Soft Baked Ginger Cookies with Eggnog Glaze
Spicy ginger cookies baked up soft and drizzled with a sweet eggnog glaze.
This post is sponsored by Grandma’s Molasses.
The holidays are quickly approaching. I’m going to be a huge pain in the tookus and tell you how many days there are until Christmas–35! Can you believe it? Let’s not think about it. Instead, let’s power eat soft-baked ginger cookies until our brain is numb. Deal?
When Grandma’s asked me to create a cookie using their molasses, my brain went straight to ginger. I wanted to turn the crispy gingersnap into a melt-in-your-mouth cookie. No offense to the gingersnap, but I prefer not to crack a tooth while enjoying a cookie. We should not go around fearing a cookie. Am I right?
I made these cookies two ways. Yup, you get two choices. You can roll them around in glistening sugar crystals before baking, or you can drizzle them with a sweet and creamy eggnog glaze. I couldn’t choose, so I made them both ways. Don’t ask me which cookie I like better, because I don’t have an answer to that question. I’m not known to turn down any cookie, so both are winners in my book.
The sugar coated ginger cookie have a deliciously crunchy exterior. But… The eggnog drizzle is sinfully sweet and made with my favorite holiday beverage. There’s no choosing. Make both and a have one for each hand.
The cookie batter is full of warm holiday spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, and allspice. While the ginger is the star of the show, all of the spices contribute to the warmth of this spicy cookie.
The molasses adds moisture, depth of flavor, and a rich color to the cookies. I’ve been using Grandma’s brand molasses since I was a kid in the kitchen baking with my great grandmother. It’s dark amber color and earthy sweet flavors remind me of holiday baking.
I’m going to get a bit nerdy and tell you a bit about molasses and what exactly it is. If you’re already familiar with the history behind molasses, feel free to skip ahead.
Molasses is pure, concentrated sugarcane juice. The juice is extracted by mashing the harvested sugar cane. After the extraction process, the juice is boiled until it concentrates. The end result is a thick, sweet dark amber syrup that is great for baking.
The dough: Because the batter is so thick, I hightly recommend using a stand mixer to whip up the dough. If you don’t own a stand mixer, a wooden spoon and a little muscle will work just fine. After mixing up the dough, place it in the refrigerator to chill for a least 4 hours before baking (do not skip this step). I like to make my batter up the night before and allow it chill overnight. Chilling the dough aids in big, soft cookies.
Press the dough down ever so slightly with your fingers to gently flatten the ball of dough a bit.
Baking the cookies: Bake the cookies for no longer than 10-11 minutes total. These are soft baked cookies, so we want them to remain soft after the baking process. Any more than 11-12 minutes and your cookies won’t be soft and puffy. When the cookies are finished baking, allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. If you’re going to drizzle the cookies with glaze, wait until they are completely cool first. I don’t recommend glazing the sugar-coated cookies. I tried it, and the result is too sweet.
Whether you cover your ginger cookies in sugar or drizzle them with the eggnog glaze, these cookies are soft, chewy, and full of sharp ginger and warm spices.
Soft Baked Ginger Cookies
Ingredients:
Dry
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
Wet
- 1 stick unsalted butter, at room-temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses (such as Grandma’s)
- 1 egg, at room-temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Eggnog Glaze
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg
- 3 tablespoons eggnog
Directions:
Cookies:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar until pale in color and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the molasses and mix until combined. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- With your mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients. Mix until the dough just comes together (do not over mix). Transfer the dough to a bowl and cover. Place the dough in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or over night.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Place the dough balls 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. If you’re using sugar instead of glaze, roll the balls into the granulated sugar before placing them on the sheet. Bake for 10-11 minutes (no longer).
- Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Once the cookies are completely cool, drizzle with the eggnog glaze.
- Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar and nutmeg. Add the vanilla extract and eggnog; whisk until smooth.
- ***Only roll the ginger cookies in sugar if you’re not using the glaze; otherwise, the cookies will be too sweet.
Disclosure: I received compensation for recipe development from Grandma’s Molasses. All opinions are my own.