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If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas cookie, these Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies are it. Soft, chewy, bursting with molasses and warm holiday spices. And those beautiful crinkles? Pure magic.
Every year, my kids beg me to make these cookies, right along with a batch of my gingerbread pancakes. And honestly, it just wouldn’t feel like Christmas without a tray of these festive crinkle cookies sitting on the counter.
Why You’ll Love These Gingerbread Crinkles
There’s something truly special about gingerbread in December. Maybe it’s the smell of the spices filling your kitchen, or the cozy feeling you get with each soft, sweet bite. Either way, this is the cookie you’ll want to make again and again.
- Incredible texture: Perfectly soft and chewy with just a slight crunch from the sugar coating.
- Bold gingerbread flavor: Packed with molasses and warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves.
- Picture-perfect: The crinkle effect from the sugar makes these cookies stunning for any cookie tray.
- Smells like Christmas: Trust me, your house will smell like a holiday wonderland while they bake.
After years of testing (and countless batches disappearing way too fast), this method guarantees that perfect crinkled top and irresistible chewiness.
Ingredients for Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
You’ll need a few pantry staples and some classic holiday flavors:
- All-purpose flour – Gives the cookies their soft but sturdy texture.
- Dark brown sugar – Adds rich, molasses-like depth.
- Pumpkin pie spice – A mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves.
- Baking soda and salt – For proper lift and balance.
- Unsalted butter – Room temperature so it blends easily.
- Molasses – The heart and soul of any good gingerbread cookie.
- Heavy cream – Just a touch to keep them extra tender.
- Granulated sugar and confectioners’ sugar – A double roll creates that stunning crackled coating.
How to Make Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
The complete recipe with ingredient quantities is below, but here is a summary.
- Mix the dry ingredients. In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the butter. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture looks sandy and the butter coats the dry ingredients.
- Incorporate the wet ingredients. Gradually add the molasses and heavy cream while mixing on low speed. Once it’s mostly combined, increase the speed to medium to finish it off.
- Chill the dough. Shape into a disk, wrap tightly, and freeze for 20-30 minutes (or refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight). Chilling is key to getting that thick, chewy texture.
- Roll the cookies. Scoop tablespoon-sized balls, roll first in granulated sugar, then generously in powdered sugar. This double coating not only looks gorgeous but also keeps the powdered sugar from dissolving during baking.
- Bake to perfection. Bake at 350°F until the cookies crack and the centers are just set, about 10-12 minutes. Don’t overbake! They’ll firm up as they cool.
Tip: If you want that dramatic crinkle effect, make sure your dough is nice and cold when it goes into the oven.
Tips for Perfect Gingerbread Crinkles
- Chill the dough well: A cold dough ensures thick, chewy cookies and perfect cracks.
- Double sugar coating: Rolling in granulated sugar first adds a hidden crunch and keeps the powdered sugar bright white after baking.
- Don’t overbake: Pull them out when they’re just barely set in the middle for that soft, tender center.
- Use quality spices: Since gingerbread crinkle cookies are all about spice flavor, fresh, fragrant spices make a huge difference.
Storage and Freezing
When I make Christmas cookies, I like to commit several days to making at least five or six varieties to compile into cookie tins for friends and family. It’s important to know how to properly store all those cookies!
- Store: Keep your gingerbread crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze the dough: Shape the dough into balls (before rolling in sugar), freeze them on a baking sheet, and then transfer to a freezer bag. When ready to bake, roll the frozen balls in sugar and bake straight from frozen — just add 1-2 extra minutes to the bake time.
- Freeze baked cookies: They also freeze beautifully once baked. Layer between parchment paper and freeze for up to 3 months.
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Ingredients
cookie:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons ground pumpkin pie spice cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
for baking:
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine 3 cups all-purpose flour, 3/4 cup dark brown sugar, 2 tablespoons ground pumpkin pie spice, 3/4 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon salt at low speed until combined. Stop the mixer and add the 12 tablespoons unsalted butter. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and the dry ingredients are coated in butter, about 1-2 minutes. Reduce the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the 1/2 cup molasses and 2 tablespoons heavy cream. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened, about 20 seconds. Increase the speed to medium and mix until thoroughly combined, about 10 seconds.
- Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, shape into a disk, wrap tightly and freeze until firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Alternatively, refrigerate the dough 2 hours or overnight.
- To bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll chilled dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll each dough ball in the 1/2 cup granulated sugar first until coated and then roll again in 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar until coated evenly. Place the sugar coated dough balls 1-inch apart from each other on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies until set in the centers, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven when they start to crack. Do not over bake. Cool the cookies on the sheets 2 minutes, then remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I don’t use/have pumpkin pie spice. Can you please post the amounts of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves…I have all those individual spices. Thanks!! I really want to try your Gingerbread crinkles!
For each teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have!
I’ve made these a few times and they never get the crinkle look… always stay in a ball shape. What am I doing wrong?
I’m not sure! Maybe my oven runs hotter? I would try to increase the temperature and see what happenes.
Excited to try this! I’m planning to make them GF, and hope to swap out the heavy cream…Do you know if an oat milk would work instead of heavy cream?
Honestly, I have no idea. There is a LOT of fat in heavy cream and not in oat milk so I am guessing that will change the outcome.
The post above says the recipe uses vanilla extract but the recipe does not call for any?
Doh! Thanks for catching that. Way back when I put that vanilla video in with all of my cookie recipes and I missed that this recipe doesn’t use vanilla. I removed the video. Thanks!
They are still in the oven but are swimming in butter. Not sure what
I did wrong maybe didn’t cream it enough?
It’s possible? You used real butter and not margarine, correct? Did you use dark brown sugar or golden brown. Not sure why that would have happened!
I have a very similar recipe to the one you have; however, mine uses one egg. I was wondering if this was left out accidentally or if the recipe is egg free. Thanks!
No egg! The molasses does the trick! Krissy
I was going to make this receipt but it says dark brown sugar twice in the ingredients and I wasn’t sure if you meant 3/4 c dark brown sugar or 3/4 dark brown sugar and 3/4 c light brown sugar
Hi Chelsea. Sorry about that. I fixed the recipe. It was a type and I accidentally listed it twice. -Krissy