Admit it: nobody’s ever too old, or on too strict of a diet, to enjoy cookies! Cookies are delicious, easy to make, and you can take them anywhere if you’re hankering for a quick snack.

You’ve got your usual chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, shortbread cookies, sugar cookies, butter cookies, and, of course, the traditional gingerbread cookies. What’s not to like?

Among all the cookie flavors, I still find gingerbread cookies among my favorites (it’s practically impossible to like just one kind of cookie!). But instead of going the customary route and baking hard gingerbread cookies, I like to put a spin on the recipe by making Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies instead.

Hard ginger cookies are undoubtedly delicious, but Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies are at another level of enjoyment altogether! The soft, chewy texture is what makes them perfect for kids and adults alike. I also find Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies more flavorful than traditional ginger cookies. Since they’re easy to bite into, the sweet-spicy blend of ginger mixed with other flavors like cinnamon, brown sugar, coffee, cloves, and molasses become more palpable once they burst inside your mouth.

Once you have a bite of these Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies, you’ll find the sweetness balanced out by the spicy tang of ginger and cinnamon. The addition of strong black coffee tempers out what could be an overwhelming taste, bringing all the ingredients together in a delightful mix.

Best served as a dessert or snack, these Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies will keep you coming back for more! Have some tea, milk, or coffee ready because it’s hard to eat just one. Be sure to also whip up an extra batch, especially if you’re sharing them with guests!

Pillow-Soft Ginger Cookies

The only snap in these ginger cookies is the flavor! Be careful—it’s hard to eat just one!

• Author: Norann Oleson
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: Serves 10 to 12 1x
• Category: Bakery

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger (or 3 tablespoons grated fresh ginger)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup butter, softened (not melted)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons strong black coffee
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/4 cup white sugar

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a bowl, combine flour, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. (If you are using fresh grated ginger, do not add it here; add it in Step 3.)
3. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until they’re light and fluffy. Stir in the egg, coffee, and molasses. If you’re using fresh grated ginger, add it here.
4. Slowly blend the flour mixture into the butter/sugar/egg mixture until all ingredients are well blended.
5. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in white sugar.
6. Place dough balls 1 inch apart on parchment-covered baking sheets.
7. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes. (Note: It’s a good idea to test-bake a couple cookies before committing to a whole cookie sheet of dough.)
8. When cookies are done, let them rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Ginger is easier to grow than you may think! With our Zesty Ginger Gardening Guide, you’ll have everything you need to know about growing and enjoying this versatile plant—including specific advice about soil requirements and fertilizer, watering techniques to details about avoiding bacterial wilt, and even easy-to-make and delicious recipes that will allow you to enjoy the fruits of your ginger gardening labor!

Have you tried this recipe? Do you like soft ginger cookies better than traditional gingerbread cookies? Please tell us how these cookies turned out for you.