Chewy Triple Ginger Cookies with Caramelized Sugar
By Ben MimsPublished on December 1, 2025
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours chilling
Yield
Makes 18 cookies
Ingredients
Caramelized Sugar Syrup
1 cup (8 ounces/227 grams) turbinado sugar ½ cup waterGinger Cookies
1½ cups (7½ ounces/213 grams) all-purpose flour ⅓ cup finely chopped candied ginger 1 tablespoon ground ginger 1½ teaspoons baking soda 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon table salt 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened½ cup (3½ ounces/99 grams) packed light brown sugar 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger 1 large egg 1 cup (8 ounces/227 grams) turbinado sugar, for coatingBefore You Begin
Caramelized sugar syrup adds rich depth to these cookies. The recipe makes more syrup than you need, and the extra is great drizzled over desserts or pancakes, stirred into coffee, or used in place of molasses in gingerbread. If preferred, you can also purchase it online or in specialty (particularly Scandinavian) baking stores, where it’s often labeled “dark syrup” or “mörk sirap.”
Instructions
- Place 1 cup (8 ounces) turbinado sugar in medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar liquifies completely and turns a dark caramel brown but doesn’t bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully pour in ½ cup water (mixture will bubble). Return pan to medium heat and continue to cook until mixture is fully incorporated and syrup is reduced to about ¾ cup, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer syrup to heatproof container and let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup caramelized sugar syrup for this recipe; reserve remaining for another use. (Store syrup in airtight container or bottle at room temperature.)
- Whisk 1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup finely chopped candied ginger, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, and ½ teaspoon table salt together in medium bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat 8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, ½ cup (3½ ounces) packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger, and ¼ cup reserved caramelized sugar syrup on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 large egg and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture; mix until dough just comes together and no dry patches of flour remain. Refrigerate dough until chilled, at least 2 hours (dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).
- About 15 minutes before dough is done chilling, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup (8 ounces) turbinado sugar in shallow dish.
- Divide dough into 18 equal portions, a scant 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) each. Roll into balls then add to dish with turbinado sugar and turn to fully coat. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheets, 9 per sheet.
- Bake cookies until slightly darker at edges and puffed on top (cookies may seem underdone between cracks), about 8 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Remove sheet from oven and transfer to wire rack; immediately bang sheet on rack to collapse cookies.
- Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
for the caramelized sugar syrup
for the ginger cookies
Time
1¾ hours, plus 2 hours chillingYield
Makes 18 cookiesIngredients
Caramelized Sugar Syrup
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
Caramelized Sugar Syrup
Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
Caramelized Sugar Syrup
Ginger Cookies
Why This Recipe Works
In this country, ginger cookies are typically sweetened with molasses. Our Scandinavian version features the sweeter, less bitter, toffee notes of caramelized sugar syrup, which allows the cookies’ three forms of ginger—fresh, ground, and crystallized—to shine. You can buy the syrup online or follow our recipe to make your own. For the dough, we creamed the sugar syrup with butter, brown sugar, and the fresh ginger before combining it with the remaining ingredients. We chilled the dough for a good 2 hours to hydrate the flour and make the dough less sticky to work with. After shaping the dough into balls, we rolled them in turbinado sugar for a crackly crunch on the cookies’ exteriors. To ensure the proper moist chew, we made sure to remove the cookies from the oven when they were puffed, cracked, and only slightly darker at the edges. We then banged the baking sheets on the counter, eliminating the largest air pockets to create a more dense, even crumb.
Before You Begin
Caramelized sugar syrup adds rich depth to these cookies. The recipe makes more syrup than you need, and the extra is great drizzled over desserts or pancakes, stirred into coffee, or used in place of molasses in gingerbread. If preferred, you can also purchase it online or in specialty (particularly Scandinavian) baking stores, where it’s often labeled “dark syrup” or “mörk sirap.”
Instructions
- Place 1 cup (8 ounces) turbinado sugar in medium saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sugar liquifies completely and turns a dark caramel brown but doesn’t bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and carefully pour in ½ cup water (mixture will bubble). Return pan to medium heat and continue to cook until mixture is fully incorporated and syrup is reduced to about ¾ cup, 2 to 5 minutes.
- Transfer syrup to heatproof container and let cool to room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Reserve ¼ cup caramelized sugar syrup for this recipe; reserve remaining for another use. (Store syrup in airtight container or bottle at room temperature.)
- Whisk 1½ cups (7½ ounces) all-purpose flour, ⅓ cup finely chopped candied ginger, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground allspice, and ½ teaspoon table salt together in medium bowl.
- Using stand mixer fitted with paddle, beat 8 tablespoons softened unsalted butter, ½ cup (3½ ounces) packed light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger, and ¼ cup reserved caramelized sugar syrup on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 large egg and continue to mix until fully incorporated. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture; mix until dough just comes together and no dry patches of flour remain. Refrigerate dough until chilled, at least 2 hours (dough can be refrigerated for up to 2 days).
- About 15 minutes before dough is done chilling, adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1 cup (8 ounces) turbinado sugar in shallow dish.
- Divide dough into 18 equal portions, a scant 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) each. Roll into balls then add to dish with turbinado sugar and turn to fully coat. Evenly space dough balls on prepared sheets, 9 per sheet.
- Bake cookies until slightly darker at edges and puffed on top (cookies may seem underdone between cracks), about 8 minutes, switching and rotating sheets halfway through baking. Remove sheet from oven and transfer to wire rack; immediately bang sheet on rack to collapse cookies.
- Let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. (Cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 1 week.)
for the caramelized sugar syrup
for the ginger cookies
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