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These crinkly, crackly cookies are made with molasses, ground ginger, warm autumn spices and crystallized, candied ginger.
If you're looking for a fancy-dancy, decorated holiday cookie recipe and/or technique, you may just want to keep clicking your little mouse right on to another site. But if you love good old-fashioned cookies with a delicious gourmet twist or if it's cookies that come together quickly without much fuss you're after or perhaps you're just a bit smitten, like I am, for cookies with deep crinkly cracks that are crisp on the outside while remaining chewy on the inside. If any of these are true, then you've definitely come to the right place!
I've been working on these ginger cookies for a few weeks. My co-workers have been my guinea pigs and taste testers and I think we've come up with a winner. The cookies include molasses, ground ginger along with other warm autumn spices and crystallized, candied ginger which is available at many larger markets and specialty stores like Trader Jo's, Fresh Market and Whole Foods. Pecans chopped fine and toasted in a bit of butter add another layer of delicious flavor and a bit of crunch as does the  demera sugar that the cookies are rolled in before baking.
Do you have a holiday cookie exchange coming up? Did you promise treats for a work or school event? Maybe you just want your home to smell heavenly and homey when your kids walk in the door after a hard day at school or when a friend stops by for coffee. Whip up a batch of Crinkly Crackly Toasted Pecan Ginger Cookies. I have a feeling you just might become someone's hero!
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Crinkly Crackly Toasted Pecan Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup pecan halves, finely chopped (I just pulse them a few times in my food processor, chop them fairly fine, but don't turn them into pecan dust.)
- 2 teaspoons butter, melted
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ÂĽ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 large egg
- ÂĽ cup molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ÂĽ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped crystalized ginger
- ½ cup demera sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350˚F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. Add the ½ cup demera sugar to a wide, shallow bowl.
- Place chopped pecans in a medium size bowl. Drizzle with the 2 teaspoons melted butter. Turn out onto one of the sheet pans and bake for 8-10 minutes, stirring several times, until golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter, shortening and sugar till creamy and fluffy.
- Add the egg and molasses and mix well.
- Combine dry ingredients and add to sugar/butter mixture. Mix until all flour is incorporated.
- Add chopped ginger and toasted pecans. Mix to combine.
- Scoop up dough into 1-inch balls (I use a medium size ice cream scoop) and roll in the prepared bowl of Demera sugar to coat well.
- Place cookies on prepared cookie sheet. Bake at 350ËšF. for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for several minutes on cookie sheet then transfer to cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition
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Chris, your presentations are beautiful. Not only are you a great chef but an amazing photographer.
Hi Lydia,
Thanks so much, though I can't take credit for the photography, my husband, Scott is the genius behind the camera. We always laugh and say if anyone had to look at my pictures, they'd never look at the blog. But then again, if they had to look at Scott's cooking they'd never look at the blog either 🙂
I just today made a batch of these crinkly, crackly, toasted pecan ginger cookies. What can I say...except awesome!! I love them. I had previously been using a ginger/molasses cookie recipe from America's Test Kitchens. I have loved that recipe for years...it uses black pepper in it (yes, I'm serious.) These, though, have topped that recipe. And, oh, by the way, until I got it for this recipe, I had never tasted crystallized ginger before. May I say that I have discovered a new love! I could eat it as candy!
Thanks,
Patti
I bow to you: a batch of these have just come out of my oven. We are ginger fiends! These cookies are divine and will be a new family favorite. I used grocery store Hain brand turbinado sugar for the rolling and it worked out fine. I used a med-cookie scoop but for the next batch I will use a small -- need to do lots of baking for giving, and I think the smaller size will do better for mailing. Thanks again for the recipe!
These are wonderful! I would have loved being your guinea pig 🙂
I feel like I want to sink my teeth into them, lovely pictures Chris (and mouse)!
I love this kind of cookie, Chris! Love all the flavours you have packed into this cookie.
I love the fact that you had folks taste testing your recipe for weeks - I know this recipe is simply perfect. Ginger and molasses cookies are one of my favorites. Pinning now to make later!!!!
Looking Delicious..i am looking for this kind of stuff from many days..thanks for share this wonder recipe!
Love, love, love your cookies! Your wrapping and gift box is adorable. I like that your added pecans to a classic cookie. Last year I made sandwich cookies out of my ginger cookies with cream cheese frosting but I think I need to try your recipe this year.
I'm always smitten with cookies with deep, flavourful cracks and crevaces! These look amazing!!
These have my name written all over them, I love pecans, and I wouldn't have thought to pair them with ginger. Your packaging is adorable.
Mmmmmm...these look lovely!
Love your cookies and the packaging-how fun to bring such a lovely box of cookies to an exchange;-)
They sound perfect! I love a crinkly cookie. The box is super cute too, I need to find those for the cookie exchange I have this weekend!
Oh my Chris, those sounds amazing. I love the crackly top dipped in sugar. Like heaven!
Chris, perfectly divine cookies! And I know those boxes you've got there...Martha Stewart vintage boxes! I used them last christmas, too! How I wish I get a box of these cookies!
These look amazing! Ginger and toasted pecans...I never would have thought to combine the two. I will be making these soon. Thanks!
I don't have a cookie exchange coming up but I do need to try your recipe. I love gingerbread cookies and yours look lovely:)
They look amazing. And wrapped up so pretty!
They look and sound AMAZING!
Ooh yum Chris! Whenever I see a crinkly cookie now I always think of you.
Thanks to all for all your kind comments. Just to answer a few questions ~
Thanks Lora, once I'm finished with a recipe, I try to put the ingredients in the order of use. You are right, I did have the pecans listed twice but it's fixed now and yes there should be only 1 cup of pecans.
Jennifer, you could use all butter but you may not have the same crinkly, crackly results, I used mostly butter for flavor but there's something about the shortening that gives moisture and texture. I usually just buy the Crisco sticks, which are remeasured and they last just about forever (as I don't use shortening much at all).
Will try these without the pecans...some with nut allergies in the family.
I don't think I would be willing to spare any of these!! They look delicious and the box is so cute.
I love your packaging too. These cookies are definitely a perfect holiday gift.
I actually do have a cookie swap coming up this weekend and these may just be my contribution. Though I can already tell I'll need to make a dozen or two extra for myself. I love ginger cookies with my coffee.
These sound amazing! Cookies are certainly in the blog world today! You can tell it's December 🙂 I love your pretty packaging too.
spices and ginger, they make perfect holiday cookies! love your cute little boxes!
I think you're going to have to make your own 🙂 And I know I'm in the right place - these look and sound amazing. After all that effort I'm sure they are and the packaging is beautiful. Do you need my address now?
If Frances is willing to share sign me up please! Your packaging is so pretty.
I love crackle cookies and the pecans are perfection here! 🙂
I have been searching high and low for a ginger/milasses cookie all weekend and then today you posted this baby!! I have to make these this week! Do you think butter will work ok in place of shortening? That is the only ingredient I don't have.
They sound like the perfect cookies, to me!
Sounds like a great cookie! I love the addition of pecans:@)
Beutiful as usual. Since coming home from the CIA you seem to have more confidence in your ability to do your own thing. Brilliant recipes! Just a quick question about this one. I noticed in the ingrediemt list you included the pecans a second time. Is that just a typo, or are we supposed to use 2 cups of the chopped pecans?
Ginger cookies with pecans sound great. A simple cookie is perfect for shipping to friends as well.
I love ginger and spice cookies. The crystalised ginger and pecans are just perfect with these flavours!
I love ginger cookies, and these sound wonderful. I also love your little cookie boxes! 🙂
Cute little box for some delicious little cookies! Love it!
The cookies looks really awesome. Love pecans, a lot!!!!
These look amazingly good! I like the spices in these cookies!
These look great and with the addition of the ginger and pecans ... yum.
Your blog is looking super ... did you have a little makeover?
Fondly,
Glenda