Ginger sparkle cookies are a delicious and much beloved family recipe. This recipe creates chewy cookies with the scrumptious warmth of ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg along with just the right amount of sweetness. Perfect for fall, Christmas and the holidays.
Making ginger cookies is super easy and so satisfying! These are old fashioned and as comforting as it gets when it comes to cookies! I'm sure these will become one of your favourite cookies and you won't be able to stop eating them!
I hope you enjoy this recipe! ❤️ If you give it a try, please let me know how it turned out for you in the comments section at the bottom of the page or share a pic of your om noms on Instagram and tag @dishesanddustbunnies! ❤️
The history of ginger sparkle cookies
This recipe for ginger sparkles is very special indeed! It's been a much beloved family recipe for a very very long time. My great Grammie Alice would make these in large batches for the family for Christmas time and other special occasions. Great Grammie taught my grandmother how to make them just right so that her son (my grandfather) could have his cookies just as he liked. ❤️
Some of my favourite and most cherished memories are of Christmas time and being able to choose from the many cookies and treats that my grandmother laid out after we had dinner. Ginger sparkle cookies were a favourite!
One of the challenging things about making this recipe was that I wanted them to turn out exactly how I remember them from my childhood. While the ingredients and amounts are the same as my family recipe, I wanted to make mine a little larger! Even with the size difference, they turned out exactly as I remember them, and I'm so glad for that!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family has!
What Ingredients are used to make Ginger Sparkle Cookies?
This recipe for ginger sparkle cookies is made from simple ingredients such as white sugar, shortening, molasses, egg, all purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ground ginger.
Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
How to make Ginger Sparkle Cookies – Overview
Making ginger sparkle cookies is super easy! Here's a basic overview of how it's done – you can find the full recipe at the bottom of this. 🙂
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer, cream together sugar, shortening and molasses, then mix in the egg. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and ground ginger. Next, combine the dry ingredients with the wet.
Next, using your hands, roll the batter into dough balls (about 1 tbsp in size), then roll them in sugar. Place them on a parchment lined baking sheet (spaced about 2 inches apart). Give each a little gentle pat on the top to flatten slightly, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until lightly browned. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer the baked cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Keep in mind that not all the cookies will fit on one baking sheet, so you'll have to bake each sheet one at a time. So that the temperature is right, please make sure to only place one baking sheet in the oven at a time.
Be sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full ingredients & instructions!
Possible Recipe Variations
The original family recipe for ginger sparkle cookies created quite small ones. I chose to make them a little bigger than I had as a child, and they still turned out great! Feel free to make them small or a little bigger, depending on your preferences.
Also, before baking, the dough for these cookies are rolled in granulated sugar to create the sparkle of the cookies. I like to give a nice even coating of sugar on these, but feel free t adjust the amount depending on your preferences.
If you'd like to try a little something different when making your ginger sparkle cookies, you can try some of these variation ideas:
Lemon Icing – Make a lemon icing to top your ginger sparkle cookies! This icing is simple to make and will give your cookies a delicious and refreshing lemon flavor. Combine some lemon juice, powdered sugar and butter in a bowl and mix until smooth. If the icing is too thick, add more lemon juice until it reaches the desired consistency.
Brown Sugar Glaze – Make a simple brown sugar glaze to top your ginger cookies by combining brown sugar with a little water, then brush over top of your cookies!
You can also try adding these to your cookie dough:
- White Chocolate Chips
- Cranberries
- Dried Cherries
Leftovers – How to Store Ginger Sparkle Cookies
How long are the good for?
We love making ginger sparkle cookies! They are perfect for the holiday season and make a great addition to any cookie plate. But what do you do with the leftovers? Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2-3 weeks.
Leftover ginger sparkle cookies can also be frozen. Place them in an air tight container lined with parchment paper – I like to place parchment between each layer of cookies so they don't stick together when stored. In the freezer, they'll keep for up to 3 months. When you're ready to enjoy them, simply thaw the cookies at room temperature or pop them in the microwave for a few seconds.
More recipes you'll enjoy:
- Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies (my great Grammies Recipe!)
- Triple Chocolate Cookies
- Fudgy Chocolate Cookies
- Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies
- Lemon Loaf
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Ginger Sparkle Cookies
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 24 cookies 1x
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup shortening
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp cloves
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1 ½ tsp ginger
- ½ – 1 cup sugar on the side for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 350°F. In a mixing bowl or a stand mixer, cream together sugar, shortening and molasses, then mix in the egg.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg and ginger. Next, combine the dry ingredients with the wet.
- Next, using your hands, roll the batter into small balls (about 1 tbsp in size), then roll them in sugar. Place them on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper (spaced about 2 inches apart).
- Give each a little gentle pat on the top, then bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack.
Keep in mind that not all the cookies will fit on one baking sheet, so you'll have to bake each sheet one at a time. So that the temperature is right, please make sure to only place one baking sheet in the oven at a time.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
