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If you’re a fan of the rich flavors of ginger and molasses and looking for a quick and easy cookie recipe, this is the recipe for you. Gingerbread crinkle cookies are simple, flavorful, and will make every gingerbread lover smile.
We are deep into cookie season and I am loving it!
Whether you host a big holiday party, an annual cookie exchange, or a full-on Christmas cookie competition like some of my friends, there is always a reason to be baking cookies this time of year.
But that doesn’t always mean there’s lots of time to make intricate, time-consuming recipes. So it’s nice to have a few easy cookie recipes in your back pocket.
These gingerbread crinkle cookies are just that. Quick and easy to make but loaded with flavor. In fact, no one will guess that they actually start with a cake mix!
WHAT ARE GINGERBREAD CRINKLE COOKIES?
I love crinkle cookies. They’re fun to eat and easy to make, which is pretty much a win/win, right?
Not to mention all the great flavor variations out there. I’ve made chocolate crinkles, red velvet crinkle cookies, St. Patrick’s Day crinkles, and lemon crinkle cookies – and now it’s time for some gingerbread fun.
If you’ve never had a crinkle cookie, they are soft and chewy cookies that are covered in cracks – aka “crinkles” – and typically coated in powdered sugar.
There are a lot of different ways to make them, but I love using a shortcut method that starts with a cake mix.
For these gingerbread crinkles, I started with a spice cake mix and brought in the flavors of gingerbread. Which, in this case, means I upped the ginger flavor and added some rich molasses.
These cookies are easy to make, so they’re faster than making a traditional gingerbread cookie recipe, but they will surely satisfy any gingerbread cravings you might be having this time of year.
HOW TO MAKE GINGERBREAD CRINKLE COOKIES
Gingerbread crinkle cookies are a snap to make. The dough comes together in no time, so you’ll be able to take freshly baked cookies to your office holiday party even if you forgot about it until the last minute.
Ingredients you’ll need
Don’t let anyone tell you that baking with a cake mix isn’t baking. I love using a doctored cake mix, and I’ve never had anyone guess that the final cakes, cupcakes, or cookies weren’t made from scratch.
For these quick and easy crinkle cookies, you’ll need:
- 1 spice cake mix
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
If you run out of powdered sugar, I have a post on making a powdered sugar substitute that you can use instead. After all, no one wants to go back to the store this time of year!
If you want to up the spicy ginger flavor, try adding a couple tablespoons of finely chopped crystallized ginger to the cookie dough. The crystallized ginger will add even more flavor and some nice chewy bits throughout the cookies.
Making this recipe
To make the gingerbread crinkle cookie dough, add all of the ingredients except the powdered sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a large mixing bowl. Using the stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, mix the ingredients until well blended.
The dough will be sticky – that’s ok!
Add the powdered sugar to a separate bowl. Use a medium cookie scoop (about 2.5 tablespoons in volume) to drop balls of the dough into the powdered sugar.
Coat the dough portions in the powdered sugar, then gently form into a smooth ball by lightly rolling between your palms.
Set the dough balls on lined baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 7-9 minutes. The bottoms should be set but the middles will look slightly undercooked. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.
STORAGE
Store your gingerbread crinkle cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.
If you’re trying to get ahead on all of your Christmas cookie baking projects, you can freeze these cookies for up to a month. Simply store them in a zip-top freezer bag and thaw them at room temperature before enjoying.
And now you have even more time to make all of your other favorite Christmas cookie recipes, such as sour cream sugar cookies and peanut butter blossoms.
MORE DELICIOUS GINGERBREAD RECIPES
If you love that classic combination of ginger and molasses as much as I do, here are some more richly flavored gingerbread recipes for you to check out:
Gingerbread Cookies
Gingerbread Pancakes
Gingerbread Banana Bread
Gingerbread Cake
Gingerbread Latte
Gingerbread Truffles
Gingerbread Crinkle cookies
Ingredients
- 1 box spice cake mix 15.25 ounces
- 2 large eggs
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine cake mix, eggs, molasses, oil, and vanilla extract until well blended. Place confectioners’ sugar into a medium bowl.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (1 ½ tablespoons) or two spoons, drop balls of dough (dough will be sticky) into the confectioners’ sugar, roll to coat. Gently form dough into a ball by lightly rolling between your palms.
- Place dough balls on prepared baking pan about two inches apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 7 to 9 minutes. The bottoms will be set but middles will look slightly undercooked. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on pan before removing to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
