Jaggery Gingersnap Cookies are a delightful take on a classic holiday treat with warm spices of ginger and cinnamon with the deep, caramel-like flavor of jaggery. These cookies are perfectly crisp around the edges with a soft, chewy center, making them irresistible for cookie lovers. With their unique flavor and nostalgic appeal, they’re the perfect addition to your holiday baking repertoire.

Gingersnap cookies have long been a holiday favorite, beloved for their comforting spices and satisfying crunch. This recipe replaces molasses with jaggery—a traditional unrefined sugar used widely in South Asian and African cuisines—for a natural sweetness and depth of flavor.
Whether you’re looking for a nostalgic treat or a new way to enjoy the rich flavors of jaggery, these cookies offer a delicious and wholesome upgrade to a timeless classic.
Typically, I hate the flavor of ginger. But man. Gingersnap cookies? I can't get enough of it! I love the mix of spices in the cookie! And I especially love dipping the cookie in a cup of cardamom chai. These cookies with jaggery are especially warm with caramel-like undertones that is warm and nostalgic for the holiday season.
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Why You'll Love this Recipe
- This recipe is well-tested for the perfect gingersnap cookie!
- It's perfect for desis who don't want molasses to sit unused in their pantry for one-time use. You can use the jaggery that's likely already in your pantry!
- I've tested two ways for you to enjoy the cookie - deep dish style with a spoon full of ice cream or as a classic snappy cookie.
Ingredients - Notes and Substitutions
- Butter - Use unsalted butter at room temperature. This recipe has a higher ratio of butter to flour so the cookies spread more.
- Sugar - Granulated sugar or caster sugar works for the cookies itself. For rolling the cookies, it's best to use turbinado sugar but if you don't have any or can't find it at the grocery, then regular granulated sugar works well.
- Jaggery - Jaggery comes in several forms. I use it in almost a ground form and use hot water to melt it into a syrup that's similar to the texture of molasses.
- Egg - Just one egg at room temperature for binding.
- Flour - Use all purpose flour.
- Baking Soda - Baking soda helps with spread of the cookies, while baking powder generally helps with the thickness of cookies. This recipe only uses baking soda so that the cookie spreads and is thinner.
- Spices - Use ground ginger, cinnamon, and and a tiny bit of clove. You can also use freshly ground green cardamom to add another layer of flavor and aroma but I think the ginger and cinnamon make the best pairing here.
How to make Gingersnap Cookies - Two Ways!
Something about gingersnap cookies desperately made me want a ton of them with ice cream when they're hot and fresh out of the oven, so I'm presenting you with two ways to make these - Gingersnap Cookies and a Deep Dish Gingersnap Cookie with ice cream.
Jaggery Gingersnap Cookies
This will be your basic gingersnap cookie that's thin, crinkly on the top, chewy in the middle and snappy when you break it.

- Beat the wet ingredients together. You'll need butter, sugar, egg, and jaggery, and tablespoon of hot water. Cream together the butter and sugar, and then beat the egg in. If you have granulated jaggery, you'll want to dissolve it in a tablespoon of hot water to form a syrup. Strain the syrup when adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk together the all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. If you don't have ground cloves, nutmeg also works in the same amount. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine until a dough forms.
- Chill the dough. The dough is quite thick and needs to chill to prevent too much spreading.

- Roll the dough. Using a scale, measure out each ball of cookie dough into 1oz in size. Roll the dough into a ball between your hands and then roll it in turbinado sugar or granulated sugar.
- Bake. Bake 9 per half sheet tray at 375°F for about 11 minutes with plenty of space in between for spreading. They'll be golden brown and crinkly when they're done. Do not touch them hot out of the oven! They need time to set in the pan and crisp up.
Deep Dish Gingersnap Cookies with Ice Cream
I wanted an ooey gooey gingersnap cookie with vanilla ice cream SO BADLY and ASAP! No chilling for two hours involved! You'll need mini cocottes or ramekins. I only tested these with Le Creuset mini cocottes so if you use ramekins or cast irons, make sure they are oven safe and look for the physical signs that the cookies are done baking.

- Beat the wet ingredients together. You'll need butter, sugar, egg, and jaggery, and tablespoon of hot water. Cream together the butter and sugar, and then beat the egg in. If you have granulated jaggery, you'll want to dissolve it in a tablespoon of hot water to form a syrup. Strain the syrup when adding it to the rest of the wet ingredients.
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Whisk together the all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and combine until a dough forms.
- Bake. Measure out 4oz of cookie dough per cocotte and spread it evenly. Give it a healthy sprinkle of granulated sugar. I set my cocottes in a sheet tray for easy removal. Pop the sheet tray into the oven at 375°F for about 20 minutes. The top will be golden brown and a toothpick will come out clean when inserted into the middle when done baking. Bake for less time for a gooey center.
- Serve. The cookie will have risen quite a bit and promptly deflate out of the oven, creating the crinkles on the top. Add a scoop of your favorite ice cream and dig in immediately while it's still warm.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy these Jaggery Gingersnap Cookies with a warm cup of masala chai, cardamom coffee, or chai hot cocoa. They make an excellent addition to holiday cookie platters and are delightful when dipped in milk.
For a festive touch, drizzle with melted white chocolate or sandwich them with cream cheese frosting.
Expert Tips and Tricks
- Using Jaggery: If your jaggery is hard, grate it finely or microwave it for a few seconds to soften before measuring.
- For Extra Crispness: Flatten the cookie dough balls slightly before baking.
- Chill the Dough: Chilling prevents the cookies from spreading too much while baking.
- Spice Customization: Adjust the spices to your preference, adding more ginger for a spicier kick or cardamom for extra warmth.
Storage Instructions
Store the cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to a week.

How to freeze baked gingersnap cookies:
You can freeze gingersnap cookies before or after baking them. To freeze the cookies after they're baked, allow them to completely cool. Transfer to an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter.
How to freeze gingersnap cookie dough:
After the cookie dough chills according to the recipe below, roll the dough into balls. Chill the cookie dough balls in the refrigerator or freezer for an hour. Place the cookie dough in a freezer bag and freeze for up to three months.
When you're ready to bake the cookies, allow them to thaw on the counter top for 30 minutes while the oven preheats. Then continue with the recipe - rolling in granulated sugar and then baking as instructed.
Storing Deep Dish Gingersnap Cookies
This cookie does, of course, harden after a while in the cocotte so I recommend serving and eating immediately while it's still gooey. The recipe yields six, but if you'd like less deep dish cookies, you can bake them as regular gingersnap cookies at any time. Just follow the instructions above for storing the cookie dough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Jaggery is a sweetener, sometimes called the "superfood sweetener" because it's a popular replacement for refined sugar. It's a type of unrefined sugar typically made from palm or cane sugar. Most of the world's production of jaggery is in India, where it's commonly referred to as "gur."
Refined sugar, or white sugar, is what we see when molasses is separated and refined when pressing sugarcanes. Jaggery still retains the molasses content when pressed, which is what makes it "nutritious". I put nutritious in quotes because at the end of the day, it's still sugar. It's just better for you than refined sugar.
Gingersnap cookies, as you may guess, have a few spices in them that make them absolutely incredible! This includes ginger, cloves, and cinnamon (sometimes nutmeg). Typically, gingersnaps use molasses but I used jaggery for this recipe instead.
Gingersnaps are deliciously chewy in the middle but have a satisfying snap when broken. These are not to be confused with gingerbread or molasses cookies, which are incredibly similar but not the same.
Molasses cookies are soft and chewy compared to gingersnaps. They also have less ginger than gingerbread and gingersnaps.
Gingerbread is baked for less amount of time as gingersnaps so it is softer. It's also often shaped into things like gingerbread men and gingerbread houses. Gingersnaps are baked longer so they snap when they are broken and get the crinkly effect.
Personally, we only had jaggery in my Indian household. A lot of desis are simply fond of the ingredient and a majority of immigrant parents don't know or don't keep molasses in the pantry. Molasses is not a commonly found ingredient in India.

More Cookie Recipes to try
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Jaggery Gingersnap Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- ¼ cup jaggery
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- turbinado sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. In a small bowl, combine the jaggery with about a tablespoon of hot water. Mix it well until it's fully melted and syrupy. Beat the jaggery into the wet ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir together the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Cover and chill the dough for at least two hours in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll the dough into 1oz dough balls. Roll the dough balls in turbinado sugar to lightly coat them. Place 6-9 cookies per tray, allowing for space to spread. Bake for about 11 minutes until the cookies are golden brown. Allow the cookies to set for 15 minutes on the tray. Enjoy warm!
Deep Dish Gingersnap Cookies with Ice Cream (yields 6)
- Follow steps 1 and 2 above. You do not need to chill the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Measure out 4oz of cookie dough per cocotte and spread it across the bottom. Lightly sprinkle it with turbinado sugar and pop the cocottes into the oven for 20 minutes. The cookies are done when it's golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Handle with care, using hot hands or oven mitts. Serve immediately with a scoop of ice cream.
Notes
- Jaggery comes in many forms, but it's easier to work with it in granulated or syrup form.
- When jaggery clumps together, much like brown sugar, it's incredibly difficult to get the syrup without stubborn clumps. If your jaggery is clumped, strain it before adding it into the wet ingredients.
Resham says
Great snack for the winter months! Loved the crisp on these!
Shweta says
Me too! Love the crisp!