Easy Refrigerator Gingersnap Cookies: Make-Ahead Slice Bake
For me there’s nothing quite as nostalgic as a gingersnap cookie. I can eat one anytime, and I am immediately transported back to my childhood. And these refrigerator gingersnap cookies have everything that I love about cookies. They are easy to make, can be made ahead of time, and they are loaded with flavor. And of course they have the snap you want from a gingersnap. A crunchy bite bursting with ginger.
Making Refrigerator Gingersnap Cookies
These refrigerator gingersnap cookies are made with shortening. You can substitute butter if you want, but you will not get the classic bite and snap from the cookie using butter. But if you like a softer ginger cookie anyway, then using butter is the right substitution for you.
As a refrigerator cookie, the cookie dough is refrigerated until you’re ready to bake the cookies. Then you just slice and bake when you’re ready. They are super easy and a great way to break-up the prep time. That way you can prepare the cookie dough on one day, refrigerate, then bake on a different day. This is so helpful during the holidays, or when making the cookies for a party
Step by Step Process
Mix the wet ingredients until smooth and thoroughly combined. You can do this by hand, but an electric mixer makes it much easier.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. You can include the spices in this step. Or, add the spices separately. This is the way I prefer to do it. I like to add the spices to the creamed wet ingredients. This way I can make sure that the mixture is thoroughly creamed and the spices are incorporated throughout. Then when I add the flour I don’t have to overmix.
Place a large piece of plastic wrap on top of your work surface. Remove the cookie dough from the bowl and place on top of the plastic wrap. Form the cookie dough into a log. You want it to be about 12-14 inches in length. If you want smaller cookies and to get more cookies per batch, you can make longer and thinner logs. I also like to divide the dough into two separate logs. That way I can bake one and freeze the other.
Freezing Cookies
This is always one of the most frequently asked questions. Can you freeze gingersnap cookies? And, what’s the best way to store them? Let me answer the 2nd question first. You can store these cookies at room temperature for 3-5 days. The longer you keep the cookies the harder they will become. Eating them within the first couple of days is best, but they have a long shelf life and store well in pretty cookie tins. This makes them a great cookie to use for gift giving.
If you want to freeze the cookies, you have a couple of options. You can either bake them and then freeze the cookies. Or, freeze the dough and then bake the cookies. This is always my preference, but my mother prefers baking them first. Both options work well and it really comes down to personal preference.
These refrigerator gingersnap cookies are great for the holidays. For many people it’s the only time of the year they make them, but I like to make them year round. Don’t limit them to being just a Christmas cookie. After all, slice and bake molasses cookies can be a life safer when you need to bake up some cookies. So why wait? Give this cookie recipe a try and I think you’ll see why it’s the perfect cookie to make any time of year.
Slice and Bake Gingersnap Cookies
Equipment
- Baking Sheet
- Electric Stand or Hand Mixer
- Parchment Paper
- Plastic wrap
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose Flour
- 1 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 large eggs
- 1 Tablsespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Combine the sugar, shortening, molasses, and eggs in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix well.
- Add the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Mix until thoroughly mixed.
- Gradually add the flour to the bowl with the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour the mixture out onto parchment paper. Knead and shape it until you’ve formed a large log. Your log should be 14 inches long in order to get cookies that are just under 3 inches in size.
- Wrap the cookie dough log in plastic wrap, then wrap in parchment paper. Place the log in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, or overnight.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Remove the cookie dough log from the refrigerator. The bottom may have flattened as it chilled in the refrigerator, so you can roll the log back and forth to make it more circular if you want,
- Unwrap the log and slice it into ¼ inch slices. Place the slices on the prepared pan about one inch apart.
- Bake the cookies 8 minutes, or until they’re golden but aren't quite finished baking.
- Pull the cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- You can divide the dough in half and make smaller logs, if you’d like smaller cookies.
- The cookie dough logs can be frozen, sliced, and baked. If baking frozen dough, I like to drop the temperature on the oven to 350 degrees and increase the baking time.
Here are more molasses and ginger cookie recipes to try.
Molasses Spice Crisps and Molasses Cookies Made With Shortening
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