by Helen Kain | Dec 16, 2018 | Christmas, , Desserts, Fall Recipes, Winter Recipes | 58 comments
We have my friend Leanne of theApple Bundt Cake to thank for this recipe. It’s adapted from Laurel Kreuger’s recipe that won first prize in a baking contest held by Canadian Living Magazine in 1991.
For ginger lovers everywhere! I took them to a cookie exchange on the weekend, and they were a big hit.
Gather the ingredients
- Add the butter and sugars to a mixing bowl
- Cream the butter and sugars
- Beat in the egg
- Add the orange zest, molasses and fresh ginger
- Beat again until well combined
- Beat in the dry ingredients in two portions
- Shape the 1″ balls with a piece of crystallized ginger in the centre
- Bake until the edges are crispy
A luscious combination of crunchy edges and a moist, chewy centre, this delectable cookie melds the spices of ginger and cinnamon with orange zest.
- Total Time: 35
- Yield: 48 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 170 g (6 oz or 1 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 150 g (6 oz or 3/4 c) granulated sugar
- 50 g (2 oz or 1/4 c) brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 80 g (2 oz or 1/4 c) molasses
- 4 tsp grated orange zest (rind from one large orange)
- 12 g (15 ml or 1 tbsp) grated gingerroot
- 240 g (16 oz or 2 c) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 55 g (2 oz or 1/4 c) crystallized ginger, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the butter with the sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Add the molasses, orange zest and gingerroot and mix until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add to the butter mixture in two portions, beating well and scraping down the bowl and paddle after each addition.
- Cover the dough and chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
- Shape into 1″ balls with a small piece of candied ginger in the centre of each ball, placing them 2″ apart on baking sheets.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until edges are firm. Remove to cooling racks.
- Author: Helen Kain
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
Next
Previous
Maura Gartlandon December 16, 2018 at 12:27 pm
Sounds good as it has all the ingredients in it that I like.. will try if I have time!
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Helen Kainon December 17, 2018 at 6:44 am
The only fussy part is putting the crystallized ginger in the centre of the balls. I made the cookies a bit too big the first time – they spread out more than I anticipated. But they’re really good. The orange zest adds another layer of flavour. Enjoy your week, Maura!
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Glendaon November 2, 2022 at 8:04 pm
GF flour work ok or could I substitute almond flour ?
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Helen Kainon November 4, 2022 at 7:20 am
I’ve not used either in the recipe, Glenda, but of the two, I’d probably go with gluten-free flour, which is designed to substitute for all-purpose flour. I think almond flour might give you a different texture.
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nancyon November 23, 2022 at 2:12 am
did you try the GF flour?
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Joon November 17, 2022 at 6:41 pm
Maybe add a little cardamom?
★★★★★
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Helen Kainon November 17, 2022 at 7:01 pm
By all means, if that’s your preference. I’m not a cardamom fan – it’s a matter of personal taste.
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Fay McLeodon November 24, 2022 at 6:06 am
I made these with tapico flour ( gluten free) just had to add more flour than recipe very nice flavour.
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Jasmineon March 13, 2023 at 7:27 pm
I have the candied ginger, but no ginger root, can I use ground ginger instead and how much do you think I should use? I’m so looking forward to making and then eating these!!
★★★★★
Helen Kainon March 14, 2023 at 7:42 am
Hi Fay,
You won’t need much! Ground ginger is very concentrated relative to fresh ginger root. Just 1/4 tsp should do it.
I hope you enjoy the cookies.
Gail Sampleson November 18, 2022 at 11:06 am
These were a hit! I did roll the (ah-hem too large) balls in a mix of sugar and cinnamon. They didn’t last long….
★★★★★
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Sue Silvaon December 18, 2019 at 7:29 pm
I’m gonna try these!
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Helen Kainon December 18, 2019 at 9:28 pm
Enjoy!
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M. Christieon February 15, 2021 at 9:46 pm
Perfect for an evening of baking. The longer the oven is warming the house the better also. Brrrrr cold outside. Many pipes surely have frozen. So far, we’re ok. Baking oatmeal coconut cookies. Will make these next!! Looking forward to plenty of tea time cookies.
★★★★★
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Helen Kainon February 19, 2021 at 6:47 am
I hope you came through the cold snap ok! What a mess in Texas – yikes!!
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M. Christieon February 15, 2021 at 10:18 pm
What luck!! Ginger lemongrass silk tea bags in Tea Forte box I got over the holidays will be yummy with these cookies
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Helen Kainon February 19, 2021 at 6:47 am
Sounds yummy! Great combination.
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Susan C Griegeron October 21, 2023 at 11:23 am
M. Christie, just read your pleasurable remark about discovering the Lemongrass tea in your Christmas tea box and that you will certainly enjoy it with your orange ginger cookies. What a very nice picture you have created. Hope you enjoyed with friends at your side.
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Anneon March 28, 2022 at 9:36 pm
What oven temp are you baking these at? Thanks!
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Helen Kainon March 29, 2022 at 7:25 pm
Hi Anne,
I’ve just updated the recipe. It’s 350 F. Thanks for asking!
Best,
HelenReply
Katherineon October 11, 2022 at 9:49 pm
Recipe says 350° for baking. Preheat and bake at 350°
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Debon July 15, 2022 at 11:32 am
I don’t have any candied ginger. Will that affect the taste of the cookies if I eliminate it? Thanks
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Helen Kainon July 15, 2022 at 11:49 am
You’ll miss the little “zing” of ginger from the chunks of candied ginger, but the cookies themselves should be great. 🙂
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Vrishali Paranjapeon August 23, 2022 at 9:36 am
Can u skip adding candied ginger in the centre?
★★★★★
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Helen Kainon August 24, 2022 at 5:53 am
Yes, you can skip the candied ginger. The cookies will still be wonderful. The candied ginger adds a little “zing” of surprise when you get to the centre.
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Debbie Won September 23, 2022 at 4:37 pm
These sound really good. But I am thinking the Molasses might be too strong and overtake the orange/ginger flavors. Can you substitute honey or agave?
ThanksReply
Helen Kainon September 23, 2022 at 4:49 pm
It’s entirely up to you. I find the molasses works, but everyone’s taste is different. Perhaps you might like to divide the recipe in half and use molasses in one half and the honey or agave in the other. Then you can compare!
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Barbaraon September 26, 2022 at 7:39 am
I chopped the candied ginger and folded it in. Now there is a little zing of ginger in every bite!
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Helen Kainon September 26, 2022 at 7:43 am
Yum! What could be better than that?
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Suzanneon October 6, 2022 at 10:22 pm
This looks so good! What a great cookie to make with kids in the fall!
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Helen Kainon October 7, 2022 at 7:34 am
Thanks, Suzanne. Kids do love them!
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Vanessaon October 6, 2022 at 10:23 pm
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
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Helen Kainon October 7, 2022 at 7:33 am
The cookies will stay fresh kept in a sealed container for a few days. They freeze beautifully, as well.
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Jamion October 11, 2022 at 6:59 pm
Have I missed where the ingredients amounts are listed?
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Helen Kainon October 11, 2022 at 8:55 pm
Hang in, Jami. A WordPress update seems to have had a bad effect on the recipe widget. Will keep you posted. Abject apologies. Thanks for alerting us.
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Helen Kainon October 12, 2022 at 6:13 am
It’s fixed now, Jami. Thanks for your patience
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Dolphin Quest CRon November 13, 2022 at 11:02 am
I don’t have ( nor find) molasses;
can I substitute it with honey or something else?
( writing from remote Dolphin Quest – Costa Rica )Blessings
Pura VidaReply
Helen Kainon November 13, 2022 at 7:57 pm
You can likely use another sweet syrup such as honey, but the flavour will not be the same.
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Traceyon November 20, 2022 at 1:11 pm
Simple to make which is a plus. I didn’t think adding the ginger was that big of a deal and it adds a nice flavor.
My husband loved them!★★★★★
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Shanaon November 22, 2022 at 10:56 pm
Fantastic!!! The fresh orange and ginger make them taste wonderful! Definitely a favorite recipe from now on!
★★★★★
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Carolon November 25, 2022 at 7:51 pm
These cookies are very tasty but they come out flat as a pancake! I have tried a number of changes in the second batch (weighing the butter, getting fresh baking soda, using parchment instead of silicon mats and checking the oven temp) but no luck in not having very flat cookies. May have to abandon this recipe!
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Helen Kainon November 25, 2022 at 8:11 pm
Carol, did you weigh the flour? Sounds like it might be a bit scant-this can lead to cookies being very flat.
Good luck!Reply
Ljubica IBesker Ivasovicon December 16, 2022 at 2:28 am
Wonderful Christmas sweet present!❤
With respect to originality,
Dr Ljubica Besker Ivasovic
0Reply
Helen Kainon December 16, 2022 at 6:29 am
Thank you so much! I hope you enjoyed them.
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Dan Fanninon February 25, 2023 at 5:23 pm
Great flavor profile, however the ratio of dry and wet ingredients left these cookies flatter than anything I’ve ever made. I used weighted measurements, refrigerated the dough before scooping and again before baking. refrigerated. I will keep the grated orange, ginger and spices and use with another recipe.
★
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Lorraineon June 8, 2023 at 12:31 pm
Your measurements are off. 16 ounces of flour is not two cups. 55 grams of candied ginger is not a quarter cup. I’m confused. Which are correct
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Helen Kainon June 8, 2023 at 4:56 pm
Hi Lorraine,
I give measurements in both volume and weight. Two cups (8 fluid ounces) is 16 ounces, or 240 g.
I chopped and weighed the 1/4 c of candied ginger and it weighed 55 g.
Your scale may vary.
Best,
HelenReply
Annmarieon October 5, 2023 at 9:47 pm
Hello!
I believe your ounce measurements are off. Generally a cup of flour is 4.4 ounces. I believe you were going by fluid measurements which is very different from dry ingredient measurements.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! I will definitely set my scale to grams.Reply
Helen Kainon October 13, 2023 at 5:28 am
Hi Annmarie
My preference for recipes is weight in grams (metric), rather than in ounces. Whoever decided we should use the same word for volume and weight sure created a lot of confusion. 🙂 Thus I provide measurements in weight (metric) and volume (Imperial).
As you say, a cup of flour is approximately 4.4 ounces or 120 grams by weight; it’s also 8 fluid ounces. Just to make things difficult!
I hope the recipe worked out for you. It’s one of our favourites.
Best,
HelenReply
Brenton November 15, 2023 at 9:32 am
Read all comments Was so excited to try this recipe. I’m an experienced baker of 50 years. And have never had such an epic fail,! I measured every dry ingredient as always, even adjust flour to 254 g for brand of AP flour. I use, My only mistake. Was using dark brown sugar instead of light brown sugar because i love the extra caramel flavor, this misstep made cookies almost black when baked. I refrigerated dough before scooping and before baking They baked up flat, almost lacy, and super greasy . They would have tasted nicer with light brown sugar but this turned out looking nothing like your picture , Seems to me either less butter or more flour is needed. Also i used candied orange peel in half the balls and that really set off the orange element Liked idea of chopping the peel and adding to dough before scooping. Volume-wise, I got a few more tan 48 so this recipe.is worth trying again, perhaps using more flour in the recipe..
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Helen Kainon November 15, 2023 at 11:00 am
I’m so sorry you had difficulties with the recipe, Brent. It may be that the all-purpose flour you use is at the low end of the protein range, which for A/P can be anywhere from 10 to 13%. This blog from King Arthur Baking might be helpful. A stronger flour will make for a chewier cookie. It sounds like yours turned out almost like a brandy snap – which are delicious, but not the texture intended in the recipe.
The addition of candied orange peel sounds wonderful. I’m a huge citrus peel fan!
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Caroon December 16, 2023 at 7:05 pm
Hi Helen sounds really yummy combo of flavours !! With the molasses … it’s not very common in New Zealand & someone gave me some Black Strap Molasses. Could I use this for this recipe ? or do I need to get some other molasses ? Kind regards Caro
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Helen Kainon December 16, 2023 at 8:23 pm
Hi Caro,
Black strap molasses should work just fine. I hope you enjoy the cookies!
Best,
HelenReply
Kathyon December 23, 2023 at 3:55 pm
I made this recipe because I love all the ingredients. They are delicious. Definitely not too spicy and I used blackstrap molasses. Each cookie is soft, chewy, with a little crispness around the edges.
★★★★★
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Helen Kainon December 23, 2023 at 4:40 pm
I’m so glad they worked well for you, Kathy. We made them this week, also. They’ll be served at our Christmas Eve dinner tomorrow. All the best of the season to you.
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Grandma Evelynon January 21, 2024 at 5:31 pm
These were wonderful! I made them exactly according to directions – except that I chopped the candied ginger so it was dispersed through the cookie rather than one chunk in the middle. The fresh ginger and orange peel added wonderful flavor.
Great Recipe – I’ll make them again (and again!)
★★★★★
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Alyon January 27, 2024 at 2:55 pm
Hi: I recently found your recipe on Pinterest and am considering making them for an afternoon tea but I have one question: You are specifying 16 0z. flour or 2 cups. 16 oz. of flour is closer to 4 cups as each cup weighs about 4 oz. I am assuming you mean 2 cups based on the volume of the other ingredients, Am I correct?
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Helen Kainon January 27, 2024 at 3:17 pm
Yes, Aly. The cups are volume. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
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