Williamsburg Old Fashioned Ginger Cookies

4.98 from 40 votes

Williamsburg Old Fashioned Ginger Cookies

These old-fashioned Williamsburg gingerbread cookies (or "ginger cakes") have been loved for generations.

Course Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine American, Southern

Keyword 100 year old gingerbread recipe, Colonial Williamsburg Ginger Cake Recipe, ginger cakes, gingerbread cookies, old fashioned ginger cookies, Williamsburg Gingerbread Cookie Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Total Time 40

Servings large cookies

Calories 195kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened at room temperature
½ cup evaporated milk
1 cup molasses (I use Grandma's brand)
4 cups all-purpose flour, sifted (plus additional 1 -1 ½ cups of flour, as needed, to form a workable dough)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda.
Add softened butter, evaporated milk, and molasses. With an electric mixer, start on the lowest speed so that the liquid doesn’t splash out of the bowl. Gradually increase the speed until the butter and sugar are creamed together and completely smooth.
With the mixer on low speed, gradually add 4 cups of flour (one cup at a time), mixing until the flour is incorporated.
The dough should be stiff enough to handle without sticking to your fingers, so if it’s still too wet and sticky, add additional flour (½ cup at a time), just until a fairly stiff dough comes together.
When the dough is smooth, roll it out to ½-inch thickness on a very well-floured surface.
Use a 2 ½-inch round biscuit cutter (or other cookie cutter) to cut the dough into round shapes. Continue to add as much flour as necessary to the dough, the rolling pin, and the cookie cutters to prevent the dough from sticking. Place shapes onto prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until slightly golden brown but still soft. Make sure that you don't bake them for too long or they will become hard and crispy. To maintain the soft, chewy, cake-like texture, pull them out of the often while they're still soft and let them firm up slightly while they cool.
Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Video

Notes

The classic Williamsburg gingerbread cakes are large, round cookies without any icing or other decorations. That said, the thick, chewy cookies do make a great base for traditional Christmas frostings and decorations! If you (or your kids) prefer soft gingerbread cookies with icing, then I suggest preparing a batch of royal icing and getting creative!
Recipe adapted from MakingHistoryNow.com

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