Back when I was baking gingerbread cookie decorations for our Christmas tree, somebody asked if I had a recipe for soft gingerbread cookies. I love to eat these gingerbread cookies, but they do get hard not long after being taken out of the oven. That’s why they make such great Christmas tree decorations and gift tags. They’re yummy, but they’re a hard yummy. If you want soft, don’t expect to cut them into shapes or hang them from a tree, but we don’t want to do that all year, do we? So here are some spectacular soft spicy ginger cookies, with raisins (optional–you can leave the raisins out if you must).
But, I must warn you right now–do not overbake them!!! (You’ll be sorry!! Heed me!!)
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How to make Soft Ginger-Raisin Cookies:
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup turbinado sugar
*Makes approximately three dozen cookies.
Preheat oven to 350-degrees. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the cup of sugar, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves.
Can anything so full of all these spices not be crazy-delicious???
Beat until well-combined. Add egg and molasses; beat again. Beat in as much of the flour as you can, then stir in remaining flour and the raisins with a heavy spoon. Shape dough into 1 1/2-inch balls. Roll in turbinado sugar. (Can substitute with regular sugar.)
What is turbinado sugar? Read here!
Place balls on a very lightly greased cookie sheet two inches apart.
Bake at 350-degrees for 10 minutes and no more! Do not overbake! Let stand a couple minutes before using a spatula to slide off the baking sheet onto a wire rack to cool.
You will think I’m nuts and that these cookies aren’t done, they are too soft. But they are just right. As long as you don’t overbake them, they will set up, soft and wonderful, and stay soft.
And oh, the spicy wonder……..!!!!
See this recipe at Farm Bell Recipes and save it to your recipe box.
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Suzanne says:
Those cookies look yummy… and perfect for the arctic chill we are having right now.
~Suzanne
http://www.sugarloafcottage.blogspot.com
On January 17, 2009 at 3:17 am
CindyP says:
I never got around to baking gingerbread cookies at Christmas time, this just might be a great Saturday WARM activity. And these look delicious! I did not find any of the natural sugars, so the plain ol’ white sugar it will be 🙁
On January 17, 2009 at 7:04 am
jane says:
The water has returned – LET THE BAKING BEGIN – These look picture perfect. I am going to the store soon and will get that sugar. How is the cookbook comin?
On January 17, 2009 at 7:32 am
Leah says:
I must say I agree with Jane,those cookies look picture perfect. When my son,Wes, was a toddler his favorite cookies were Ginger snaps and the spicy iced animal cookies!He actually to this day does’nt care about other desserts much! :wave:
On January 17, 2009 at 8:56 am
Nancy in Atlanta says:
Well, Suzanne’s got water again so I’ve got drool on my keyboard again. I can’t win! :sun:
On January 17, 2009 at 9:18 am
Gail says:
It’s freezing over here in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Ginger Raisin
cookies and hot coffee. You just made my day!
On January 17, 2009 at 9:36 am
Sheila says:
I found turbinado sugar at a Amish Market before Christmas in lots of colors. They also had spices at really good prices compared to groceries stores.
On January 17, 2009 at 12:45 pm
SuzieQ says:
Gonna try these this afternoon…sound delicious.. :snoopy:
On January 17, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Kay says:
We have a nice Amish community not far from here. I’ll have to check them out, thanks Sheila. I am kind of poor to buy a lot of expensive ingredients so the cheapness of the Amish sounds like a good idea (i bet its better than the store-bought kind, too).
Wow Suzanne, those just look great. I don’t bake a lot of sweets (my hubby (21) and i (20) don’t eat a lot of sweets). I think thought that i’ll try the cookies and coffee that everyone is raving about and try out those cookies. I think i’ll make two batches (one with raisins and one without). I think that i’ll bring a handful of them to our neighbor (he’s about 70 and his wife has passed about a few years ago, i like baking him little treats).
On January 17, 2009 at 1:11 pm
catslady says:
I may just have to break down and actually bake something – these sound wonderful.
On January 17, 2009 at 1:15 pm
Estella says:
The cookies sound and look delicious!
On January 17, 2009 at 2:15 pm
Pony Girl says:
Those look so good….I like the soft version, too! I’ll have to leave out the raisins though, not a fan, LOL!
I gave your fabulous blog a shout out and a little award over at my site! 😉 Have a happy weekend!
On January 17, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Susan says:
Oh do they look yummy! :hungry:
On January 17, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Lola-Dawn says:
:happyfeet: Mmm mm … let’s see … ginger, cinnamon, ground cloves, molasses … got everything right here. I’m gonna make some of these cookies RIGHT NOW! Thanks for the recipe! :heart:
On January 17, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Jenny says:
I made these tonight. Yummy! We got three dozen from the recipe and there probably are only about six left! Had to leave the raisins out because my family won’t eat baked raisins.
Thanks!
~Jenny~
On January 18, 2009 at 9:19 pm
Jenny says:
I baked them, and followed your instructions to the tee and they did come out perfectly soft, and stayed fresh for the whole 2 days they stayed in the house. Now I need to make more but I am out of Molasses ( I wonder if it would work to trade the white sugar and molasses for brown sugar?? ). Thanks for the yummy cookies – I find most years after baking all my favorite Christmas cookies the usual week cookies are just a bit blaaaaah.
On January 20, 2009 at 3:08 am
Susan Flemming says:
I baked these this morning. They flattened as they cooled those couple of minutes before being transferred to cooling racks and didn’t stay rounded like yours Suzanne, but I suspect that may be because my butter was really, really soft when I started. Or possibly because I left out the raisins. You couldn’t pay my family to eat raisins… lol. In any case, they came out great. The sugar coating gives them a nice bit of crunchiness on the outside (I used demerara sugar because that’s what I had) and then they’re soft on the inside.
Thanks for a new recipe to add to my keeper recipes.
On January 21, 2009 at 12:03 pm
G-Mama says:
I made the Soft Ginger Cookies today and they truly are yummy. I doubled the recipe so that I would have enough to share with the grandkids. I followed your advice and took them out of the oven after exactly 10 minutes of baking, and they are soft and chewy. I had never used turbinado sugar before; it really added to the delicious flavor. Thanks for passing on this treasure. I know this recipe will go into my “favorites” collection, and I will be making it again soon. I make a thin, crisp Swedish Ginger Cookie which is rolled in pearl sugar. That has been my husband’s favorite, but he may have another favorite.
On January 22, 2009 at 12:50 am
Summer says:
My 9yearold BEGGED me to make these for her. I am not a fan of ginger-anything or rasin-anything.
We baked and cooked and ….she says, they’re ‘okay’ and wandered away…
I ATE THE REST!!OMIGODDESS…THEY ARE WONDERFUL!! :shimmy:
Thankyou
Summer
On January 24, 2009 at 6:16 pm
Tracilouwho says:
Do you know if you could freeze this dough? I love this recipe but I’m trying to have some scoops of cookie dough in the freezer for surprise guests, or individual fresh servings and I was wondering if this dough would freeze.
Thanks!
On October 18, 2012 at 12:32 am
Suzanne McMinn says:
Yes, it freezes well.
On October 18, 2012 at 6:58 am
quiltflower says:
My grandmother always put a slice of bread in with home baked cookies to keep them soft…and it really works. Can’t wait to try this recipe.
~Nancy
On January 17, 2014 at 8:37 am