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many gingersnaps with candied ginger on a wire rack.
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4.40 from 33 votes

The Best Ginger Cookies with Candied Ginger

These are the best gingersnaps or ginger cookies with candied ginger I have ever made! They are crispy, flavorful, and loaded with pieces of crystallized or candied ginger.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Cookies
Cuisine: English
Servings: 35 -40
Calories: 81kcal
Author: Adina

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 150 g candied ginger or crystallized ginger chopped, 5.5 oz
  • 120 g unsalted butter soft, 1 stick + ½ tablespoon, Note 3
  • 200 g granulated sugar 7 oz/ 1 cup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 egg large
  • 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups, Note 4
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 360°F/ 180°C (fan-assisted oven 320°F/ 160°C). Line two baking trays with parchment paper.
  • Chop the candied ginger into small pieces. Set it aside.
    150 g candied ginger or crystallized ginger/ 5.5 oz
  • Wet ingredients: Beat butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes; the sugar doesn't need to be completely dissolved. Add the egg to the mixture and mix well. Scrape the bottom and the walls of the bowl and mix again.
    120 g unsalted butter / 1 stick and 1 tablespoon + 200 g granulated sugar / 1 cup + 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract + 1 egg
  • Dry ingredients: Mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ground ginger in another bowl. Add them to the butter mixture and incorporate them carefully. Use a spoon to mix the chopped candied ginger into the dough, scraping the bowl again.
    250 g all-purpose flour / 2 cups + 2 teaspoons baking powder + ½ teaspoon baking soda + 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Form cookies: Break small pieces of the dough, and form little balls about the size of a walnut (about 35-40). Press them lightly with your palm. Place them on the baking sheets, leaving enough space between them; they will spread a little.
  • Bake: When the first baking tray is full of cookies, place it immediately in the oven and bake the cookies for about 20 to 25 minutes or until nicely golden.
  • Next batch: Start forming the cookies for the second tray. If using a fan-assisted oven, you can bake two trays simultaneously. If using a regular oven, place the remaining batches of dough or shaped cookies in the fridge while the first batch is baking (Notes 5, 6).
  • Let the baked cookies rest on the tray for about 5-10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

  1. Use at least two baking trays and a fan-assisted oven, if possible, so that you can bake two batches of cookies at the same time. Always let the tray cool completely before putting the next cookies on it. Otherwise, the ingredients in the dough will start to melt, and the cookies will spread too much.
  2. Candied ginger is chunks of ginger preserved and kept in syrup, while crystallized ginger is the candied ginger that has been coated in sugar and it’s kept in bags. If you use syrup ginger, pat it dry with a paper towel before chopping it.
  3. Use European-style butter with 82% fat. Please don’t use lower-fat alternatives when baking cookies unless the recipes are developed using that kind of butter.
  4. Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it guarantees the best results (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab). Especially flour and butter are tough to measure consistently using cups. I measured the flour using cups and had 2 cups, but that might differ from one person to another.
  5. Chilling: Keep the dough that is still waiting to be baked refrigerated. You can form all the balls at once and keep them in the fridge until it’s their turn to be baked.
  6. Let the baking sheets cool before placing the next cookie dough on them.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 81kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 11mg | Sodium: 43mg | Sugar: 9g