Last updated on September 8th, 2024
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Frosted Ginger Cream Cookies are a soft, spice cookie with a cake-like texture, topped with a easy creamy frosting. My vintage Inspiration for these cookies is from Betty Crocker’s Best Cookies book. Ginger Creams were named “The Best Cooky of 1910-1920” where the word “cookie” was spelled “cooky.”
How to bake it modern:
- Used butter instead of shortening (common in early recipes)
- Added 1 T. of white vinegar over the baking soda to ensure even more “cake-like” lift.
- Added additional amounts of the spices for bold flavor.
- Increased the vanilla in the frosting to add more flavor.
How to make Frosted Ginger Cream Cookies:
Ingredients:
Use butter instead of shortening:
I prefer to use butter which has an all-natural taste over shortening, which yields a waxy texture and lack of flavor. Shortening was used in early 20th century recipes because it was readily available, cheaper, and shelf-stable. It is important here to let your batter chill. If you simply swap out the shortening for butter without chilling the dough, your cookie will spread and you will loose the cake-like, soft texture.
Molasses:
Be sure to use good quality natural molasses. I used Grandma’s Molasses mild. If you want a more robust flavor, use Grandma’s robust blend.
Use good quality spices:
My favorite spices are from Frontier Organics which you can order direct from them or find in bulk at natural food stores. I’ve found after testing recipes that they are more potent than the average spices on conventional grocery store shelves.
Ginger
Ginger is a root from a plant grown in Southeast Asia. Ginger can be found in a variety of ways such as the dried or fresh root, ground, or crystallized (candied) pieces.
Baker’s Tips:
Let the batter rest:
Chilling the scooped dough for 10 minutes is one additional step to ensure less spread.
Use good quality baking sheets:
Always use light-colored, aluminum cookie sheet. I use Nordic Ware aluminum 18×13 half-sheet pans lined with parchment paper. Aluminum is the best type of cookie sheet for distributing and reflecting even heat during the baking process. Do not use dark cookie sheets as they conduct more heat off the surface. This may cause baked goods to burn or darken on the edges before they are fully cooked.
How to make Easy Creamy Icing:
The original cookie recipe in Betty Crocker’s book suggests using her “Easy Creamy Icing” which is 1 c. confectioner’s sugar, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 1/2 T. cream or water.
Frosted Ginger Cream Cookies
Equipment
- mixer with paddle attachment
- measuring cups & spoons
- parchment sheets or silicone baking mat
- cookie sheets
- cookie scoop
- off-set spatula
Ingredients
WET INGREDIENTS
- ⅓ c. butter
- ½ c. molasses
- ½ c. sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 T. vinegar
DRY INGREDIENTS
- 2 c. unbleached flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. ginger
- ¾ tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- ½ tsp. clove
FROSTING
- 1 c. confectioner sugar
- 2 T. cream or milk
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- pinch salt
Instructions
- PREP
- Gather equipment
- Add dry ingredients into a separate bowl, whisk together and set aside.
MAKE BATTER
- Beat together butter, molasses, sugar, and eggs until light and fluffy.
- Add in dry ingredients and mix well.
- Add in baking soda and pour vinegar on top of the baking soda. Mix the batter and chill in fridge 1 hour or overnight.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone mat. Scoop batter into cookie pucks and place in airtight container or on cookie sheets. Place cookie pucks 1” apart on cookie sheet.
BAKE
- Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes. Let cookies cool and frost with off-set spatula.
FROSTING
- Place butter in mixer and beat on medium speed. Add in cream of tarter, confectioner sugar, egg white, cream and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
Notes
To replace the egg, add 1 tsp. soda to the batter with 1 T. vinegar poured on top of the soda.
