This is one of those recipes that I have been saving for a special occasion. Christmas seems as good a time as any for revealing the recipe for the BEST. COOKIES. IN. THE. WORLD.
(In my humble opinion).
OK so these cookies. The thing that makes them the best cookies in the world? They are made with fresh ginger. Which, when paired with rich molasses and sweet dates, produces the most awesome sweet and spicy and chewy treat ever. The PERFECT morsel for an after-dinner treat.
I may or may not have consumed seven of these today. Oops. I need to exercise more self control. Or leave my house and run far far away and never look back. One of those two things.
Actually, I don’t feel THAT bad about eating seven, because these are healthier than most cookies. They are made with whole wheat flour, and half the amount of sugar than your average cookie. Yet, they are still delightfully sweet because of the natural sugars in the dates, fresh ginger, and molasses (without being TOO sweet). Not to mention, ginger is really (REALLY!) good for you. These ain’t no salad, but as far as cookies go… pretty healthy!
Also, they are sparkly. Because you roll them in turbinado sugar before baking them. Which gives them an awesome crunchy and sweet outer layer to compliment the spicy, chewy, melt-in-your-mouth inside and makes them a beautiful treat to bring to a Christmas party or give as a gift. What’s Christmas without sparkles?
If you can’t find dates, I’ve made these with other dried fruits before (apricots, figs, and a combination of both). You can use another kind of dried fruit if you want (I bet golden raisins would be delicious!), or you can omit them. OR, you can add pieces of chocolate! These cookies are flexible… as long as you have the base dough, try mixing in other fun ingredients. You can’t go wrong.
Make too many? Sugared out after all the sweets of the holidays? Freeze the extra and enjoy individually for a bite-sized after dinner sweet treat.
And without further delay, I present to you, the recipe for the BEST. COOKIES. IN. THE. WORLD! Enjoy, and merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you have a restful week full of family, fun, food, and sparkles :-)
Spicy Ginger Date Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour spelt flour can also be used
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup one stick butter
- 1/2 cup dark molasses
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh peeled ginger (from about a 2" piece)
- 1/2 cup natural cane sugar
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 cup chopped dried dates
- 1/2 cup turbinado sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt together butter, molasses, natural cane sugar, and fresh ginger. Allow to cool for a bit, and whisk in the egg. Stir in the dates.
- Add butter mixture to flour mixture, stirring to just combine.
- Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Put the turbinado sugar in a small bowl.
- Using a small kitchen scoop or spoon, get small portions of the dough and roll into no bigger than 1-inch balls.
- Coat each ball in turbinado sugar and place on prepared baking sheet.
- Bake each batch for 7-9 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack.
Hi, I'm Elizabeth! I create easy, real food recipes for busy people. I'm a former HS art teacher, now full time food blogger. I live near Austin, TX with my hubby and two baby girls. 
These are legit the best cookies ever!! So gooey/chewy with a crispy exterior. Thanks for this keeper of a recipe!
Thanks Jen! I totally agree- they are my FAVORITE! Glad you liked them :-)
Hi there, these felt too soggy to come out at 7 mins so I left them in for another 5! They then came out more like a gingernut biscuit with a crunchy outer and soft middle! Will have a go again xxx tastes amazing tho
So glad you liked them, and thanks for the tip on leaving them in for a little longer!
Whoops – yes I can read- but only sometimes apparently!! Spelt flour is okay so it says in very first ingredient. And I know the truvia will sub in fine following package amount exchange for regular sugar. I’ll still use the turbino for the coati g though for that nice crunch. I’m set to bake today. I’ll let you know how they come out.
Haha no worries! Looks like you have it all figured out- hope you like the recipe :-) Would love to hear how it comes out!
Can I sub spelt flour for the whole wheat and truvia for the sugar? Spelt has a nice nutty flavor and I’ve come to like it better than the stronger tasting white whole wheat. And I only have baking truvia sugar on hand – tastes just like sugar to me but it’s healthier they say. Thanks. Great recipe to make today!
I’m diabetic and cannot use natural cane sugar, would it affect taste in a negative way to use Splenda’s light brown
sugar mix that is half and half?
I’m sure you could use that as a substitution! Artificial sugar always tastes different than regular to me, but I’d definitely still give it a shot. Dates have a lot of natural sugars in them and also molasses so make sure those ingredients are ok for you to use as well!
Thanks, Elizabeth.
I actually have some black strap molasses, and now I know where to use it!
I used in in a gingerbread I made, but it was just too strong a flavor — and made the bread look like a black brick. Not a success story at all. I want to use it up, and this looks like the perfect recipe for it!
I love finding ways to use things up in my pantry. Hope you like the recipe! :-)
Hi can I use gluten free flours or coconut flour in these and would you know how much?
Thanking you Monica
I’ve never tried either before, but I think you can sub regular gluten free flour for the same amount. As for the coconut flour… my experience with it is that the texture and the way it works is completely different from wheat flour. If you try it in this recipe, I’d love to know how it comes out! But if you don’t want to risk it, here’s a yummy looking Paleo ginger molasses cookie that uses coconut flour: http://www.paleorunningmomma.com/soft-paleo-ginger-molasses-cookies-paleo/
These were really beautiful thanks for a great recipe
Thanks, and you’re welcome!
Spicy ginger cookies! My mom will love these! Thanks for this recipe. When she sees it in her inbox, she’s going to flip!
Could AP flour be used in these? If so, are there any adjustments to be made? They are right up my alley but I don’t care for whole wheat flour and also only have AP flour on hand.
You can definitely use all purpose flour! No adjustments necessary.
Thank you for your prompt reply :)