Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (2024)

by Chenée Lewis

Best old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe! These chewy ginger crackles are the best soft ginger cookies! And we’re making these gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix!

If you like this spicy ginger crinkle cookies recipe, try my Brownie Mix Cookies with White Chocolate, Cherries and Pistachios, my Oatmeal Cranberry Pecan Cookies, or my Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar!

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (1)

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video
Pin Recipe Print Recipe

*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see mydisclosurefor details*.

Spicy Ginger Crinkle Cookies Recipe

These cookies have all the flavors you expect from classic soft ginger cookies -- molasses, ginger, and other spices, all coated in a lovely crinkle layer of powdered sugar.

But that's not the best part! These cookies are SO easy because they're made with cake mix! Yes, just like my Strawberry Cheesecake Cookies or my Lemon Blueberry Cookies, the base for this old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe is a boxed cake mix! So when you don't have the time to make traditional German Lebkucken from scratch, you're in luck!

What causes cookies to crinkle?

The question is: Why do gingerbread cookies crack? Well, the crinkle comes from the outside of the cookie setting and hardening in the oven before the inside. So as the inside of the cookie bakes and expands, it creates cracks and separations in the outside of the cookie.

This process is furthered by the addition of powdered sugar before baking. Powdered sugar draws out some of the moisture from the outer layer of the cookie, emphasizing the crinkle effect even more! That's how we get those beautiful crinkly tops on these molasses ginger crinkle cookies!

If you want to try another delicious cookie recipe, try these ube crinkles or my Coconut Pecan Cookies!

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (2)

What are ginger cookies made of?

  • spice cake mix - to make this recipe super easy, we'll make our gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix! I used a 15.25-oz Betty Crocker Spice Cake Mix. We'll just be using the dry mix, not a prepared cake batter.
  • all-purpose flour - we're adding some flour to thicken up the batter a bit.
  • vegetable oil - the secret to moist ginger crinkle cookies! Oil keeps these cookies soft and chewy.
  • eggs - give a little lift and richness to our cookies.
  • molasses - you'll need unsulphured molasses for this old fashioned ginger crinkle cookies recipe -- I used Grandma's Original Molasses.
  • cinnamon and ginger - we're boosting the spice flavors a bit to give these cookies the classic, spicy gingerbread flavor!
  • powdered sugar - we'll coat our ginger molasses crinkle cookies with powdered sugar before they bake to create that stunning crinkle effect!

Equipment

This is a one-bowl and wooden spoon recipe! You don't need an electric mixer, or even a whisk! These ginger crinkle cookies come together so easily so it's the perfect low-key holiday cookie for beginners! Here are a few more tools you might need:

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (3)

Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top?

The most likely reason for your cookies not crackling is that your oven isn't hot enough. You can use an oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven temperature and make sure it's fully hot before baking your chewy ginger crackles!

Why are my crinkle cookies flat?

There could be a couple of reasons for flat ginger crinkle cookies. First, your dough may not have been sufficiently chilled. Make sure you chill the dough for at least an hour before scooping. Also, you may have not added enough flour -- I recommend using a kitchen scale to measure your flour to make sure that that the measurement is accurate.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (4)

Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies Tips and F.A.Q.

Fully chill your dough before shaping.

The cold dough will help you form round cookie balls, and will keep the powdered sugar from melting into the dough. I'd recommend chilling your dough at least 1 hour.

Press cookie dough balls firmly into powdered sugar.

The method I use is to roll the dough ball into the sugar, pressing down firmly to allow the sugar to stick. This is better than simply tossing the dough with the sugar. Then you can allow the excess sugar to fall off before you place the dough ball on your baking sheet, so that you don't end up with clumps of powdered sugar on your finished cookies.

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (5)

Use the right kind of molasses!

This is so important. Molasses can vary in sweetness, consistency, and ingredients. For this recipe you need mild unsulphured molasses. Unsulphured molasses is sweeter and doesn't contain preservatives, and comes in mild, dark, and blackstrap varieties. I prefer mild unsulphured molasses for baking because it offers less bitterness, so for this recipe I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses or something similar.

Should gingerbread cookies be crunchy?

These molasses ginger crinkle cookies should be soft and chewy!

How do I store these gingerbread crinkle cookies?

You can keep these in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 2 months!

If you try this recipe,I would love it if you couldleave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging@chenee_today on Instagram!

More Christmas Cookie Recipes You'll Love

  • Peppermint White Chocolate Sugar Cookies
  • No Chill Gingerbread Cookies with Stout and Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
  • No Spread Sugar Cookies
  • Salted Caramel Thumbprint Cookies with Cinnamon Sugar
  • Lemon Curd Cookies
  • Cranberry White Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

📖 Recipe

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (7)

Ginger Crinkle Cookies

Print Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Best ginger crinkle cookies recipe! These chewy ginger crackles are the best soft ginger cookies! And we’re making these gingerbread crinkle cookies with cake mix!

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes minutes

Total Time: 24 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine :American

Servings: 36 cookies

Calories: 83kcal

Recipe Source: Chenée Lewis

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking liner.

  • Mix together all ingredients other than powdered sugar in a large bowl with a mixing spoon, until fully combined.

    ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, 2 teaspoon ground ginger, 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 15.25-oz spice cake mix, ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup vegetable oil, 2 large eggs

  • Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

  • Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Roll into powdered sugar, pressing down to get the powdere sugar to stick to all sides of the dough ball.

    1 cup powdered sugar

  • Place dough balls 2 inches apart on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 10-12 minutes.

  • Allow to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

Molasses type:Molasses can vary in sweetness, consistency, and ingredients. For this recipe you need mild unsulphured molasses. Unsulphured molasses is sweeter and doesn't contain preservatives, and comes in mild, dark, and blackstrap varieties. I prefer mild unsulphured molasses for this recipe because it offers less bitterness, and we're not adding sugar. So for this recipe I recommend Grandma's Original Molasses or something similar.

Storage and Freezing:You can keep these in an airtight container for up to 3 days at room temperature, or freeze them for up to 2 months!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cookie | Calories: 83 kcal | Carbohydrates: 16 g | Protein: 1 g | Fat: 3 g | Saturated Fat: 1 g | Cholesterol: 10 mg | Sodium: 94 mg | Potassium: 57 mg | Sugar: 10 g | Calcium: 31 mg

Nutrition Disclaimer

Did you try this recipe? Rate it below!I can't wait to see (and share) your results! Follow me on Instagram at @chenee_today and tag #cheneetoday!

Save these gingerbread crinkle cookies to Pinterest!

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (8)
Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (9)

Last Updated on February 8, 2024 by Chenée Lewis

Ginger Crinkle Cookies - Easy Cake Mix Recipe! - Chenée Today (2024)

FAQs

Why are my gingerbread cookies crunchy? ›

Keep in mind that the longer the cookies bake, the harder and crunchier they'll be. For soft gingerbread cookies, follow my suggested bake times. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet.

Why did my gingerbread cookies puff up? ›

Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.

What is the secret to soft cookies? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What is the trick to soften hard cookies? ›

Another way to soften cookies is by placing the cookies in an airtight container with a damp paper towel. The paper towel will release moisture and help to soften the cookies without making them too soft or mushy. Another way is to place the cookies in a plastic bag with a slice of apple or a damp tea towel.

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? ›

Why are my crinkle cookies not crinkling? If the dough is too wet, then it will dissolve the sugar and the crinkle will get lost. In order for a defined crinkle to form, the surface of the dough needs to be dry. If your cookies are not crinkling then there is too much free water in the dough.

Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top? ›

Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)

What happens if you don't chill gingerbread dough? ›

Chilling the dough before it goes into a hot oven gives the butter a chance to firm up and reduces how much it spreads when baking. “You should chill the dough both before rolling and cutting and after,” she said.

Why do my ginger cookies go flat? ›

Oven temperatures are a crucial factor in baking. If your cookies consistently come out flat, you may have selected the wrong baking temperature. If you bake cookies using too much heat, the fats in the dough begin to melt before the other ingredients can cook together and form your cookie's rise.

Should gingerbread cookies be hard or soft? ›

Gingerbread cookies should be soft. They should be supple. They should bend to your teeth before the cookie skin breaks and the crumbs fall all over you. They should retain a bit of elasticity, and maybe you can even leave your fingerprints on the cookie if you hold them too hard because you're just that excited.

Why do my cookies taste like cake? ›

Adding too many eggs can result in gummy, cake-like cookies. Adding too few eggs can result in dry, crumbly cookies. Beat each one in separately and thoroughly. If you run out of eggs while baking and find that you need more, you can add 1/4 cup vegetable oil for each egg required.

How to soften hard gingerbread cookies? ›

simply put the cookies inside a dish that you can seal with a lid. then add a slice of bread to the dish for simplicity purposes. I just added one cookie and half a slice of bread here. let it sit overnight.

How to make store-bought cookies soft? ›

You see, the only thing that you need to soften up a batch of day-old cookies is a slice of bread. This is a trick I learned from my mom after she saw me turn up my nose one too many times at a slightly crispy chocolate chipper (self-proclaimed gooey, chewy cookie fiend here!).

How do you make packaged cookies soft? ›

Put Cookies in the Microwave

For soft and chewy cookies, simply pop them in the microwave under a wet paper towel before eating them. After a few seconds, the moisture from the paper towel will make your cookies soft, warm, and chewy. Be sure to eat them right away!

How to make gingerbread soft after baking? ›

If you've already baked your gingerbread though and it's harder than you'd like, you CAN make it a little softer for eating. I wrap mine in a damp paper towel and heat in the microwave for a few seconds.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Kieth Sipes

Last Updated:

Views: 5648

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (67 voted)

Reviews: 90% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Kieth Sipes

Birthday: 2001-04-14

Address: Suite 492 62479 Champlin Loop, South Catrice, MS 57271

Phone: +9663362133320

Job: District Sales Analyst

Hobby: Digital arts, Dance, Ghost hunting, Worldbuilding, Kayaking, Table tennis, 3D printing

Introduction: My name is Kieth Sipes, I am a zany, rich, courageous, powerful, faithful, jolly, excited person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.