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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.
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!
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.
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.
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
- 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.
- Add the molasses and the egg to the mixture and combine until fully incorporated.
- Mix in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, and spices, until there is no flour visible in the dough.
- Let the dough chill out in the fridge for two hours, covered tightly with plastic wrap.
- Preheat the oven to 375 F and divide the dough into 18-20 spoonfuls. Shape them into perfect balls.
- 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!
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes to create a golden outer shell with an ever-so-slightly gooey center.
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 101Total Fat: 4gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 140mgCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 2g
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FAQs
If your crinkle cookies are flat, then it could also be that the leavening is off. Make sure to use only baking powder. Baking soda will cause these cookies to spread, while baking powder will help them puff upwards for a nice crackle.
What makes gingerbread cookies crack on top? ›
Why did my gingerbread cookies crack? Cracks usually occur when the flour has been over-scooped (resulting in a drier dough) or the dough was rolled too thickly. If the dough is too soft, you can get cracking. If you roll too thickly, you can get cracking.
Should gingerbread cookies be soft or crunchy? ›
First, the texture of the cookie needs to be fairly crispy along the outside with a semi-soft, cake-like inside, and like all "perfect" cut-out cookies, they definitely need to keep their shape when baked. Secondly, they must taste sweet but notably spicy, and have a rich molasses flavour.
Why didn't my crinkle cookies crack? ›
Why didn't my chocolate crinkle cookies 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! Why are my chocolate crinkle cookies flat?
Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top? ›
The oven isn't hot enough. (it needs to set the top before the middle's fully risen) 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)
How to get crinkle top on cookies? ›
They recommend rolling in granulated sugar and then powdered sugar for maximum crackle. The Sally's Baking Addiction website tips its hat to Cook's Illustrated as well. For her chocolate crinkle cookies, Sally suggests rolling in granulated sugar first, then to “go heavy” on the confectioner's sugar.
What happens if you put too much butter in gingerbread cookies? ›
Too much butter made for sticky dough, but delicious cookies. I had to use a spatula to lift these people-shaped cutouts from my flour-dusted countertop and onto a baking sheet. The dough was sticky, which resulted in slightly swollen cookies, but the finished product was nearly perfect.
What makes a cookie crackle on top? ›
The means that as the cookie expands, it starts to crack the dry surface. For this to happen, you need to dry the surface of the cookie by coating them in sugar, use sufficient leavening for the cookie to rise, and bake in a hot oven.
How do you keep cookies from cracking on top? ›
Layering will keep your cookies fresh and safe from cracking. To do this, cut a sheet of parchment paper to the size of your cookie container and place a piece of parchment between each layer until your container is full.
Can you use golden syrup instead of molasses? ›
Golden syrup, also known as "light treacle," is made from the evaporation of sugarcane, which creates a light, golden syrup very reminiscent of honey. Lyle's is a popular brand of golden syrup. Try using 1 cup golden syrup for every 1 cup molasses in a recipe.
So how do you know that they're done? Here's how to tell if gingerbread cookies are done: They'll be firmly set. They'll be a lovely medium-brown color.
What's the difference between gingerbread cookies and ginger cookies? ›
Introduced in colonial times, the main differences between Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps are a longer bake time for an extra crisp and the use of molasses versus sugar. Molasses was used as substitute for sugar as it was the more affordable alternative to sweetening.
Why do my crinkle cookies not crinkle? ›
Why did my crinkle cookies not crinkle? If your oven isn't hot enough, the cookies will spread before rising, and you won't get nice cracks. This can also happen if your baking powder is old or expired. To test baking powder, just add a bit of water. If it doesn't immediately start to bubble, it needs to be replaced.
How to keep crinkles moist? ›
Store these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for at least a week before starting to become crumbly and dry. For freezing tips, scroll up to the article.
Why are my crinkle cookies spreading? ›
Why did my cookies spread so much? One of the most common causes of cookie spread is that the fat is too warm. Make sure to chill your dough thoroughly if the recipe calls for it. If you're forming dough balls and the dough is too sticky to work with, this is a sign that your dough may be too warm.
Why are my cookies never crunchy? ›
Q: Why are my cookies not crisp enough? They are underbaked. Lower your oven temperature and bake longer but at a lower temperature. Using too much flour or the wrong kind of flour.
How do you make royal icing crinkle texture? ›
Faceted Concrete Texture
- Outline and flood your cookie.
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to the size of your cookie. Then, crinkle it all up and open it back up.
- Place the parchment over the flood and gently tap down all around, making sure the icing is fully touching the parchment.
- Set aside to dry overnight.
Soft-baked cookies are often made using a solid fat with a higher melting point, which prevents the cookie from spreading while baking. The result is a thicker, softer, chewier cookie. Another simple trick for softer cookies is to use chilled dough.
What makes cookies wrinkled? ›
Most cookies have top crusts that remain relatively soft and flexible as the cookies set during baking. However, if the top surface dries out before the cookie is finished spreading and rising, it hardens, cracks, and pulls apart, producing an attractive crinkly, cracked exterior.
