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!

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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, my Chocolate Filled Cookies, 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:

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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.

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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

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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!

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Last Updated on March 11, 2024 by Chenée Lewis

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

FAQs

Why do my gingerbread cookies fall apart? ›

From doubling up on molasses to using too much flour, there is a lot that can go wrong. Forgetting the molasses resulted in a crumbly cookie that was light in color. Combining all ingredients at once created lumps in the finished product.

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. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.

Why are my gingerbread cookies puffy? ›

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.

Can you overmix gingerbread? ›

Over mixing the dough can lead to a tough textured cookie that doesn't hold its shape as well. Mix on low speed each time while slowly scraping down the sides of the bowl mixing just until everything is combined.

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 add too much butter to gingerbread cookies? ›

But one unexpected error bakers can make is adding too much of a good thing, butter. Although butter generally makes it all better, bakers who go overboard with it are dooming their cookies to a greasy and crumbly texture.

How do I make my cookies chewy instead of crunchy? ›

How To Make Cookies Chewy Without Cornstarch
  1. Go heavy on brown sugar. It has more moisture than its granulated counterpart, which means the cookie comes out less crispy. ...
  2. Choose margarine or shortening instead of butter. ...
  3. Use baking powder instead of baking soda. ...
  4. Rest your dough. ...
  5. Shorten baking time.
May 14, 2023

How do you make cookies soft instead of crunchy? ›

Baking cookies quickly in a hot oven – at 375 degrees F as opposed to a lower temperature – will make for soft results. They'll bake fast instead of sitting and drying out in the oven's hot air. Ever so slightly underbaking your cookies will give you softer results than cooking them the full amount the recipe says.

How do you make cookies flat instead of fluffy? ›

Cookies are always more puffy when just baked. If you want a thinner cookie, leave a tablespoon or two of flour out. If you want thicker cookies add a tablespoon or so of extra flour.

How do you moisten gingerbread cookie dough? ›

There are a few things you can do to add liquid to your cookie dough if it is too dry and crumbly. One option is to add milk, water, or another liquid until the dough is the right consistency. You can also try adding melted butter or shortening. If your dough is still too dry, you may need to add more flour.

Why is my ginger cake rubbery? ›

Over mixing cake batter can result in a heavy, closed rubbery texture. Over mixing acts on the gluten in flour and will make cakes hard instead of the lovely soft spongy texture we associate with a good cake.

How long does gingerbread need to rest? ›

Make sure you rest it overnight in the fridge then bring it out to come to room temp before you start rolling it out. You will be cursing at it if you try to roll it out straight after making it. This Gingerbread will last for months in cello bags or in airtight containers.

Why do you put molasses in gingerbread? ›

The deep, caramel-like sweetness of molasses pairs perfectly with the warm spices of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, creating the iconic flavor profile of these classic treats. The choice of molasses over other sweeteners adds a depth and complexity that elevates gingerbread to a cherished holiday tradition.

How do you make a gingerbread house not fall apart? ›

Gingerbread House Construction Tips:
  1. Get the right texture. “Use royal icing, because it dries hard. ...
  2. Lay it flat. “Decorate the separate pieces of the house and let them dry before putting the house together. ...
  3. Let it dry. Beddall says patience is the most important part of gingerbread house making. ...
  4. Take a shortcut.
Dec 8, 2020

How do you fix broken gingerbread? ›

Use royal icing to attach the pieces back together. Another trick is to use candy melts as the “glue”. It dries much faster than icing. Whichever option you choose, it is best to let the repair dry overnight.

How do you make a gingerbread house that doesn't fall apart? ›

Just melt the sugar in a pan over low heat. You want to allow it to turn brown, but make sure not to burn it (otherwise it won't taste so great). Then take your gingerbread house pieces, dip the edges in melted sugar and hold them together for a few seconds. That's it!

What causes cookies to break apart? ›

Too much flour = crumbly cookies

If you don't want to measure by weight, try sifting your flour first and scooping flour into your measuring cup with a spoon, and don't pack it down into the cup. If all else fails, try reducing the amount of flour in the recipe by 10%.

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