Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies

A bite taken out of a cookie laying on top of a pile of cookies on a red serving platter.

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies are a mix between classic crinkle cookies & a warm, soft-baked gingerbread cookie. A homemade gingerbread cookie is the base and then it gets covered in powdered sugar for a sweet and chewy exterior.

Course Christmas, Cookies

Cuisine American

Keyword crinkle cookies, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread crinkle cookies

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 12

Freezer Time 15

Total Time 37

Servings

Calories 148kcal

Author Jessica - Together as Family

Equipment

Ingredients

2½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons molasses
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Prepare 2 cookie sheets by lining with parchment paper, silpat liner, or spray with cooking spray.
* I highly recommend using the pre-cut cookie sheet parchment paper sheets. Already pre-cut, perfect size, and it helps the cookies bake evenly.
* There is a 15 minute freezer time for the cookie dough before baking. Depending on how quickly your oven heats up, you can wait to preheat the oven until the cookies are in the freezer.
In a small mixing bowl add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir with a whisk to break up any clumps.
In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer, or you can use a stand mixer, cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until fluffy and light in color.
* It takes about 1-2 minutes to do correctly.
Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add the molasses and mix until combined.
Dump the dry ingredients into the larger mixing bowl (with the wet ingredients) and beat on low speed just until combined and no flour pockets remain, and the dough looks like soft crumbles.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a lid and place it in the freezer for 15 minutes.
* No longer than 15 minutes!
Place the powdered sugar into a large bowl or pie plate. Just something that you can easily roll the dough balls in to get them completely covered.
Use a medium cookie scoop, or 1.5 tablespoons of dough, to scoop out a dough ball and then roll it tightly into a ball with your hands.
Roll the dough ball in the powdered sugar until completely covered.
Place 12 cookies per cookie sheet.
Bake for 12-15 minute or until the cookies look puffy, have spread slightly, and have 'crinkles' on top.
Let the cookies cool on the warm cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes and then remove them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Butter : I use salted butter but if you prefer unsalted butter then that can be used just as well. Make sure the butter is well softened so it creams in smoothly with the sugars. If it's too cold, you will end up with chunks of butter that are very hard to cream.

Recipe Tips -

Freezer Time : I normally stay away from cookie recipes that call for freezer or fridge time, cause who wants to wait that long for a cookie?! But it is necessary in this recipe and I recommend not skipping it! The time in the freezer helps make the dough easier to work with and it prevents the cookies from spreading totally flat while baking in the oven. It's important to not leave the dough in the freezer for longer than 20 minutes. Otherwise, the cookie dough will get too hard and firm (making it impossible to roll) and the cookies will end up not spreading at all while baking. We do want them to spread a little bit!
Baking Time : Crinkle cookies traditional have a soft-baked inside with a crunchier, chewier exterior covered in those powdered sugar 'crinkles'. I prefer a softer crinkle cookies so I bake them at the minimum bake time. If you want a crunchier. snappier gingerbread cookie then bake them a few additional minutes.

Storage Instructions -

Counter/Room Temperature : Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days.
Fridge : Store the cookies in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. Bring the cookies to room temperature before serving. As the cookies soften to room temp, the powdered sugar does tend to get a little melty from the moisture in the fridge. I would recommend not storing them in the fridge if you're planning on serving them to guests, family, or friends. The fridge is a great place for leftovers that you want to keep past the 7 day mark.
Freezer : Store the cookies in an airtight, freezer-safe container or Ziploc bag for up to 2 months. Thaw the cookies before serving and eating. Again, the powdered sugar will look a little melty and different as the cookies thaw. This could easily be fixed by sprinkling on some additional powdered sugar to cover up the thawed powdered sugar look.

Serving Suggestions -

These cookies are best served at room temperature. They're the perfect soft consistency when eaten at room temperate.
The cookies also do really well on day 2 and beyond because the flavors really have time to come together, soften slightly, and it's just really good.

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