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These crinkly, crackly cookies are made with molasses, ground ginger, warm autumn spices and crystallized, candied ginger.
If you're looking for a fancy-dancy, decorated holiday cookie recipe and/or technique, you may just want to keep clicking your little mouse right on to another site. But if you love good old-fashioned cookies with a delicious gourmet twist or if it's cookies that come together quickly without much fuss you're after or perhaps you're just a bit smitten, like I am, for cookies with deep crinkly cracks that are crisp on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside. If any of these are true, then you've definitely come to the right place!
I've been working on these ginger cookies for a few weeks. My co-workers have been my guinea pigs and taste testers and I think we've come up with a winner. The cookies include molasses, ground ginger along with other warm autumn spices and crystallized, candied ginger which is available at many larger markets and specialty stores like Trader Jo's, Fresh Market and Whole Foods. Pecans chopped fine and toasted in a bit of butter add another layer of delicious flavor and a bit of crunch as does the demera sugar that the cookies are rolled in before baking.
Do you have a holiday cookie exchange coming up? Did you promise treats for a work or school event? Maybe you just want your home to smell heavenly and homey when your kids walk in the door after a hard day at school or when a friend stops by for coffee. Whip up a batch of Crinkly Crackly Toasted Pecan Ginger Cookies. I have a feeling you just might become someone's hero!
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecan halves finely chopped (I just pulse them a few times in my food processor, chop them fairly fine, but don't turn them into pecan dust.)
- 2 teaspoons butter melted
- ½ cup butter softened
- ¼ cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystalized ginger
- ½ cup demera sugar for rolling
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Instructions:
-
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Add the ½ cup demera sugar to a wide, shallow bowl.
-
Place chopped pecans in a medium size bowl. Drizzle with the 2 teaspoons melted butter. Turn out onto one of the sheet pans and bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring several times, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
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In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar till creamy and fluffy.
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Add the egg and molasses and mix well.
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Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar/butter mixture. Mix until all flour is incorporated.
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Add chopped ginger and toasted pecans. Mix to combine.
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Scoop up dough into 1-inch balls (I use a medium size ice cream scoop) and roll in the prepared bowl of Demera sugar to coat well.
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Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350˚F. for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for several minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to cooling rack.
Notes: Make sure pans are cool before adding balls of dough. If the dough is added to warm pans it will soften before it gets to the oven and the finished cookies will be flatter, with less of the fun crackles. When baking cookies, I use 3-4 pans and just transfer the parchment paper to a cool pan. None of the pans get dirty due to the parchment paper, but I'm never waiting for pans to cool.
Lydia says
Chris, your presentations are beautiful. Not only are you a great chef but an amazing photographer.
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Lydia,
Thanks so much, though I can't take credit for the photography, my husband, Scott is the genius behind the camera. We always laugh and say if anyone had to look at my pictures, they'd never look at the blog. But then again, if they had to look at Scott's cooking they'd never look at the blog either 🙂
Patti says
I just today made a batch of these crinkly, crackly, toasted pecan ginger cookies. What can I say...except awesome!! I love them. I had previously been using a ginger/molasses cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchens. I have loved that recipe for years...it uses black pepper in it (yes, I'm serious.) These, though, have topped that recipe. And, oh, by the way, until I got it for this recipe, I had never tasted crystallized ginger before. May I say that I have discovered a new love! I could eat it as candy!
Thanks,
Patti
MaryjoO says
I bow to you: a batch of these have just come out of my oven. We are ginger fiends! These cookies are divine and will be a new family favorite. I used grocery store Hain brand turbinado sugar for the rolling and it worked out fine. I used a med-cookie scoop but for the next batch I will use a small -- need to do lots of baking for giving, and I think the smaller size will do better for mailing. Thanks again for the recipe!
Magic of Spice says
These are wonderful! I would have loved being your guinea pig 🙂
Eri says
I feel like I want to sink my teeth into them, lovely pictures Chris (and mouse)!
Jessica @ Portuguese Girl Cooks says
I love this kind of cookie, Chris! Love all the flavours you have packed into this cookie.
Lisa {Authentic Suburban Gourmet } says
I love the fact that you had folks taste testing your recipe for weeks - I know this recipe is simply perfect. Ginger and molasses cookies are one of my favorites. Pinning now to make later!!!!
Wholesale Cafe Cookies says
Looking Delicious..i am looking for this kind of stuff from many days..thanks for share this wonder recipe!
www.you-made-that.com says
Love, love, love your cookies! Your wrapping and gift box is adorable. I like that your added pecans to a classic cookie. Last year I made sandwich cookies out of my ginger cookies with cream cheese frosting but I think I need to try your recipe this year.
Valerie says
I'm always smitten with cookies with deep, flavourful cracks and crevaces! These look amazing!!
Sue/the view from great island says
These have my name written all over them, I love pecans, and I wouldn't have thought to pair them with ginger. Your packaging is adorable.
Kate says
Mmmmmm...these look lovely!
Pachecopatty says
Love your cookies and the packaging-how fun to bring such a lovely box of cookies to an exchange;-)
Erin @ Dinners, Dishes, and Desserts says
They sound perfect! I love a crinkly cookie. The box is super cute too, I need to find those for the cookie exchange I have this weekend!
France@beyondthepeel says
Oh my Chris, those sounds amazing. I love the crackly top dipped in sugar. Like heaven!
Jen Laceda | Tartine and Apron Strings says
Chris, perfectly divine cookies! And I know those boxes you've got there...Martha Stewart vintage boxes! I used them last christmas, too! How I wish I get a box of these cookies!
Shannon Phillips says
These look amazing! Ginger and toasted pecans...I never would have thought to combine the two. I will be making these soon. Thanks!