This ginger cookie recipe pairs crystallized ginger with white chocolate for bold spice and creamy sweetness. The cookies bake up thick and chewy with a slightly soft center and the classic crackled top that makes ginger cookies so appealing.
White Chocolate Ginger Cookies Ingredients
To make these ginger cookies you will need the following ingredients:
- Butter — unsalted preferred (adjust added salt if you use salted butter).
- Granulated sugar — you can substitute part or all with brown sugar for more molasses flavor and slightly denser cookies.
- Molasses — use Fancy or light (baking) molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses.
- Large egg — room temperature for best texture.
- All-purpose flour — provides structure and chewiness.
- Baking soda — essential for the crackled surface and proper spread.
- Ground ginger and cinnamon — for warm, spiced flavor.
- Salt — balances sweetness; reduce if using salted butter or table salt.
- Crystallized ginger — chopped; the key to an intense ginger hit.
- White chocolate — chips or chopped white chocolate for creamy sweetness.
See the recipe card below for exact quantities and full details.
Substitutions and Variations
- White chocolate: use chips for convenience or chopped white chocolate for larger pockets of melting chocolate; you can also dip cooled cookies in melted white chocolate for a decorative finish.
- Molasses: Fancy or light molasses works best. Treacle can be used as an alternative in some regions; avoid blackstrap molasses because it is too bitter.
- Fruit: swap crystallized ginger for raisins if you prefer a milder ginger note and a fruity chew.
Hint: Fancy or light molasses gives the right balance of sweetness and depth. Blackstrap molasses is too intense for these cookies.
How to Make White Chocolate Ginger Cookies
This is a straightforward drop cookie. The dough contains slightly more flour than some soft ginger cookie recipes, so chilling is optional but recommended for a thicker cookie.
Step 1: Cream softened butter with granulated and brown sugar until light. Add the egg, then the molasses, scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in the vanilla.
Step 2: Whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Fold in chopped crystallized ginger and white chocolate.
Step 3: Portion the dough into 1–1.5 inch balls using a cookie scoop for consistent size. Optionally chill the scoops for 30 minutes to reduce spread and make thicker cookies.
Step 4: Arrange dough balls on lined sheet pans (about 8 per half sheet), leaving room for airflow. Press a few extra white chocolate pieces on top of each ball before baking. Bake at 375°F (190°C) until the edges are set and the surface begins to crack, about 10–14 minutes depending on oven and pan. Cool on the sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Top Tip
Chopped crystallized ginger delivers concentrated ginger flavor in each bite — don’t skip it.
Baking FAQs
Cookies spread more when dough has too little flour, too much butter or sugar, or if dough is warm at baking. Weighing ingredients and chilling dough helps control spread.
Use the slightly higher flour ratio in this recipe and chill the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking to delay spreading.
Store cookies in an airtight container for up to a week. Adding a piece of bread, a few marshmallows, or a brown sugar saver helps retain moisture. For longer storage, freeze the cookies.
These cookies bake up thick and chewy with a soft center and bright bursts of crystallized ginger balanced by creamy white chocolate. They’re quick enough for an afternoon bake and special enough for holiday cookie plates.
Other Ginger Cookie and Gingerbread Variations to Try
If you want other ginger and gingerbread ideas, consider:
- Slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies
- Crystallized ginger cookies
- Glazed soft gingerbread cookies
- Chewy German-style gingerbread cookies
- Matcha gingerbread cutout cookies
If you tried this recipe for ginger cookies with white chocolate, please leave a star rating and share your experience in the comments — I love hearing how your batch turned out!
📖 Recipe
Ginger Cookies with White Chocolate
Equipment
- Sheet pans
- Mixing bowl or stand mixer with paddle
- Whisk
- Cookie scoop (optional)
- Wire rack
Ingredients
- 310 g bleached all-purpose flour
- 10 mL baking soda
- 10 mL ground ginger
- 5 mL ground cinnamon
- 2.5 mL salt (adjust if using table salt)
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 60 mL Fancy or light molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 5 mL pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup chopped crystallized ginger
- 150 g white chocolate, chopped or chips, plus extra for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment or silicone liners.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
- In a mixer bowl, cream the butter with granulated and brown sugar until combined.
- Add the egg, then the molasses, mixing well and scraping the bowl as needed. Stir in vanilla.
- With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in chopped crystallized ginger and white chocolate.
- Form dough into 1–1.5 inch balls and place on prepared sheets (about 8 per sheet). Gently press a few extra white chocolate pieces into the tops.
- Bake about 12 minutes, until edges have set and tops begin to crack. Cool on the sheet a couple minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- If using table salt, reduce the amount by half to avoid overly salty cookies.
- Use Fancy or light molasses for the proper flavor; avoid blackstrap molasses.
- Chill dough scoops 30 minutes for thicker cookies and less spread.
- Watch bake time carefully—remove cookies when edges are set but centers still soft for a chewy texture.
- Adjust oven temperature down to 325°F (165°C) if using dark-colored pans to prevent over-browning.
Nutrition (approx.)
Per cookie: Calories 131 • Carbs 18 g • Fat 6 g • Protein 1 g • Sugar 10 g