Colonial Williamsburg Ginger Cookies
These soft, puffy ginger cookies are adapted from the recipe in the "Recipes from the Raleigh Tavern Bakery" pamphlet, this homemade version uses melted butter and a thicker dough for tall, tender cookies with a cake-like texture.
Servings: 20 cookies
Calories: 189kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cut butter melted
- ½ cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup molasses
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- ¾ teaspoon lemon extract optional
- 4 cups all-purpose flour plus ½ cup more as needed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.
- Add the melted butter, evaporated milk, molasses, vanilla extract, and lemon extract. Stir until combined.
- Add the flour one cup at a time, mixing until a soft dough forms. (Use 4 ½ cups of flour for rolled cookies and 4 cups for scooped cookies)
- Let the dough rest for 5 minutes.
- Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough to ½ inch thick.
- Cut into rounds with a 2½-inch biscuit or cookie cutter. Gather and reroll the scraps as needed.
- Place the cookies on baking sheets, leaving space between them.
- Bake for 10–12 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool briefly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack.
Video
Notes
Flour: The original pamphlet recipe starts with 4 cups of flour. I had the best results with 4½ cups for rolled cookies, adding a little more if needed.
Thickness: Rolling the dough ½ inch thick produces thicker, puffier cookies than the original ¼-inch recommendation.
Scooped option: For a different texture, start with 4 cups of flour and portion the dough with a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop.
Nutrition
Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 2mg | Sodium: 154mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
