Gingersnap Cookies: The Less-Sweet Holiday Classic

Bring old-fashioned comfort and holiday spice to your kitchen with these Less Sweet Gingersnap Cookies – soft and chewy inside, crisp on the edges, and perfectly spiced without being sugary sweet. If you love warm gingerbread flavours but prefer your treats with a more delicate sweetness, this cookie recipe is the perfect balance.

Hey folks – I hope you all are doing well.

Today, I’m excited to share these Holiday Gingersnap Cookies, a lighter, less sweet version of a timeless Christmas favourite. They’re infused with aromatic ginger, cinnamon, and cardamom, and finished with a sparkling sugar crust that catches the festive spirit without overwhelming your palate. Think of them as the elegant cousin of traditional gingerbread -refined, fragrant, and ideal for cozy evenings or gift boxes.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

These Less Sweet Gingersnap Cookies celebrate spice over sugar. The combination of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cardamom delivers a deep, warming flavour, while the reduced sweetness allows every note to shine through. The texture is wonderfully soft and chewy in the centre, with a light crispness along the edges – just what you want from Soft and Chewy Gingersnap Cookies. They’re easy to prepare, bake beautifully, and make a perfect choice for holiday cookie trays when you’re already surrounded by other sweet desserts.

Less Sweet Gingersnap Cookies: Flavour and Texture Profile

These cookies are soft, chewy, and richly spiced — the kind of treat that pairs perfectly with tea or a cup of coffee after dinner. Reducing the sugar allows the molasses and honey to provide a mellow sweetness that complements the spices rather than masking them. The aroma of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg fills the kitchen while baking, giving these Holiday Gingersnap Cookies their classic warmth. Once cooled, the crisp sugar-coated exterior contrasts beautifully with the tender, melt-in-your-mouth interior, making them a lighter yet deeply flavourful holiday indulgence.

Ingredients You’ll Need for This Recipe

• Butter: Melted butter gives these less sweet gingersnap cookies their rich flavour and helps create a soft, tender texture with lightly crisp edges.
• Molasses: Fancy molasses brings deep caramel undertones and a subtle earthy sweetness without overpowering the spices.
• Honey: Adds moisture and a gentle sweetness, complementing the warm gingerbread flavour while keeping the cookies lower in sugar.
• Flour: All-purpose flour provides structure and helps balance the soft, chewy texture typical of soft and chewy Gingersnap Cookies.
• Ginger: The main spice that defines these Holiday Gingersnap Cookies, bringing warmth and a little heat.
• Cinnamon: Adds coziness and blends beautifully with ginger for that familiar festive aroma.
• Nutmeg: Freshly grated nutmeg enhances the depth and roundness of the spice blend.
• Allspice: Introduces a subtle, peppery note that enhances the complexity of flavour.
• Cardamom: Offers a floral, slightly citrusy nuance that elevates these low sugar Gingersnap Cookies beyond the ordinary.
• Salt: Just a pinch brings balance, enhancing both sweetness and spice.
• Coarse Sugar: Rolling the dough in coarse sparkling sugar gives a festive sparkle and a light crunch on the outside.
• Optional Brown Sugar: For those who prefer a touch more sweetness, adding one to three tablespoons of brown sugar makes the cookies slightly richer without losing their signature balance.

How to Make Less Sweet Gingersnap Cookies

Begin by whisking the melted butter, molasses, honey, spices, and salt until smooth and fragrant. Stir in the flour until a soft, slightly moist dough forms. Chill for 10–15 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Shape dough into small balls, roll in coarse sugar, and gently flatten the tops. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are lightly golden Cool completely – the cookies will firm up as they rest, keeping a soft, chewy centre.

More Festive Holiday Cookies

Are you looking for more festive holiday cookie recipes, just like less sweet Gingersnap Cookies? Be sure to check more recipes:

• Soft Ginger Christmas Cookies with Orange Clove Glaze
• Chocolate Chestnut Shortbread Cookies – A Luxurious Christmas Bake
• Orange Clove Christmas Cookies – Festive Spiced Shortbread
• Candy Cane Shortbread Cookies with Mint Chocolate Chips
• Cranberry Rosemary Christmas Shortbread Wreath Cookies

I’d love for you to try these less sweet Gingersnap Cookies. If you give the recipe a go, please share your results in the comments, message me on Instagram, or post your photos with the hashtag #havocinthekitchen. I look forward to seeing your creations and hearing your thoughts!

Cheers!

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Gingersnap Cookies: The Less-Sweet Holiday Classic

Recipe by Ben | Havocinthekitchen

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: Cookies, Christmas, Christmas Cookies

Servings

16-20

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

20

minutes

Less Sweet Gingersnap Cookies – soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced holiday cookies made with molasses and honey for gentle sweetness.

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Ingredients

• 100 gr. butter (¼ cup + 3 tbsp.), melted

• 2-3 tbsp. fancy molasses

• 2 tbsp. honey

• 1 cup and 1-2 tbsp. all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp. ground ginger

• 1 tap. cinnamon

• 1/2 whole nutmeg, grated

• 1/4 tsp. allspice

• 1/4 tsp. cardamom

• a little pinch of salt

• about 1/2 cup of coarse (sparkling) sugar

Directions

• Combine the melted butter with the spices, salt, molasses, and honey with a whisk. If you prefer cookies more sweet, you can add 1-3 tablespoons of sugar, preferably brown.
• Stir in the flour and mix with a spoon until soft, slightly moist to a touch dough, forms. Places it to the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (~175 degrees C).
• Take about 1 tablespoon of dough and shape into balls. Place the coarse (sparkling) sugar to a shallow bowl. Coat the dough balls into the sugar, slightly flattening them.
• Place the coated cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake for about 10-12 minutes (depending on size) or until edges are lightly golden. If you are using sugar that is different than coarse, you may want to sprinkle the cookies with a bit extra sugar halfway in the oven as the coating might melt out.
• Remove from oven and completely cool. The cookies will be soft, but they will set more once cooled. Enjoy!