Triple Ginger Cookies

These Triple Ginger Cookies are crispy, chewy, and absolutely irresistible! Go ahead and indulge, the recipe makes only six cookies – so no leftovers.

Cookies in a wooden bowl with fresh and candied ginger.

Around here we love a good ginger cookie. But making a homemade batch usually means lots of leftovers for our 2-person household.

So I was thrilled when a reader (Hi, Cheryl!) requested a small batch version and immediately got to work resizing my favorite Joy of Cooking recipe. 

Our little downsized recipe makes just six triple ginger cookies. They have soft and chewy middles with crispy edges. But the real superstar is the three types of ginger: ground, fresh, and crystallized. 

Each cookie is packed with so much warm and spicy flavor it will stay with you long after the last bite!

Cutting board with chopped candied ginger, ground ginger, grated fresh ginger and labeled bowls of ingredients.

Ingredient Notes 

1 Tablespoon Beaten Egg: Please don’t add a whole egg, it will not be pretty. If you’re looking for ways to use up the leftover egg try these toaster oven chocolate chip cookies or cake mix mini cakes

Fresh Ginger: Peeled and finely grated using a citrus zester or the smallest holes on a box grater. 

Crystallized Ginger (aka candied ginger): Chopping it into tiny pieces helps to spread out that unique in-your-face spicy flavor. When shopping, check your grocery store’s bulk bins. The ginger is usually a better price and you can buy just what you need.

Step-By-Step Instructions 

1. Start by adjusting your oven’s cooking rack to the middle position and preheating it to 350°F. Since we’re baking just a few cookies, I like to use our toaster oven. Then, grab a quarter sheet pan and lightly grease it or line it with a silicone baking mat. 

Quarter sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat.

2. To make sure the spices get evenly distributed through each cookie, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt to a small bowl and whisk it together. Then set the bowl aside for a minute. 

Light and fluffy creamed butter in a glass mixing bowl.

3. Next, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (about 1 to 2 minutes). You can do this with a mixer but I usually just use a fork.

4. Stir in the tablespoon of egg, the molasses, and the grated ginger. Lastly, add in the flour mixture and candied ginger and mix until a soft dough forms. 

Overhead view of sticky batter in a mixing bowl.

5. At this point the dough will be pretty soft but using damp hands you should be able to roll it into 6 equal balls. *If the dough is too sticky to roll, pop it in the fridge for 10 minutes and then try again. 

Glass bowl with cookie dough mixed with a rubber spatula.

For a premium bakery-style cookie experience you can roll the dough balls in sugar before baking. Though my sister (a fellow ginger fanatic) actually liked the ones without sugar better so maybe try it both ways.

5. Place the cookie balls about 2-inches apart on the prepared pan. You want to give them some space because they will spread during baking. 

Dough balls rolled in sugar on a silicone mat lined quarter sheet pan.

6. Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes. You’re looking for firm edges but for the middles to be slightly underdone.

7. The kitchen is going to smell pretty fantastic at this point but before you gobble up your cookies you need to let them cool. Leave them on the pan for a few minutes, then use a cookie spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely before devouring.

Cookies stacked in a wooden bowl with a bite taken out of one.

Recipe FAQs 

Can the cookies be made without the egg?

Sure! You can substitute a small flax egg: 

  • Combine 1 teaspoon of flax meal and 1 tablespoon of water. 
  • Stir well and let the mixture sit for 5 minutes to thicken. 
  • Give it a stir and add to the recipe where the egg is called for. 

The cookies we baked with the flax egg were more delicate right out of the oven. To keep them from breaking, we let the cookies cool on the pan for 10 minutes before moving them to the cooling rack. 

Overhead view of flat cookies that spread too much.

Why are my cookies turning out flat?

This is usually because the butter was too soft. I made the cookies pictured above on a warm day and the dough was super sticky.

Once I popped the pan into the oven, the butter melted quickly and caused the cookies to spread out flat. They still tasted great but weren’t as thick and chewy.

If your cookies are coming out flat, try chilling the dough for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling and baking. 

I want to make a dozen cookies, can the recipe be doubled? 

Yes, it can. We tried making a bigger batch doubling all of the ingredients. That dough was a little softer and needed to be refrigerated for about 10 minutes before baking. Otherwise, the cookies turned out the same. 

Cookies in a wooden bowl with fresh and candied ginger.

More Small Batch Baking Recipes 

Closeup of baked ginger cookies in a bowl with fresh and candied ginger.

Small Batch Ginger Cookies

Yield: 6 Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Don’t skip the candied ginger, it gives these delightfully soft and chewy cookies a fun spicy kick.

Ingredients

  • ÂĽ cup plus 2 tablespoons (47 grams) All Purpose Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour
  • ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
  • ÂĽ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
  • â…› teaspoon Baking Powder
  • 1/16 teaspoon Baking Soda (half of â…› teaspoon)
  • 1/16 teaspoon Salt
  • 1½ tablespoons (21 grams) Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
  • 3 tablespoons (36 grams) Granulated Sugar
  • 1 tablespoon (13 grams) Well-Beaten Egg, do not add the whole egg
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) Dark Molasses, not blackstrap molasses
  • ÂĽ teaspoon finely grated Fresh Ginger (from a ½-inch piece, peeled)
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped Crystalized Ginger

Instructions

  1. Adjust the oven’s cooking rack to the middle position and preheat to 350°F. If using a toaster oven, select the BAKE setting and use the center or bottom rack placement.
  2. Lightly grease a quarter sheet pan or line with a silicone baking mat.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
  4. In a medium bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the measured egg, molasses, and grated ginger and stir until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and candied ginger and mix until a soft dough forms.
  5. Divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll into balls. Place about 2-inches apart on the prepared pan.
  6. Bake cookies until the edges are set and the tops are cracked about 8 to 10 minutes. For soft and chewy cookies, remove the pan from the oven while the middles are still slightly undercooked.
  7. Cool cookies on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

Convection Toaster Ovens: Reduce temperature to 325°F and bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes.

To Measure The Egg: Crack an egg into a small bowl, beat with a fork just until blended about 30 seconds, and measure out 1 tablespoon of egg. Store any leftover egg refrigerated in a sealed container for up to 24 hours.

Recipe adapted from Joy of Cooking

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 Cookie
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 94Total Fat: 3.2gSaturated Fat: 1.9gCholesterol: 17mgSodium: 43mgCarbohydrates: 15.7gFiber: 0.9gSugar: 8.8gProtein: 1.4g

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5 Comments

    1. Hmm…seems like the name Cheryl is related to having good taste in cookie flavors 🙂 Hope you enjoy the cookies!

    1. Hi Linda,

      We haven’t doubled the recipe before so I couldn’t say for sure. But next time we make them I’ll definitely give it a try and update the recipe notes.

  1. i do love ginger! it’s a close second to cinnamon in my list of favorite spices, but it has an edge here because it comes in so many different forms! love these!