Crispy Gingersnaps | Ginger Snap Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my ginger biscuits not crispy? ›

Bake for longer.

This is a pretty simple one, but to get that lovely crunchy gingersnap cookie, I increased the bake time slightly. If you want them even more crunchy, bake them for a little longer!

Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

Check your oven

If your oven is too hot, the fat melts faster than the cookie can set, and you end up with pancake cookies. Always preheat your oven and invest in a good oven thermometer. Even new ovens can be incorrectly calibrated, so check the actual temperature every time you put a pan in the oven.

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Don't overwork the dough. For crispy outsides, I brush the pan I bake them on with butter, brush the tops of the raw biscuits with more butter, and bake in a hot (450°-500°F) oven. Put the biscuits close together in the pan; biscuits are social breads.

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? If the dough is too wet, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. In order for a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. If your cookies are not crinkling then there is too much free water in the dough.

For this to happen, you need to dry the surface of the cookie by coating them in sugar, use sufficient leavening for the cookie to rise, and bake in a hot oven. Issues with cracking usually derive from the sugar coating, not enough or expired baking powder or baking soda, or the oven temperature isn't hot enough.

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

So how do you know that they're done? Here's how to tell if gingerbread cookies are done: They'll be firmly set. They'll be a lovely medium-brown color.

What makes cookies flat and crispy? ›

Not Enough Flour

If your cookies are flat, brown, crispy, and possibly even a bit lacy around the edges, that means you need to add flour to your dough for the next batch.

What Makes Cookies Crispy and Crackled? A heavy amount of baking soda interacts with the molasses in this recipe to encourage spread. This allows cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, creating that beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture.

Different types of sugars affect the texture because they absorb different amounts of water. Remember moisture is the key! White sugar creates crispier cookies and brown sugar creates chewier cookies.

Freezing or chilling the dough will result in a soft and chewy gingersnap cookies. With crinkly tops and spicy flavor this version also makes the most delicious holders for ice cream. Baked immediately, you'll get crisp and crunchy gingersnaps – the kind that you can snap in half for proper dunking.

As the biscuits sit around, even in a tin, the sugar absorbs moisture from the air. Leave sugar in a bowl in the tropics, for example, and it will absorb so much water it will eventually turn into a liquid! As the sugar in the biscuit absorbs more moisture, it becomes softer and softer and less and less appetising.

To rescue biscuits that have gone soft, pop them on a lined baking tray and bake at around 160°C (140°C fan) mark 3 for a few min, to try and drive some of the excess moisture out of them.

chewy vs crispy is a combination of 2 things… ratio of fats to flour, and baking times/temps.. for more chewy cake like cookies, you want something with a high fat, content cooked at a lower longer temperature… for a more crispy or dryer cooking you want a lower fat batter cooked at a high temperature.

Store them in airtight jars or bags in the refrigerator makes it last longer and stay crunchy with preserved flavor. If you want the cookies remain fresh longer, freeze them. But just as the storage in the refrigerator, be sure to wrap them in plastic bags for use in freezers and put them in a tightly sealed container.