*This blog post contains affiliate links, so we may earn a small commission when you make a purchase through links on our site at no additional cost to you.
Every cookie platter has a ginger cookie at Christmas, whether it’s a gingerbread man (or lady). It can be soft and chewy, or crisp like a snap! This year I wanted to try something new and came up with these beautiful stamped ginger cookies that aren’t quite chewy or crisp but just the perfect amount of both! They have the classic ‘wintery’ spices that ring in the holiday cheer and go perfectly with a hot cup of cocoa on those cool winter days! They are also the perfect Christmas cookies for a cookie exchange.
I got a little creative and stamped the ginger cookies using crystal glasses that were passed down to me by my Baba. On the bottom of the vintage glasses are beautiful star like indents that when pressed into the dough leaves magical like stars. It’s just the right amount of ‘sparkle‘ that you want in a Christmas cookie for the holiday season! And what a beautiful way to use the crystal glasses!
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour
- Unsalted butter
- Dark brown sugar
- Egg
- Fancy molasses
- Ground ginger, ground cinnamon & ground allspice
- Baking powder
- Salt
- Turbinado sugar
Gifting
I found some really simple and cute boxes at Bulk Barn Foods when I was getting my ingredients for the ginger cookies and thought they’d make the perfect gift boxes to package the cookies. I love how plain and natural these boxes are, so I can decorate them as I see fit. Have fun and play around with different boxes and bags, it’s the time of year for gifting so stock up and share some love!
Stamping Cookies
If you don’t have crystal glasses like mine to stamp the cookies with, not to worry you can purchase cookie stamps online. There are so many fun options on Amazon and in cute little kitchen shops. You can get creative and roll lace onto the cookies or use a decorative rolling pin. You just need to make sure that the dough is nice and firm before stamping and well floured to avoid sticking. If your dough is covered in flour, simply use a pastry brush and brush off any extra flour before baking. And if the dough is too soft before baking it will lose the stamped shape. To avoid this you can pop the cookie sheet (with the unbaked cookies) right into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up.
More Holiday Cookie Recipes
- Pistachio Cranberry Shortbread
- Chocolate Sandwich Cookies with Dulce de Leche Buttercream
- Alfajores (Dulce de Leche Cookies)
- Empire Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Tips For the Best Ginger Cookies
- To prevent the cookie dough from sticking to the stamp dust it in flour. Use a pastry brush to brush off any extra flour on the cookie tops.
- Place the cookies (right on the cookie sheet) into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up the cookies. This will help prevent the cookies from spreading while they bake.
- Don’t overcrowd the cookies or they won’t bake evenly. It’s better to use a couple of cookie sheets to give enough room between each cookie for the perfect baked cookie!
- Watch your bake time and be careful not to overbake the ginger cookies! Don’t overbake the ginger cookies! For the perfect cookies, remove them from the oven just when the cookies start to lightly brown then let them sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool and to firm up. Then remove to a cooling rack.
How To Make Stamped Ginger Cookies
Step One: Make your cookie dough. In a bowl of a stand mixer beat butter and sugar together. Add eggs and molasses, beat until well incorporated. Add your dry ingredients and beat until combined. Turn batter out and flatten into a disc, place in the fridge to firm up, approx. 30-60 minutes. Once firm, roll the batter into small balls, approx. 1 tablespoon size.
Step Two: On a floured work surface gently re-roll cookie dough balls. Then gently press the ball flat with the palm of your hand. Using the bottom of a crystal glass (that has star shapes indented in the bottom) press down to create indents. You may need to flour the glass bottom each time before pressing into the ginger.
Step Three: Gently peel the cookie off the glass bottom (don’t worry it may take a few tries to get the hang of it). Repeat with all the ginger cookie balls. Place the cookies 1-2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the tops of each cookie. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes to firm up the cookies. Bake until golden brown and let the baked cookies sit on the sheet for 5 minutes to cool and to firm up. Top with extra turbinado sugar for an extra sparkle.
Ginger Cookies
These ginger cookies make a staple holiday cookie extra special! They are made by stamping a vintage crystal glass onto the cookie batter to create a unique design on the top of each cookie. The flavour resembles a softer gingerbread man cookie full of warm spices and rich molasses.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 mins
- Yield: 34 Cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: British
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup fancy molasses, from Bulk Barn
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Turbinado sugar (for decorating)
Instructions
- In a large bowl beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses and continue to beat until well incorporated.
- In a separate bowl add flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking powder and salt together. Whisk to combine.
- Add dry ingredients to butter mixture and beat until combined. Turn batter out onto waxed paper and flatten into a disc, place in the fridge to firm up, approx. 30-60 minutes. Once firm, roll batter into approx. 1 tablespoon size balls (mine were a bit larger than1 tablespoon). If the dough is still too sticky and not firm place the balls back into the fridge to firm up (30-60 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 350ËšF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- On a floured work surface gently re-roll a ginger ball and press the ball flat with the palm of your hand. Using the bottom of a crystal glass (that has star shapes indented in the bottom) press down to create shapes (see images above for a reference). You may need to flour the glass bottom each time before pressing into the ginger. Gently peel cookie off the glass bottom to reveal shape (don’t worry it may take a few tries to get the hang of it). Repeat with all the ginger cookie balls.
- Place cookies 1-2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet (don’t overcrowd cookies or they won’t bake evenly).
- Using a pastry brush, brush off any extra flour on the cookie tops.
- Sprinkle turbinado sugar on the tops of each cookie. Place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 5 minutes.
- Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes to cool and to firm up. Top with extra turbinado sugar for an extra sparkle.
Notes
If you don’t have crystal glasses you can use cookie stamps or a decorative rolling pin to make patterns on the cookies.
Cookies will last 2-3 weeks in an airtight container or freeze for up to 2 months.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 92
- Sugar: 5.5g
- Sodium: 49mg
- Fat: 4.3g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 12.4g
- Fiber: 0.3g
- Protein: 1.1g
- Cholesterol: 16mg
FAQ’s
It’s very important to chill the cookies before baking them. Overly soft dough can lead to spreading while baking. Ensure the dough is chilled and slightly firm to avoid this issue.
Absolutely! Once the cookies have cooled, you can decorate them with royal icing, or ideally a glaze so you can still see the beautiful indents in the cookies.
If your ginger cookies turn out too hard, try reducing the baking time slightly. It’s most likely due to overbaking.
To prevent sticking, lightly dust the stamp with flour (or even icing sugar) before pressing it into the cookie dough. You can also dip the stamp in flour between each impression. Be carful not to add too much flour. Use a pastry brush to remove any excess flour before baking. .
You may also like:
Leave a Rating and Comment!
I love hearing from you! Leave a comment with any questions or how your recipe turned out (your email address will not be published)!