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!
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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!
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!
Jump to:
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!
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! And if you love the flavors of these spices, you'll definitely want to check out my Cake Mix Apple Cobbler!
- 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:
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.
Molasses Ginger Crinkle Cookies Tips and F.A.Q.
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.
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.
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.
These molasses ginger crinkle cookies should be soft and chewy!
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 could leave 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
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses - you'll want mild/light unsulphured molasses
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 15.25-oz spice cake mix
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour - (32 grams)
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup powdered sugar - for rolling
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
Nutrition
Save these gingerbread crinkle cookies to Pinterest!
Last Updated on February 22, 2025 by Chenée Lewis
Suzanne says
These were really good and easy to make. I will say that I think most companies have made their boxes of cake mix smaller @ 13.5 oz. (thank you Covid) they still turned out great, but I'll look for a bigger box next time!
Chenée Lewis says
I recently heard about that, what a bummer! Glad they still worked out for you!
Victoria says
I made these to bring to a friend's house and they were a big hit! I did add diced crystalized ginger to the cookies, but then my friend and I are suckers for ginger! Thanks for the recipe!
Chenée Lewis says
Yum!! What a great idea! So glad you liked them 🙂
Colleen McMillen says
These turned out perfectly! I will definitely make them again!
Chenée Lewis says
Good to hear! Thanks!
Jazz says
These were the perfect cookies to start the Christmas season with! So easy to make and we were able to make it a family project with music on in the kitchen and everything. Will be making them again--thanks!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! Sounds like a lovely festive baking session!
Britney Brown says
This recipe was so much fun to make! The cookies are so good, I love the texture and the taste, so perfect for the holidays!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! They're definitely a favorite Christmas cookie of mine!
Taneisha says
I've never made cookies with cake mix, and I'm so happy this was the recipe I decided to try it out with! So delicious and so easy with the perfect blend of spices! Thanks so much for a great recipe!!
Chenée Lewis says
So glad you liked them! Thanks!
Lilly says
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe along with the video! My niece and I had so much fun making these cookies together! We had even more fun eating them-- they were so tasty!
Chenée Lewis says
Glad that you both liked them!
Crystal DaCruz says
Wow! What a fantastic recipe! My whole family loved these cookies!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you! I love these cookies!
Robin says
These cookies are as gorgeous as they are easy to make. Simple perfection!
Chenée Lewis says
Thank you so much!
Erique says
I am so glad I am came across this amazing cookie recipes and I love the ginger in them. Please know that this cookies are now a house favorite.
Chenée Lewis says
Wonderful! They're a favorite in my house too!
Marta says
My cookies came out perfectly crinkled, but the taste and the texture are what really won me over. I'm so glad you explained which molasses to pick up because I sure was about to buy blackstrap!
Chenée Lewis says
Thanks! So glad you liked them!
Loretta says
Mine were too sticky to roll! What did I do wrong?
Chenée Lewis says
Probably nothing - companies have recently started making the size of cake mixes smaller, and this recipe is made for a cake mix that's around 15 ounces. I still need to update the recipe to work with the smaller sizes they're producing now but I'm the meantime, you can add a little flour to help the dough be less sticky. 😊
Stephanie says
These ginger cookies are so delicious and super simple to make. My family gobbled these up and requested more for this weekend!
Chenée Lewis says
Thanks! I love how easy these are!
Andrea Metlika says
We love crinkle cookies and these ginger ones sound amazing! deliciousness!
Chenée Lewis says
Thanks! They're such a treat 🙂
Jesse says
I love how easy it is to make these amazing ginger crinkle cookies. Thanks for the great recipe!
Chenée Lewis says
Cake mix makes them so easy! 🙂
Priya Lakshminarayan says
Wow they look stunning! Making them tonight
Chenée Lewis says
Awesome! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Jen says
I was looking for a last minute cookie to make for Christmas. I loved that this used a cake mix. So perfect (and tasty!).
Chenée Lewis says
I'm glad you liked it! ?
Liz says
I never knew how cookies came out crinkled like that! These cookies sound do delish, can't wait to make them!
Chenée Lewis says
thanks! I hope you enjoy them! 🙂