These festive Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies are perfectly soft and gooey in the middle, with lightly crispy edges. They're packed with ginger flavour, and plenty of white chocolate chips too. These easy to make cookies would make a great gift for family and friends at Christmas, and for adding to Santa's cookie plate! Of course you can make the cookies any time of year, but their warming spiced flavour lends particularly well to autumn and winter.
Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
- I highly recommend using dark brown soft sugar for these cookies, not only for delicious flavour but they give the cookies their gorgeous golden colour. You could use light brown soft sugar, or a mix of light brown soft sugar and caster sugar, but the colour of the cookies will be lighter.
- Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg.
- You can use either white chocolate chips or a chopped up white chocolate bar for the cookies.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies
Mix the dark brown soft sugar and butter together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the plain flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix in. Then add the white chocolate chips and mix briefly to combine. Divide the mixture into portions and roll into balls with your hands. Place on a lined baking tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
When ready to bake, arrange on a lined baking tray with space in between the dough balls. Bake for 12 minutes, leave to cool for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack (or eating!)
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Do you have to chill the cookies before baking them?
I highly recommend chilling them before baking, otherwise the cookies spread too much and are thinner and less gooey. For thicker and more gooey cookies, definitely chill them before baking.
How do you get perfectly round cookies?
As soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter, or a glass held upside down, that is larger than the cookies and put it over each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities. This is called "scooting" or "hula hooping" the cookies.
How should the cookies be stored and can they be frozen?
You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.
Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?
While an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies and will give the best results, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this recipe be made dairy free?
For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread instead of butter for the cookies. You will also need to use dairy free white chocolate chips. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies:
- Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.
Troubleshooting
If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients*
- Mixing bowls
- Baking trays
- Measuring spoons
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Piping bags
- Stand mixer
- Round cutters
- White chocolate
*I earn a small amount of money if you buy the products after clicking on the links. You will not be charged anything extra for this. Thank you for supporting The Baking Explorer!
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Gingerbread & White Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 125 g Butter unsalted, softened
- 200 g Dark brown soft sugar
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 250 g Plain flour
- 3 tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 300 g White chocolate chips
Instructions
- Ideally using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and dark brown soft sugar together until fluffy and paler in colour. This will take 3-5 minutes in an electric mixer (I use speed 3)
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in
- Add the plain flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix them in until just combined
- Then mix in the white chocolate chips briefly, just to evenly distribute them
- Divide the dough into portions, I weighed the dough out to make each cookie an equal size (they were roughly 75g each)
- Roll the dough portions into balls using your hands, place them on either a lined baking tray, or into a tupperware container lined with baking paper. Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
- After the 30 minutes is up and your oven is pre-heated, place the dough balls onto lined baking trays, leaving space (at least 2") between them to spread. If you don't have enough baking trays, keep the dough in the fridge and bake the cookies in batches
- Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking trays before moving to a cooling rack
- Enjoy warm, or once fully cooled. Store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread.
- I highly recommend using dark brown soft sugar for these cookies, not only for delicious flavour but they give the cookies their gorgeous golden colour. You could use light brown soft sugar, or a mix of light brown soft sugar and caster sugar, but the colour of the cookies will be lighter.
- Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg.
- You can use either white chocolate chips or a chopped up white chocolate bar for the cookies.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
Sue Seymour
Can this cookie dough be frozen once made into balls ??
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sue, yes, as detailed in the blog post you can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. I hope that helps!
Sian Smith
Lovely taste to these cookies, however I think they were a bit wet/underbaked in the middle, possibly too soft in the middle? Is there any way to overcome this? Great recipe otherwise 🙂
thebakingexplorer
Hi Sian, yes just bake for longer! Glad you enjoyed the cookies 😀
Shyla
Absolutely loved these cookies and my boys can’t have enough 😄
I baked them for 2 extra minutes as they seemed too soft and they turned perfect. Thank you so much for the recipe, we love love love it.
Sophie
Fantastic recipe, the most unique cookies I have ever made. We loved the combination of spice with the white chocolate. Will bake again!
Polly
These cookies are amazing and I thoroughly recommend. The spices are spot on and they are packed with white chocolate chips - delicious!!
Paul
Dark Brown Soft Sugar? Is it the same as Dark Muscovado Sugar? Both are dark, soft sugars but they are called different things. I always use Muscovado sugar in Brownies, Blondies etc as its more moist but in these cookies I think they will turn out too dark if I used it.
Do you think it would be ok to use Muscovado and White caster sugar to lighten it up a bit?
thebakingexplorer
Hi Paul, dark brown soft sugar and dark muscovado sugar are two different things, however they are very similar and can be used the same way in pretty much all cases. I intentionally used all dark brown sugar in this recipe to give the cookies their dark golden appearance. However if you are concerned about them being too dark for you, then yes you can definitely use a mix of dark muscovado and caster sugar.
Liz
These are some of the best cookies I’ve ever made! They turned out so well and tasted delicious. A great recipe that I will definitely be making again and again. Thank you! I’ve made a few of your recipes now and all of them have been really successful. You have become my go to baking recipe site, thanks for creating so many brilliant bakes! Keep up the good work 🙂
Soraya
This recipe looks great! Could I preheat my oven halfway through when the dough has 15 minutes left in the fridge, as my oven gets hot quickly? Also could I use a hand mixer? I don't have a paddle attachment.
thebakingexplorer
Yes on both counts! Let me know if you enjoy the cookies!
Soraya
I just finished making these cookies and they were amazing! My family and I loved them and I will definitely make these again. Thanks so much for sharing..