Christmas may be over but these cookies are good all year around. Spicy ginger cookies using the secret ingredients of chili powder and cayenne pepper.

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When I was little sometimes my mom would buy us these spicy, crispy ginger cookies as a treat when we would go on long trips. I loved them! Now that I am an adult and try to make most of my food from scratch I have tried several times to make them. But even after adding 1/4 of ginger they still weren’t the spicy ginger cookies that I remember.

So, I gave up, then one day while shopping at my favorite bulk food store I found the cookies from my childhood. I bought them even though they weren’t made from the best ingredients, and they tasted just as I remembered them!

Looking at the ingredients I realized that the spicy ginger flavor comes from not just ginger but also chili powder and cayenne pepper. So, I tried a few different recipes and came up with this one. I love them! They have just the right amount of spice for me and are perfect paired with milk.

Do I need to use blackstrap molasses?

Yes, other types of molasses are just not the same. To get the right flavor you need to use blackstrap molasses. In my area it can be hard to find so I either get it from the bulk food store 1.5 hours away or get it online.

How spicy are these cookies?

Medium. They definitely have a kick but that do not leave your mouth burning. If you want to kick them up a notch, I would bump the cayenne pepper up to 1 1/2 tsp.

Can these be made gluten free?

I don’t see why not. I have no tried making them gluten free yet but I don’t see any reason that it would not work with GF all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. Xanthum Gum.

How To Make Spicy Ginger Cookies

Gather the following ingredients:

Wet Ingredients:

3/4 Cup. Softened Butter

1 Cup. Sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies in)

1 Egg

1/4 Cup, Blackstrap Molasses

Dry Ingredients:

2 /14 Cup. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

2 tsp. Ground Ginger

1 tsp. Cayenne

1 tsp. Chili Powder

1 tsp. Ground Cloves

1/4 tsp. Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350

dry ingredients for spicy ginger cookies in a glass bowl

In a large bowl combine unbleached all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cayenne powder, chili powder, ground cloves and salt.

Cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Beat in egg and blackstrap molasses

Slowly mix in dry ingredients.

Scoop dough into balls using a tablespoon measuring spoon and roll in the extra sugar.

Place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.

Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week aro freeze for later.

Spicy Ginger Cookies

Enjoy these classic Spicy Crispy Cookies!

Ingredients

Wet Ingredients:
3/4 Cup. Softened Butter
1 Cup. Sugar (plus extra for rolling cookies in)
1 Egg
1/4 Cup, Blackstrap Molasses
Dry Ingredients:
2 /14 Cup. Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Cayenne
1 tsp. Chili Powder
1 tsp. Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp. Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350
In a large bowl combine unbleached all-purpose flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cayenne powder, chili powder, ground cloves and salt.
Cream together softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in egg and blackstrap molasses
Slowly mix in dry ingredients.
Scoop dough into balls using a tablespoon measuring spoon and roll in the extra sugar.
Place cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a week aro freeze for later.