Cozy Homemade Gingersnap Cookies (Moms and Kids Love!)

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The Cozy Recipe That Makes Your Home Smell Like Fall and Christmas Morning

A Cozy Fall Afternoon for Gingersnaps

The first time I baked gingersnaps this season, the leaves had just started to turn outside our window. My younger son was running around the house wreaking havoc (as usual… what is it about second borns?) and my older son was “helping” measure out the flour and spices (he did a surprisingly good job, too!). That’s the rhythm of motherhood, isn’t it? A little bit chaotic, but if you let yourself breathe into it, those tiny interruptions become part of the story. Because try as we might, we can’t stop the chaos, but we can definitely manage it and reframe it.

For this gingersnap recipe, I already had almost everything on hand, like flour, sugar, eggs, and butter… All I had to pick up was molasses and ground ginger. That felt so right to me, like fall baking should be simple, cozy, and accessible. Slipping into the holidays can be smooth if you already have a great foundation. Nothing complicated, nothing fancy, just a recipe that fits into the rhythms of this Canadian mom’s kitchen.

These gingersnaps are spicy in the best way, filled with warmth from the ginger and cinnamon. They bake into amazingly soft, chewy cookies that make your whole house smell like the holidays. It’s the kind of scent that instantly transports you back to childhood. If you read my 90s Christmas post or my fall homemaking post, you’ll know exactly what I mean… the cozy nostalgia that comes flooding back from one bite or one smell.

The Necessary Ingredient for Gingersnaps: What is Molasses Anyway?

I have always wondered, and all the years I’ve made gingersnaps I never really thought to look into it (probably because my ADHD brain was already on to the next thought 😅). For the sake of this blog post I decided to finally look it up!

Molasses is a dark, sticky syrup created during the sugar-making process. When sugarcane (or sugar beets) are boiled down, the crystals are removed for refined sugar and what’s left behind is molasses. So, it’s basically a by-product that’s actually packed with minerals and has this rich, bittersweet flavour that brings depth to baking. I was also today years old when I learned that brown sugar is just regular cane sugar with molasses added to it.

There are different types of molasses, and each one changes the taste of your cookies:

• Fancy Molasses: Lighter, sweeter, and perfect for baking. This is the one you want for ginger snaps.
• Dark or Cooking Molasses: Stronger flavor, a little more bitter, often used in hearty breads.
• Blackstrap Molasses: Very dark, slightly salty, and can be too strong for cookies.

Can you make molasses from scratch? Technically yes, but it’s not a kitchen project I’d recommend for busy moms. It’s labour-intensive, messy, and takes access to sugarcane or beets. In my world of intentional homemaking, some things are worth outsourcing — and molasses is one of them 😅.

Why Fancy Molasses is Key

When I tested these cookies, I tried blackstrap molasses once just to see how it turned out, honestly not on purpose, I just didn’t really know the difference. The result was… not what I wanted. Too heavy, almost bitter, and it overshadowed the ginger. You want gingersnap cookies, not molasses cookies. Fancy molasses is the sweet spot… literally. It balances the spice without overwhelming the flavour. It also keeps the cookies soft and chewy, which is exactly what you want. I like the Crosby’s brand that you can probably get at any grocery store (I get mine at Save-On Foods).

The Tools You’ll Need

You don’t need anything fancy for gingersnaps, just the same tools you’d need for any other of your favourite cookie recipes. I get most of my baking supplies from Amazon! I love to use:

• Stainless steel measuring cups (my favourites are just from Dollarama, but I linked some from Amazon here!)
• Stainless steel mixing bowls (these nesting ones are the best)
• KitchenAid Stand Mixer (the best kitchen investment EVER)
• Flat whisk for mixing the flour (here is my exact one)
• Parchment paper
• Baking sheet
• Cookie scooper (I linked my favourite Amazon ones here!)
• Cooling racks (My favourite Amazon ones here are the best and only $20!)

Gingersnap Cookies are the Perfect Addition to Cozy Fall Homemaking

Fall is the season where my homemaking feels most alive. I put on my diffuser, put on my cozy cardigan, and lean into the rhythm of baking and tidying. I love my weekly checklist for this, because I can just glance and see what needs to be done that day or week. When I talk about Glow and intentional living, this is it. Creating a home that feels nourishing, and creating comforting childhood memories for my boys.

If you want more inspiration for this season, I shared more in my fall homemaking post and my five daily habits for feeling more grounded. They’re full of ideas to help you slow down and make space for baking afternoons like this one, and incorporate simple rhythms into your family life.

The Perfect Gingersnap Recipe

These cookies are soft, chewy, spiced, and a little bit addictive. The whole batch disappears in just a few days, if not just one day, in this house! The ginger gives them just enough bite without being too spicy for kids.

The ingredients are simple:

• All-purpose flour
• Ground ginger
• Baking soda
• Cinnamon
• Salt
• Butter
• Sugar
• Egg
• Fancy molasses

The Smell of the Holidays

The best part of this recipe isn’t even the eating, although that’s pretty wonderful. It’s the way your house fills with that spiced molasses aroma. It’s warm, comforting, and instantly grounding (and very addicting!) You can read more about making your home smell delicious for the holidays here.

Why This Gingersnaps Recipe Fits Into Intentional Living

Like I always say, homemaking isn’t about Pinterest-perfect kitchens. It’s about rhythms that ground you when life feels loud. Which it often does. Baking cookies on a rainy afternoon, letting the kids dump sugar all over the counter, laughing when the dough sticks to their fingers — that’s Glow. Sometimes it’s better to just take a deep breath, and not worry so much about getting it done… but also enjoying the experience and memories. Life is more than just one big to-do list. That’s thriving instead of just surviving.

If you love this recipe, you might also enjoy my homemade bread recipe and my go-to sugar cookie recipe.

A Glow-Note for Moms

If you’re craving more wellness rhythms and recipes like this, I’d love to invite you to subscribe to Let’s Glow. You’ll get access to exclusive discount codes, Canadian product promotions, blog updates, and easy wellness tips for busy moms. It’s my way of helping you move from exhaustion to energy, one cozy rhythm at a time.

And just a reminder… Sometimes all it takes is a tray of warm cookies to shift the atmosphere in your home.

Subscribe, share this recipe with a friend, or drop a comment below — I’d love to hear if you make these ginger snaps!

Here is the perfect soft and chewy Gingersnap Cookie recipe!

Comment if you try them, I’d love to hear what you think!