Cinnamon gingerbread cookies with a fragrant cinnamon-sugar crust over soft, warmly spiced molasses centers.
Cinnamon is mixed into the molasses dough and the outer sugar coating for a clear cinnamon-forward flavor.
The dough uses baking soda without cream of tartar, distinguishing these cookies from a snickerdoodle-style variation.
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Cinnamon Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
Per tray: 11–12 minutes · About 3 trays; bake one tray at a time
Allow 140 minutes: 25 minutes hands-on, 60 minutes chilling, about 35 minutes for three trays and 20 minutes cooling the last tray. Cooling includes the 5-minute pan rest. Butter warm-up, extra chilling and optional decorating add time.
Kitchen tools you’ll need
- Digital kitchen scale and US measuring cups/spoons
- Large mixing bowl and electric mixer
- 1 1/2-tablespoon cookie scoop (#40)
- Two 13 × 18-inch light-colored baking sheets and parchment paper
- Wide spatula and wire cooling rack
Ingredients
Cookie dough
Spice blend
Cinnamon coating
Scale ingredients and US equivalents, including eggs. Keep cookie size, thickness, oven temperature and baking time per tray unchanged. More trays add time; weigh beaten egg for fractional batches.
Instructions
Cream and combine
- Beat butter and both sugars for 2 minutes. Mix in molasses, then egg and vanilla; scrape the bowl. Whisk flour, soda, salt and spices separately, then mix into the wet ingredients just until combined.
Firm the dough
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If chilled longer than 2 hours, let stand about 20–30 minutes until scoopable; keep it cool rather than greasy.
Portion evenly
- Heat to 350°F (175°C) conventional or 325°F (165°C) fan. Mix coating sugar and cinnamon. Divide into 32 balls of about 26 g, roll in the coating and space 3 inches apart on lined pans.
Check the centers
- Bake on the center rack for 11–12 minutes. The edges should be set and tops cracked, with soft centers that are no longer glossy-wet. Use a cool pan for each new batch.
Let the structure set
- Rest 5 minutes on the pan, then lift onto a wire rack. Cool another 15 minutes before sealing airtight. Cookies firm as they cool; do not bake until hard.
Chef’s Science & Pro Tips
Mix coating evenly
Whisk cinnamon thoroughly into sugar to avoid bitter concentrated spots.
Coat cool dough
Cold balls keep their shape while collecting a thin even crust.
Keep the centers tender
The coating looks dry early; still judge the dough edges and centers before removing.
Storage and make-ahead
| Method | How long | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Room temperature | 3–4 days | Cool completely, then store airtight in a cool room. |
| Refrigeration | Raw dough: up to 2 days | Wrap dough tightly. Plain baked cookies do not need refrigeration. |
| Raw freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze portions airtight; thaw covered in the refrigerator before baking. |
| Baked freezing | Up to 2 months | Freeze cooled cookies airtight. Thaw covered at room temperature. |
| Restoring | Before serving | Warm undecorated cookies briefly at 300°F for 3–5 minutes if desired; cool before decorating. |
Notes
- Cinnamon appears both in the dough and the outer sugar coating. This is a molasses gingerbread drop cookie, without the cream of tartar that distinguishes the separate snickerdoodle recipe. Nutrition includes the full coating supply.
Nutrition
Estimated nutrition per serving; brands and portion sizes vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this a snickerdoodle?
It is a cinnamon-coated gingerbread cookie without cream of tartar.
Do I add all coating sugar to the dough?
No. Reserve it for rolling the cold dough balls.
Can I reuse leftover coating?
Keep it separate from food for serving because it has touched raw dough. Discard unused coating after baking.
Browse more cookie ideas in the Gingerbread Cookies Ideas collection.
