Baking has always been a passion of mine, and at this time of year all I crave are those old-fashioned recipes that I grew up with, like my Grandma Laurin’s family-famous gingersnaps (with a gluten-free variation!).
My Grandma Laurin (on my dad’s side of the family, not ‘Boomba’) had a few recipes that were literally THE BEST. Her cinnamon buns were absolutely to die for (and from lol… I once spent a day with her playing crib and making cinnamon buns and almost fainted seeing how much butter and brown sugar she used).
She is no longer with us, but I always remember her tin jar that she kept on her counter that was always full of gingersnaps. I’m praying that tin is still around somewhere in the family – it brings back such incredible childhood memories. It’s funny how a song, a smell (or a cookie jar) can do that.
I’m the kind of person who prefers simple classic recipes (there are some things you just don’t mess with my friends), and this old-fashioned gingersnap recipe is literally THE BEST. They are crunchy yet chewy, have just the right amount of spice and are a breeze to make – it’s a good one to make with the kids. If I dare say, Grandma Laurin’s gingersnaps are basically perfect.
The holidays are a time for creating new memories and honouring old traditions. And some of those traditions involve food. Ok, a lot of them involve food in our family! And if your family is like mine, some of these dishes are on the indulgent side. And those can fit in… in moderation!
I plan on eating a few of these cookies (without an ounce of guilt) and thinking about my sweet grandma humming along in her kitchen as she did, remembering those long matches of crib and that cookie jar that so many of her children and sweet grandchildren’s hands snuck into over the years.
Her original recipe called for ‘shortening’, which I know meant margarine. I tried it with coconut oil (the regular kind that is solid at room temperature) and they were perfect. I also adapted them to make them gluten-free …. it took a bit of tweaking so see the notes section for the ingredients to sub.
I think Grandma Laurin would be so happy to know that her recipe is still being used and enjoyed… and now in so many more kitchens across the country! What a lovely way to honour someone. I’m sure we all have recipes like these that are handwritten with love on those old recipe cards? What old-fashioned recipe is on repeat in your kitchens at this time of year?
I always make a batch of rolled shortbread and Butter Tart Squares (from the cookbook, (page 284).
Happy baking my friends,
xo
Tori
Grandma’s Gingersnap Cookies
Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies
A holiday classic, this is the BEST recipe for my Grandma's Gingersnap Cookies - they taste just like Christmas.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup coconut oil*
- 1 cup sugar (plus extra for rolling)
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses (we used fancy molasses)
- 1 3/4 cup flour
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
-
Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
-
Using an electric mixer on high, cream together coconut oil and sugar. Add in the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add in the molasses and continue to mix.
-
Add the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt and mix until combined.
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Add a generous scoop of sugar to a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet about 2 inches apart from one another; do not press down. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool. Store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 1 week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Recipe Notes
*you can substitute butter for coconut oil, however your cookie will be thinner and you will need to refrigerate your dough for around 1 hour before rolling into balls.
**bake cookies for 9 minutes if you prefer a more chewy gingersnap and 12 minutes if you prefer a more crunchy gingersnap.
TO MAKE THESE GLUTEN FREE:
- use 2 1/4 cups of gluten free 1:1 flour
- add 1 tablespoon of molasses to the recipe
- increase the spices to 1 1/2 teaspoons each
- increase the eggs to 2 eggs
Ohhh I can’t wait to try this. If using shortening would it still be 3/4 cup??
Thanks for sharing! I’ll have to try these! Quick question first. Is the measurement for coconut oil from liquid or solid? I’m guessing solid but would like to make sure. Thanks again!
Solid!
Can you use margarine or stick with butter?
Yes that should work Jessica, I haven’t tried it before tho and would love to hear how it goes!
OMG!! These are absolutely perfect. Mine yielded 3 dozen cookies. Coconut oil is such a nice addition to these. Thanks Tori!! Another great recipe 🙂
So glad you liked them Alysha!
Thank you for sharing this! Making Gingersnaps is on the to-do list today, and I was looking for a great recipe! Grandmas are the BEST cooks!
I agree! They somehow get it right every time!
This looks wonderful. Plan on making this evening!
Can’t wait to hear how you like them!
Mine did not turn out (through fault of my own) but boy oh boy, they still tasted delicious!! I would eat the dough by itself. Thanks for the recipe!!
These were so good! I didn’t leave enough space between each of them on the first batch, forgetting that they’d spread a lot!
Wouldn’t shortening be like Crisco? Or do you think margarine? I don’t love coconut oil in baking generally, but don’t find you can taste it in these! So good.
Thank you for sharing!
These sounds delicious! I can’t wait to make these!
I followed the recipe EXACTLY, but found that my dough was still VERY sticky! There’s no way I could have rolled it into balls. Should I be using more than 1 3/4 cups flour? Help! ♥️
1 3/4 cup of flour is correct! Unfortunately I’m not too sure what might have gone wrong, I would just make sure you’re using solid coconut oil!
I’m currently making these and can’t figure out if it’s one single 3/4 cup of flour or 1 AND 3/4 cup? Please help! Thanks!
Thank you for replying to my DM to clarify that it is indeed 1 AND 3/4 cup flour! They’re perfect and this recipe made 42!! Thank you again Tori
Could you use gf flour? And if so, do you have a brand you like?
Hi Kaitlyn, I haven’t tried this recipe with gluten free flour yet but when I do substitute I find I love the Bob’s Red Mill 1:1!
Love this recipe! Tried it tonight with Robin Hood’s gluten free flour and the cookies were delicious, and the texture was perfect! I used just a little less flour and the mixture stuck together nicely. Thanks for the recipe!!
Love to hear that these work gluten free! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Maryse!
OH…… MY….. GOODNESS….. Seriously these are AMAZING! I am not one for ginger snap cookies. They never did it for me. But when you posted such amazingly, beautiful pictures, they seriously cry out “eat me”. So I baked them today and fell in love with these. I only baked half the batch and froze the other half of the dough (will they freeze okay???). I can eat them all! I didn’t know if I wanted them to be chewy or crispy so I went with a time in between what you suggested and got crispy on the edges and chewy in the middle. In LOVE!
Do you know if a flax egg would work instead of an egg? Thanks!
I have made these twice now and they are amazing! I found I liked the way they turned out better when I chilled the dough before and after rolling into balls. So delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe, it’s a keeper!
So great you love them Jen! Thanks for giving them a try!
Thank you Tori for sharing this recipe, my girls and husband loved the cookies this morning! Great way to start a weekend!
Thank you Tori and your Grandma!
My kitchen smell so wonderfully joyful!
My son declared them delicious!
Me too!
I used a flax egg and used half sugar and half applesauce.
YUM!
Merry Christmas!
Looking forward to trying your shortbread.
Thank you Tori for sharing!
Your kindness is much appreciated .
Love hearing your modifications! So happy you liked them Leslie thanks for taking time out of this busy season to leave a review. Merry Christmas to you too!
I made these cookies today for a cookie exchange. They were excellent when it comes to flavor. They were however quite flat. I did refrigerate prior to rolling into balls. That really helped.
Hi Kim! Using coconut oil results in a thicker cookie!
Doubled the recipe – Amazing cookies Tori! Easy to put together and so yummy!
I made these and my whole family loved them! Great, simple recipe.
So glad you liked them Megan!
Although I like them, they weren’t what I was expecting. They didn’t have a strong enough ginger flavor for me. And maybe my molasses wasn’t super strong? I’m also thinking of maybe cutting back on the sugar as I found them to be really sweet
Hi Drea, thanks for the feedback! You could definitely add a bit more ginger if that’s your jam, in regards to the molasses I would just make sure you’re using the right kind.
Hi Tori,
Can you freeze those cookies? Thank you 🙂
Yes they should freeze just fine!
WOW! Made these today and they do mri disappoint. We wanted them soft chewy and 9 minutes was just perfect. Highly recommend and will make again.
THANK YOU! I am so happy you enjoyed and I really appreciate the glowing review!
First off, I love your cookbook (the vegan chocolate chip cookies are even a favourite of my butter-loving family and friends!)
These cookies are incredible! Pure perfection. My partner (a lover of butter) was skeptical about branching off from chocolate cookies, but these won him over. I had to limit his snacking before I had none left to share!
Next are your dipped peanut butter cookies. Thanks for the great, wholesome recipes!
Hi Whitney that’s so great thank you!! And thank you for taking the time to rate the recipe, it means a lot to me and is super helpful!
Happy holidays! Tori
Yet another perfect Fraiche recipe. I followed it exactly as it was and the cookies turned out incredible. Thanks, Tori!
Awesome!! Thanks so much Britney!!
These are SO delicious! We’ve made these three times so far this winter. And to think I didn’t like coconut anything a few years ago!
My family loves these cookies! Wondering if you have any suggestions on how to make these egg free as my son has an egg allergy?
Hi Brittany I haven’t tried it, but I would suspect that flax eggs or a commercial egg replacer would work! Would love to hear if you try!
Take care, Tori