Easy Ginger Snaps (Ginger Nuts)
A crispy cookie that make a ‘snap’ when you take a bite. These Ginger Snaps (Ginger Nuts) have the perfect amount of spice to allow the ginger flavor to shine.
Everyone loves a good chewy molasses cookie, but if you’re a crunchy cookie lover, these are the ones for you.
Because they are crunchy, they hold up very well to dunking in a hot cup of tea or coffee, which is my favorite thing to do and I will bet yours.
I grew up on these cookies (what we call biscuits in England). They are manufactured by McVities who call them Ginger Nuts.
I chose to go light on the spices because anything like cinnamon and cloves and the flavor balance works better. I do, however, use nutmeg to complement.
What makes these cookies/biscuits crispy? Granulated sugar (versus using all light brown sugar which makes them chewy) in the dough. Also allowing the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet rather than removing them to a cooling rack also helps as it continues the cooking.
Fresh vs Ground Ginger
I like to use a combination of both. The fresh packs a lot more flavor than the ground, but you need some of the ground because to use all fresh would be too much.
If you like a chewy cookie, and I do sometimes, I also have a recipe for Lemon Ginger Cream Sandwich Cookies lemon ginger cream cookies, which have a delicious and creamy lemony cream cheese filling.
Baking pan tip: The color of the baking pan/cookie sheet you use will affect the baking time. A pan that is darker in color will bake the cookies quicker than a silver or a light grey pan.
More Cookie Recipes:
If you’ve made this or any other recipe, leave a comment below. I love to hear from my readers.
Ginger Snaps (Ginger Nuts)
Crunchy and full of ginger flavor with a little nutmeg.
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (292 grams) grams all-purpose/plain flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (108 grams) granulated sugar + ½ cup 108 grams) for rolling the dough
- ½ cup (80 grams) light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup (113 grams) molasses
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated or 1 teaspoon ground ginger see note
- 1 large egg, room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F/175°C. Place oven shelf in center.
- Add sheets of parchment paper to 2 large baking or cookie sheets (or use only 1 sheet and bake in batches).
- To a mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Mix and set aside.
- To a mixing bowl (or stand mixer), add the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat on high until the sugar is dissolved into the butter. Beat in the molasses, fresh ginger and egg.
- Add the dry ingredients in 2 batches mixing on low speed until well mixed. Form the dough into 1 tablespoon (20 gram balls) then roll in the ½ cup sugar until lightly coated.
Place the balls onto the baking sheet, 3 ½ inches (9 cm) apart . - Bake for 15 minutes if you’re using a silver/light grey pan, 12 minutes if your pan is dark grey. Times will also depend on how your oven temperature is calibrated so keep an eye on them. They are done when browned and the top starts to crack.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on the pan.
Notes
If you’re not using fresh ginger, substitute 2 teaspoons total of ground ginger
Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 77Total Fat 2gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 6mgSodium 129mgCarbohydrates 13gFiber 0gSugar 3gProtein 1g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
6 Comments on “Easy Ginger Snaps (Ginger Nuts)”
I don’t understand the second amount of white sugar. Do you roll the balls in it before baking? It isn’t part of the recipe.
I’m sorry about the sugar confusion. The text was spilling onto the second line which made it look weird, I’ve corrected that. Please let me know if you have any more questions and enjoy.
Bonjour,
I am so so happy to have found you and your british recipes. I am a french lady, and was living during 10 years in England, a long long time ago.Anyway, I found you at first whan I was looking for thé true recipe of brownston pickle After finding by chance, in m’y ton some real farmer cheddar.
Since then, I read with great pleasure your newsletter and recipes (liké thé ginger nuts). That reminds me of a such good part of my life! Merci, merci!
I’m so happy you found me and my recipes too. Enjoy the pickle and let me know if you have any questions.
I love a crispy ginger snap. Can’t wait to make these
Me too. Enjoy and let me know how they turned out