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The best ever chewy Brown Sugar Maple Ginger Cookies. A cross between a really great ginger cookie and a delicious chocolate chip cookie. Made with dark brown sugar, rich molasses, ginger, and the real secret…chocolate chips! These cookies are generously glazed with a sweet, thick, and creamy maple glaze that melts in your mouth. There’s really nothing not to love! The perfect holiday cookie to bake, share, and gift this holiday season!
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I’ve never been someone who’s picked a ginger cookie over say a chocolate chip cookie. But I know so many of you guys love them, and I love to bake them around the holiday season. They’re perfect for gifting, and I will admit, they always smell delicious while baking.
Since I’m making ALL the Christmas cookies I can this December, I really wanted to figure out how to make a ginger cookie be extra delicious. Not just gingery and good, but gingery and really darn delicious, with perfect edges and chewy middles. These cookies are that. Soft, chewy, filled with molasses and a good amount of ginger, plus sweet and chocolatey.
And the vanilla maple glaze really makes them special, maybe even a little over the top.
These have been on my list since mid-November. I wasn’t sure I’d make them, but I’m so glad I did!
The doughy details
Beat the butter with dark brown sugar, then add the eggs and molasses. Next, add the dry ingredients and stir in some chocolate chips. That’s the dough…and as you can tell, it’s simple as can be.
Roll the dough into decently sized balls using buttered hands. The buttered hands are key, the dough is on the sticker side, so the butter helps to roll without drying the cookies out.
Then just bake. That’s literally it for the cookie. No fuss, but totally delicious.
On to the glaze
This glaze is everything. I first used it with my maple cookies back in the fall and it’s been a favorite ever since. It’s what makes these cookies really melt in your mouth.
It’s simply butter, maple syrup, vanilla, powdered sugar, and salt.
Once you’ve finished the glaze, drizzle it over each cookie. You can eat them warm or allow them to cool, either way, they are delicious.
A few important things
One thing that really sets these cookies apart from other molasses-based cookies is extra molasses (and chocolate chips). I like to use a bit more molasses than most molasses cookie recipes call for. I wanted each cookie to be extremely chewy and for the molasses flavor to really be pronounced. So, I upped the amount of molasses and added vanilla extract. This combo does a nice job of highlighting the molasses and ginger flavors. The result is a perfectly chewy molasses cookie with hints of vanilla and ginger throughout.
Then, of course, the chocolate. It’s not expected, but everyone loves the addition of chocolate…and the sweet mapley glaze on top.
Looking for Christmas cookie recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Easy Vanilla Bean Christmas Lights Cookies
Lastly, if you make these Brown Sugar Maple Ginger Cookies be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Sugar Maple Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) salted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup blackstrap molasses
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Maple Glaze
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2-3/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- 1. Position an oven rack in the upper 1/3 of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and molasses and mix until evenly combined. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, beating until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips. 3. Rub your hands with butter and roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls (if the dough is too sticky, chill for 20 minutes). Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-12 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to set around the edges, the centers should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan. 4. Meanwhile, make the glaze. Melt together the butter and maple syrup in a small pot over medium heat. Remove from the heat and whisk in the powdered sugar, vanilla. and a pinch of salt. Drizzle or dip the glaze over each cookie. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I thought the flavor was delicious but my glaze was super runny so I ended up with frosted cookies. Still delicious but disappointing because they didn’t look as pretty as the picture. Will follow the woman’s comment below and whisk more powdered sugar into the glaze.
Hi Linda,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Adding more powdered sugar to the glaze will work well for you. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
This recipe is great! Made them to freeze till Christmas and tested one out and I was not disappointed. Thanks for sharing!
Hey Gabrielle,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I am thrilled to hear that it was enjoyed. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
A note about the glaze: It will be runnier than expected when it’s still warm. Keep whisking as it cools and it’ll get closer to the texture and color in the pictures above. I also added an additional 1/4 cup powdered sugar to get it as light as the pictures above.
A note about the cookies: I didn’t flatten mine out like other commenters did and the texture was to die for because they were so fluffy with chocolate chips to break the softness. The cookies aren’t super sweet (which I like). The molasses flavor isn’t super strong meaning the chocolate chips are some of the strongest flavor in the cookie. Several people agreed so it wasn’t just my taste buds!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try Tess!
These were absolutely delicious! Made over 40 cookies and got to share with my family and friends. Definitely will be making again!!
Hi Hailey,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Baked these tonight – delish! Although the glaze was more golden brown than the creamy white in the photos (the real reason I wanted to make these!)
Hi Rachel,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
These are SO CRAZY GOOD! Definitely on my Christmas baking list here on out!
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
I made these to be vegan (vegan butter, flax seed egg, and vegan choc chips) and gluten-free (equal parts gluten free flour) and I’m shocked that they’re gf and vegan! They taste like normal cookies. Super tasty!
Hey Kathline,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious! I did need to add more powdered sugar to get the correct consistency for the drizzle.
Hi Theresa,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
The kids and I just made these and they were such a hit with our whole family! I did swap the chocolate chips for nuts (just because I thought the chocolate might be a bit too rich for our preference) but they were so good and they were just beautiful for the Christmas season. The only other thing that I had to adjust personally was adding quite a bit more powdered sugar than what was called for so that it wasn’t so runny.
Hey there,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! xTieghan
Can you freeze these cookies?
Hi Robin,
You bet! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give the recipe a try! xTieghan
My glaze came out transparent instead of white. What did I do wrong? The cookies are great and easy!
Hey Connie,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! It could be the brand of powdered sugar, or maybe you needed a bit more? xTieghan
Can you use unsalted butter instead of salted butter?
Hi Angela,
Yes, I would just add 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I am looking forward to making these but I do have one question. Do you need to use Blackstrap Molasses in order to acquire the best taste of your cookies or can I use regular molasses?
Hi Pamela,
Regular molasses will work for you, I just found the best results using blackstrap. Please let me know if you give the cookies a try, I hope you love them! xTieghan
These are delicious and turned out just like how they look in the photos! I found the consistency of the glaze to be just right; I used 3/4 cup of Wholesome Sweet organic icing sugar. My mom and I are decorating the Christmas tree and enjoying these fresh out of the oven, and we are literally in cookie heaven!
Hey Allie,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
These are very good but super rich. I almost think they’d be better without the icing. And yes, you do have to bang the pan on the counter to flatten them out after baking.
Hi Nicole,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xTieghan
Cookies are absolutely delicious and the recipe was super simple to follow. The cookies stayed in little domes once baked so I just patted them down with a wooden spoon and they’re perfect! The glaze is on the runny side and differs in color from the photos but I’m sure this could be easily tweaked. Not worth it for me because it’s tasty all the same!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan