Here’s my first holiday cookie recipe of the season: Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps

hot and spicy gingersnaps on a green napkin

Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps:

With this recipe, I hereby declare that holiday baking season 2012 has officially begun.  And if I’m really being honest with you, I’ll admit that I actually started my holiday baking about 2 1/2 weeks ago! My Christmas decorations are completely unpacked and already strewn across the house. I love the Christmas holiday so much- you see-  that I stretch it into lasting as long as possible.

Way back when I was an active San Diego Junior Leaguer, we put together a cookbook to raise funds. These Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps were one of the recipes I tested for that cookbook. It was tested and rated by 3 to 4 people, and it was deemed delicious enough to make the cut and appear in the finished book: California Sol Food (still available for purchase!).

gingersnap cookie dough ball

A simple gingersnap dough is rolled into balls and then rolled in sugar.  Let me explain about the hot and spicy.  The “hot” in the recipe comes from the addition of cayenne pepper.  The “spicy” just refers to the typical spices found in a classic gingersnap cookie (ginger, cloves, cinnamon).

gingersnaps in stacks on cooling rack

When these cookies bake, they get the best crackles and crevices ever.  Check out those cookie crackles!  Pretty perfect.

gingersnaps on cooling rack

Are these cookies hot and spicy?

More details on the “hot and spicy” reference.
#1:  I don’t like spicy food.  My husband doesn’t like spicy food.  My kid won’t even try spicy food!  But we enjoy these cookies!
#2:  I gave a cookie to my kiddo, let him eat it and then asked for his feedback.

  • me:  Do these Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps taste spicy to you… as in spicy hot?
  • kiddo:  No.  Why, are they supposed to be?
  • me:  I added a little cayenne pepper in there.
  • kiddo:  Oh. (after a couple of minutes…)  Now I can taste it.  The heat comes through a couple minutes after you eat it, but it’s not super hot or anything.

Gingersnaps in stacks on green napkin

So there you go- some gingersnap cookies that have a teeny tiny “bite” to them… makes ’em kind of unique and special.  I have so many goodies in the works this year that I’ve never made before… some chocolate- caramel cookies, jelly sandwich cookies, vanilla cut-outs, and a couple of gluten free varieties too. I want to make some candies, a trifle and a gingerbread roll.  All of that and I’d like to lose about 8 pounds before Christmas.  Yeah, good luck with that one, right?  My secret… chewing lots and lots of gum and/or drinking green tea while baking!  And gifting a whole lot of treats!  

What are you baking this year?

Here are a few more spicy recipes you might like to try:

hot and spicy gingersnaps on a green napkin
4.34 from 6 votes

Hot and Spicy Gingersnaps

Cayenne gives it that KICK... not too spicy, but just enough to make it have a little bite.
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Servings: 48 cookies
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Ingredients

COOKIES:

FOR ROLLING:

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and cayenne pepper.
  • In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the brown sugar and white sugar and beat until blended. Blend in the molasses. Add the egg whites and beat until well-combined. Add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time and beat until blended after each addition.
  • Spread the rolling sugar on a small plate. Shape the dough into 3/4-inch balls and roll in the sugar until lightly coated. Arrange the balls 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  • Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until brown. Cool on the cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 79kcal, Carbohydrates: 14g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 2g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 5mg, Sodium: 63mg, Potassium: 51mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 70IU, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.34 from 6 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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57 Comments

  1. Brian says:

    Made this today Used a number 30 scoop for a good size cookie Bake for 18 minutes Turned out fantastic

  2. Loved these! Perfection. says:

    5 stars
    I finally found a recipe that resembles good quality store-bought ginger snaps! These are awesome. Did not change one thing. Added a little bit of grated fresh ginger.

  3. Ponyxprz says:

    5 stars
    My husband and I are fans of spicy gingersnaps. This recipe is it. I do bake a bit longer to achieve the crispiness desired. Cut back a bit on the sugar. This makes a lot. Dough freezes well. I froze a log and sliced and baked in the air fryer for a quick treat. Was good but definately better when I oven baked the rest.

  4. cathy says:

    5 stars
    I love this recipe. Have made them many times. I double the pepper, double the ginger and do a heaping cinnamon. The rest I do the same. Always delicious.

  5. Jerene Skeie says:

    I won a baking competition at work with these cookies and I’ve shared the recipe with no fewer than 20 people. My bosses wife was going to mix ginger snaps from her Christmas cookie repertoire. I send one of these home with him to have her try, along with the recipe, and she immediately dumped the batch from her recipe in the trash and now makes these every year. They are a huge hit. I tried doubling the. Arch once and the texture was different, possibly due to it being harder to stir the larger batch, so now I just do one batch at a time.

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Great to hear!

  6. Christine Rozmarniewich says:

    THIS is the recipe from my long ago childhood, it is exactly what I remember mom’s spicy gingersnaps tasted like when she would bake them for Christmas.
    I will NEVER lose this recipe, nor bake any other gingersnap cookie recipe.
    My heart is so full right now 😀

  7. Lisa says:

    These are the absolute best! I had a hard time finding a recipe that was spicy enough and these are perfect! I also added a Tbsp of minced fresh ginger. So yummy!

  8. Kim says:

    My dad loves gingersnap but have never been able to find a spicy one for him until now! He loves this recipe, but the 8 min baking time was not long enough for the crunchy level he likes so I baked them 11 min and set on the pan for 2 min to cool and that got them closer so the next time I Ann going to try 12 min but the flavor is spot on !

  9. Katie says:

    These are the best gingersnap cookies I’ve ever had. I made them for my family for Christmas and they fell absolutely in love, and they’re super picky with sweets!
    Thanks so much for the recipe!

  10. Aimee says:

    Perfectly spicy and delicious! I have my last batch cooking at the moment. I can’t wait to have a couple with a big mug of cinnamon tea tonight at work. I will be making these again.