Go heavy on brown sugar. It has more moisture than its granulated counterpart, which means the cookie comes out less crispy. ...
  2. Choose margarine or shortening instead of butter. ...
  3. Use baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Rest your dough. ...
  5. Shorten baking time.
May 14, 2023

What makes a cookie crack on top? ›

Coating the cookies with either type of sugar draws out moisture from their surface, promoting cracks by drying out their tops before the interiors set. But granulated sugar does so more efficiently because of its coarse, crystalline structure. As the crystals absorb moisture, some—but not all—dissolve into a syrup.

Why are my crinkle cookies hard? ›

Most cookies are soft and flexible, so the dough evenly expands as the cookies bake. In crinkle cookies, however, the powdered sugar dries out in the oven, creating a hard outer shell that is not flexible.

Why didn't my molasses cookies crackle? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

Should gingerbread dough be chilled before baking? ›

Mistake #2: Not resting your dough

After the gingerbread is cut out, Lomas recommends putting it into the fridge for at least 30 minutes and up to three days. Chilling the dough before it goes into a hot oven gives the butter a chance to firm up and reduces how much it spreads when baking.

What are the three types of gingerbread? ›

The three distinct types of gingerbread are brown gingerbread, wafer-based gingerbread and honey gingerbread.
  • BROWN GINGERBREAD.
  • WAFER GINGERBREAD.
  • HONEY GINGERBREAD.

What happens if you don't chill gingerbread dough? ›

2. Forgetting to chill the dough. It's tempting to want to roll out the dough as soon as it comes together, but let it have a little time to rest. Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking.

Why didn't my ginger molasses cookies crack? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

What causes crack on ginger cookies? ›

Here are a few recipe factors that may make your gingerbread cookies crack: The recipe you used did not call for enough butter, or any at all. You forgot to put an egg in the gingerbread cookie recipe. The recipe excluded molasses.

Why did my ginger cake crack on top? ›

Why do cakes crack when baking? A: Oven too hot or cake placed too high in oven; the crust is formed too soon, the cake continues to rise, therefore the crust cracks.

Why is my gingerbread crunchy? ›

Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner

Last Updated:

Views: 6351

Rating: 4.2 / 5 (73 voted)

Reviews: 80% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner

Birthday: 1994-06-25

Address: Suite 153 582 Lubowitz Walks, Port Alfredoborough, IN 72879-2838

Phone: +128413562823324

Job: IT Strategist

Hobby: Video gaming, Basketball, Web surfing, Book restoration, Jogging, Shooting, Fishing

Introduction: My name is Rev. Porsche Oberbrunner, I am a zany, graceful, talented, witty, determined, shiny, enchanting person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.