Chewy Spicy Ginger Cookies
These chewy extra spicy ginger cookies are made with fresh ginger, ground ginger and a dash of cayenne pepper. Chewy, bold, and spicier than any classic cookie you’ve tried, these fresh ginger cookies are perfect for holiday trays or everyday treats.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, grated
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1/4 cup dark molasses
- 2 teaspoons corn syrup (optional)
- 2½ cups + 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
Extra Sugar
- 1/2 cup sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preheat & Prep: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream Wet Ingredients: Cream butter, fresh ginger and sugars for 2–3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add egg, molasses and corn syrup to the butter/sugar. Mix well util incorporated.
- Add Dry Ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cayenne, and cinnamon. Gradually add to wet mixture until dough comes together.
- Scoop & Roll: Roll dough into balls the size of golf balls (even slightly larger), add extra sugar to a small bowl, then roll cookie ball in sugar to coat.
- Bake: Move sugared cookie ball to baking tray. Allow 2 inches of space between cookies. Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are set but centers are still soft (10 minutes is the perfect time in my oven.. you want them a bit undercooked).
- Let Sit: Remove from oven and let cookies stay on cooking sheet for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.... do what I do, have two baking pans prepared so when you take one out, you put the 2nd on in the oven. When that one comes out of the oven, you know it's time to move the first batch of cookies to the cooling rack. Repeat until all of your cookies are baked
Notes
Tips for the Best Spicy Ginger Cookies
- Don’t Overbake – Pull them when they still look slightly underdone; they’ll finish on the baking sheet.
- Grate Fresh Ginger Finely – You want zing, not stringy chunks. A microplane grater (super inexpensive on Amazon) is what i have found to give the best results.
- My Secret Weapon - A touch of corn syrup keeps them chewy, even on Day 4.
- Dial Down the Aggression – Skip the fresh ginger (or the cayenne) if you want a gentler cookie. If you do omit the fresh ginger, use only 2 1/2 cups of flour instead of 2 1/2 cups + 2 tablespoons.
- Let Them Rest: Fresh out of the oven, these cookies taste cozy and sweet.. but let them sit overnight, and that ginger + cayenne kick really wakes up. By Day 2, they’re full-on aggressive and sassy, just like they were meant to be!