Chewy Ginger Cookies are best when chewy and crispy in all the right places, just like these. They should maybe be called Ginger Biscuits but whatever your opinion, this is an easy one bowl recipe with no messy dough to scrape off the counter. Fair warning – you’ll double the recipe next time!
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I’ve been making these Ginger Biscuits my entire life. My godmother Sheila used to make them and she kindly shared the recipe with my many moons ago. Actually, she has shared the recipe with me numerous more times since because I’m a idiot and consistently lose it!
I am excited to memorialise it here – having a blog as a reference for my own recipes is really very handy!
I should point out that whilst I’ve called them Chewy Ginger Cookies, they are neither totally chewy, totally crispy or wholly akin to gingernuts. They lie somewhere delightfully in the middle. They’re a bit crispy and a bit chewy but still dunk-able. They my favourite tea dunking biscuits but they have little staying power – in and out people. In and out. You have been warned.
I used these Ginger Cookies as the basis of my second place winning entry into the Great East Dulwich Bake Off – many moons ago! They were made into sandwich cookies with layers of soft gingerbread and lemon mascarpone cream in the middle. I also drizzled them with a basic icing of lemon juice and icing sugar. Basically you can dress these bad boys up as much as or little as you want!
For more ginger based recipes, check out my 8 Things to Do with Ginger collection of sweet and savoury recipes.
Make Chewy Ginger Cookies into a Feast
I truly believe that you can make any dish into a proper feast! Whether thats a feast for one after work on a Tuesday, a casual feast for four on a Friday evening or a feast for 12 for a special occasion!
Lets be honest. A couple of these cookies and and a cup of tea is a mini feast in itself! Especially when you consider that there is almost no way I’d be able to stick with “a couple”! I do mix my saucer up with some of my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies which are based on the same method as these.
But the biscuits are equally great for throwing into a bag with other treats like my Chilli and Oregano Soda Bread and Homemade Butter, fully loaded Quiche and Choc Chip Orange Muffins as part of a Picnic Feast or even as part of an Afternoon Tea Feast.
Don’t forget to head over to my Feast Collection pages to find all of my tips and tricks to help you host a fun and stress-free feast. Plus remember to check out my recipe index to create your own awesome Feast!
How to Make Chewy Ginger Cookies – Step By Step Video
Ingredients for Chewy Ginger Cookies
Golden Syrup
I am aware that Golden Syrup really is a British product with no direct equivalent often available in other countries. You can substitute molasses for a slightly darker cookie or corn syrup for a lighter, less rich cookie. Honey would be another alternative but obviously that is going to change the flavour profile again.
Or, as I have literally just found out, you can make your own homemade golden syrup! Who knew!
Ginger
I have stuck with using just the traditional Ground Ginger in the recipe. If you love a super gingery hit, feel free to add chopped stem ginger too.
Be Flexible
The basic recipe for these Ginger Cookies is endlessly adaptable. I have swapped out the ginger powder for cocoa to make chocolate cookies which worked perfectly.
You can add lemon or orange zest to the current recipe for extra zing or leave out the ginger and add vanilla extract and choc chips….
I’ve actually saved you the hassle of making swaps for a choc chip version as I’ve now published my Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.
As I mentioned above, I have made a lemon and mascarpone cream to turn them into sandwich cookies and used a simple icing sugar and lemon juice icing to drizzle over the top. (Did I mention that that was an award winning combo!)
Make it Vegetarian or Vegan
My chewy ginger cookies are vegetarian and easily adapted to become vegan. I have actually made vegan versions of them a few times for various bake sales where we were lacking a vegan option. They work great but turn out a little crispier than chewy due to the lack of egg.
Use baking block instead of butter and 1 tbsp veg oil instead of each egg. And thats it! Vegan ginger cookies ahoy!
Make it Allergy Friendly
My Ginger Cookies are free from nuts.
Dairy Free: To make my ginger biscuits suitable for a dairy allergy, simply swap the butter for a a dairy free alternative.
Egg Free: For an egg allergy, swap each egg for 1 tbsp veg oil.
Gluten Free: To make gluten free cookies, use a gluten free flour and gluten free baking powder instead of the self raising flour.
Please note that this recipe may contain other allergens not referred to above and any variations suggested have not been tested unless otherwise stated. For more information regarding any dietary information provided on this website, please refer to my Nutritional Disclaimer.
Equipment Notes for Chewy Ginger Cookies
There is no need to use any kind of electric mixer. Aeration isn’t required and it will ultimately make the biscuits tough.
If you don’t have a microwave, you can melt the butter and syrup etc in a medium saucepan on a low heat. You can carry on and use the saucepan as the mixing bowl for the rest of the recipe.
To see more of my recommended equipment items for new bakers, have a look at my post featuring all the essential equipment you might need.
It is also perfect inspiration for gifts for a budding baker in your life!
A comprehensive list of the equipment used to make this recipe is included in the main recipe card below. Click on any item to see an example. There are no hard and fast rules so many items can be sensibly substituted to achieve the same results.
Get Ahead
This is a great recipe to make the dough ahead of time, roll it into balls and freeze individually. Just cook from frozen when cookies are needed. You will need to bake them a little longer from frozen.
The dough doesn’t otherwise keep terribly well as the bicarb starts to react with the other ingredients. So I’d recommend either freezing or baking straight away.
The cookies themselves do keep really well for several days, especially in an air-tight container.
Leftover Chewy Ginger Cookies
If your Ginger Cookies go a little dry, try giving them 10 to 15 seconds in the microwave. Or dunk them in a brew or glass of milk.
Cookies are always good for sprinkling over ice cream or making cheesecake bases. Try subbing my ginger biscuits for the chocolate digestives in my Chocolate Lime Pie. Or using them as a base for a simple banoffee pie.
Chewy Ginger Cookies Tips
It is worth experimenting with the thickness of the cookies and the cooking time a little to get them to exactly how you want them. My dad likes to squash them more than me and bake them a little longer for something more akin to a crispy gingernut.
I quite often don’t press them at all for a thicker cookie with less spread!
It should be noted that these are not biscuits with a roll-able and cut-able dough – this is not suitable for gingerbread men and houses.
The dough is rather good to just eat as cookie dough. It does contain raw egg so if you’re bothered about that sort of thing then don’t eat it. I generally eat about 70% and bake about 30%!
These chewy ginger biscuits are such a staple in my life and I know that everyone I have made them for loves them too. I really hope that they become a family classic for you too!
Don’t forget to let me know in the comments if you try making this recipe – I want to know what you think and if you made any substitutions, how did it turn out?
Still Have Questions?
Simple! Just contact me and I will do my best to help as quickly as I am able. Head over to my Contact Me page, any of my social media channels or post a comment at the bottom of this page and I’ll see what I can do.
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More Simple Sweet Bakes
More Ginger Recipes
The Recipe
Chewy Ginger Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 85 g Golden Syrup
- 115 g Salted Butter
- 1 Egg
- 200 g Caster Sugar (Superfine Sugar)
- 350 g Self Raising Flour (Self-Rising)
- 2 tbsp Ground Ginger - – use less for a more subtle flavour
- 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170c or equivalent.
- Line 2 baking sheets with grease-proof paper.
- Add 85g Golden Syrup and 115g Butter to either a large bowl or a large pan.
- Melt the syrup and butter in either the microwave or over a medium heat on the hob. It only needs to melt and not boil/get super hot or the egg will scramble.
- Add 1 Egg to the butter/syrup mix and mix until fully combined. If you've overheated the syrup/butter or used a saucepan rather than microwave, allow the syrup/butter to cool a little first.
- Weigh 200g Caster Sugar and 350g Self Raising Flour directly into the mixture.
- Add 2 tbsp Ground Ginger and 1 tsp Bicarbonate of Soda.
- Stir until the whole mixture resembles a slightly wet and shiny dough.
- Turn the dough out onto a board, even it up and cut it into 16 equal size pieces.
- Roll each of the pieces of dough into a smooth ball. You could also make smaller balls and therefore more, smaller biscuits.
- Place each ball on the baking sheets making sure that you give them plenty of room to spread.
- Press down the balls to flatten them slightly with the palm of your hand. The more you press, the thinner and crispier the biscuits will be. Don't press at all for thicker cookies with less spread.
- Bake for 10 minutes. They will be very soft when removed from the oven but they will harden considerably on cooling.
- Leave to cool on their trays for 5/10 minutes and when they are firm enough to handle, move them to a cooling rack.
Clare says
The biscuits are great but having to trawl through the entire history of the ginger biscuit the origin of man and the beginning of the universe is not. I almost gave up before I started I just wanted the recipe so PUT IT FIRST! If people want a good read as well they’ll read on if not they’ll just make the yummy cookies and maybe come back for more.
Chloe says
Clare. If you’re SO ENTITLED that you want free recipes, then be prepared to support content creators. This site and my recipes don’t appear from thin air in no time at all. It is my business and livelihood. If you don’t want to support me then please feel free to stay away (actually please do). Go over to BBC Good Food (notice the ads?) Or maybe pay for a magazine (notice the ads?) or pay for a cookbook (notice the price you paid and the helpful recipe introductions?). So buh-bye. Don’t let your own selfish entitlement hit you on the way out! (Oh and fyi, it’s not my fault that you are such a twonk you missed the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of every single one of my recipes).
nat says
I made these the other day and they were amazing! I wanted to make them again, but I am out of self-raising flour. Is it possible to make it with plain flour?
Chloe says
Hi, I’m so pleased you loved them! Yes you can definitely switch out the flour – this guide from my friend Charlotte should help you get the right amount.
Mojoblogs says
I haven’t tried ginger cookies before and this makes me want to try them. Will definitely make this soon. Thank you for sharing this recipe! 🙂
Chloe says
You won’t be disappointed!
Hushus says
Made these delicious cookies. Was wondering if it can be made with plain /all purpose flour as I prefer cookies that are not cakey?
Thanks.
Chloe says
Hi Hushus, I’ve not tried it but I suspect that using plain/ap flour should give you the outcome you’re looking for! Let me know how you get on x
hushus says
Still delish and less caky but still had problems with the spreading of the cookie even though I flattened it down.
Shep says
When I added the egg to the golden syrup/butter mix and stirred it, the egg started to cook and scramble! Should you wait for it to cool down before adding the egg? I took it off the heat and poured the mixture in a bowl and added the dry ingredients. Dough came out really crumbly so had to add some water to it. The cookies came out like flat cakes not crispy or gooey at all. Taste good but not sure what I did wrong. I followed the recipe exactly!
Chloe says
Hi Shep, the egg scrambling isn’t a problem I’ve ever had but I have added some extra guidance into the recipe card in case. Its very difficult to otherwise diagnose what went wrong for you. There are lots of things that can affect the absorbency of flour including brand, air humidity and even altitude. But adding a little water should have dealt with that appropriately. I hope that you have better look next time x
Shauna Seccombe says
I have made these delicious biscuits twice and both times they have come out completely flat, they taste delicious but don’t look as good as they should…the second time I didn’t flatten the balls of dough at all?? Any idea what’s wrong?
Chloe says
Hi Shauna, I have sent you an email to try to help you!
Cat says
I made these and froze them because I wanted to bake a few at different times to give as presents. Oh my goodness they are delicious! I’m not the biggest ginger fan but I love them! The people I gave them to loved them too. Great recipe and they freeze wonderfully.
Chloe says
I’m so pleased you loved them!
Merete says
Hello from Norway!
Just made these, and I have to say they are delicious! 😄 Unfortunately, mine did not really spread at all, any suggestions? Obviously, living in Norway, I don’t have the same type of any of the ingredients, but perhaps I could try adding more or less of one of them…?
I squished them down a bit more when I took them out of the oven though, so I thought they were perfectly crispy, chewy and tasty nonetheless 😋
Chloe says
Oh I’m so pleased that they’re delicious! I have zero experience of the potential differences between Norwegian and British ingredients so I’m struggling to know what the difference might be. Possible options are that the fat content in the butter differs or that the flour is lighter/stronger (gluten wise). I think I would be inclined to try upping the butter content a little as the first experiment. Please let me know how you get on, I’ll be super interested to know what does/doesn’t work 🙂
Stephanie says
I made a vegan version. I just omitted the egg.
I also used date syrup instead of golden syrup, but only because the cupboard was bare of the golden syrup and was already emotionally committed to making these cookies. But wow, they still turned out amazingly. Crispy, crumbly and chewy. Great recipe even if I did have to accidentally make a few adaptations.
Chloe says
Oh I’m so pleased it worked out for you. I’ve never cooked with date syrup but I’ll definitely be keeping and eye out and trying it sometime, it sounds delicious!
Emma says
Perfect! Easily the best biscuits I’ve ever baked. They did spread a lot and I found I made a lot more than 16. (Not that either of those things was a problem!) I love the fact that they retain their chewiness even when thinner.
Chloe says
Aw brilliant I’m so pleased you loved them! For a little less spread next time try not pressing the balls down at all or only a really little bit 🙂
Laura says
Hi if you were to add stem ginger for a little more heat, how much would you suggest adding please?
Thank you!
Chloe says
Hi Laura, I think I’d add around 4 to 5 balls chopped small to the recipe as written. Let me know how it goes!
Lorraine says
Loved them 😍👌👍
Chloe says
Thanks Lorraine, I’m so pleased you enjoyed them and took the time to let me know!
Maryon Davies says
Wonderful! I added 4 lumps of stem ginger and a little of the ginger syrup, but actually reduced the sugar to 125g. Still super sweet and scrummy!
Chloe says
Fab I’m so pleased they worked out for you!
Anna says
I love this recipe these are the best chewy ginger cookies I’ve ever made. I will be making these again! This is a fab recipe.
Chloe says
Aw I’m so pleased you enjoyed them Anna! I know that you are not short of great recipes in your house so that means a lot x
Jan says
Lovely recipe but biscuits spread too much. Maybe I need to add a little more flour next time?
Chloe says
Hi Jan, there are a few factors that could affect this. Did you press the dough balls down quite a lot? If so simply don’t press them at all. If the dough has come together and is able to be rolled then you’re not short of flour. Using a margarine instead of butter might also affect the spread.
Sally says
Simply delicious! I would make them a little smaller next time – yes, there will definitely be a next time!
Chloe says
Oh I’m so pleased, thats for letting me know. The great thing is that its so flexible that smaller cookies will absolutely work great too.
Kizzywizzy says
Excellent recipe.. made several times now with a few variations. Even my nephew loves them and he is super fussy! They taste great with a bit of white chocolate too!
Chloe says
Oh fabulous, what variations have you tried? I love that your nephew is into them too!
Alethea says
I found the recipe far too dry and had to add around 4-5 extra tablespoons of butter to get the dough to stick together. I liked the end result but need to work out the ideal amount of butter in advance.
Having said that, after a cooling period out of the oven, the biscuits were gorgeous. They are seriously soft first out, but when I had one hours later in the evening, chewy perfection!
I also added 75g of stem ginger, which I would recommend.
Chloe says
Hi I’m sorry you had a struggle – unfortunately many things can affect recipes with flour from the type, the brand, even the altitude at which you bake. Good call on adding extra butter, for future reference, its fine to add a little milk or water instead. The texture is one of the best things so I’m pleased you enjoyed them.
Dave says
Included some brown sugar, stem ginger and the syrup.
So so nice and super easy.
Chloe says
Oh I’m so pleased you loved them! Thank you for letting me know, it always brightens my day!
Izzi says
Made with GF flour and stem ginger bits, and they’re fab, one very happy husband! Will have to play a bit with quantities (had to add more flour but didn’t weigh how much) but I can’t wait to make them with normal flour to get that chewyness.
Chloe says
Oh wow, I’m so pleased that you enjoyed them and that they worked out well. If you’re finding that you’re losing a bit of chew using the gf flour, you can try adding in a little more golden syrup 🙂
Kavita Favelle says
Chewy cookies and ginger cookies are both favourites, so of course, chewy ginger cookies is double perfect! They look really straightforward too.
Chloe says
I very rarely make any other biscuit they’re such a fave around here! I do like to add even more ginger sometimes. I do love a cookie that makes your tongue tingle!
Christina Conte says
Oooh, I love that these have Golden Syrup in them! I can almost taste the chewy goodness; can’t wait to try!
Chloe says
There is almost nothing that a bit of golden syrup don’t make better!
mistimaan says
Comment from post on cedges.co.uk:
Nice recipe