If there is a flavor, an aroma, a memory that evokes all of the Christmas spirit in me, it is this ginger molasses cookie recipe. My grandma made these cookies every Christmas and doled out cute little tins of them to everyone in the family. It is the smell of Christmas to me and fills me with the most bittersweet nostalgia. I'm so glad I have her recipe so that I can continue her tradition now that she's gone. I got it in my head I wanted to make a gingerbread caramel thumbprint cookie, but I should tell you - these cookies need no adornment. I'll give instructions for making the thumbprints as well as the classics, with a light coating of Christmas sprinkles or sparkly sugar like she always did.
Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprint Cookie Filling
I was thinking of new Christmas cookie ideas, and a Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprint Cookie popped into my imagination. And that was it - it had to be done. I knew I wanted the filling to be firmly set at room temperature. Trying to gift gooey cookies is a recipe for disaster and disappointment. I wondered if white chocolate could be the answer. So I essentially made a white chocolate caramel ganache. (Side note: this filling would make amazing truffles - maybe I'll get around to that this year).
So I whipped up a batch of my ever popular, and perfectly seasonal gingerbread caramel sauce. Then added one piping hot cup of it to a bag of Ghirardelli white chocolate chips. Crossed my fingers, waited a few minutes, stirred, and was delighted with the results. The white chocolate does not compete with the gingerbread flavor. It just allows the caramel filling to set up perfectly at room temp while still retaining a nice, soft texture when bitten.
This would also make a great cookie sandwich filling or glaze/drizzle. And you could use this exact same method with regular caramel and dark chocolate - YUM.
If you want a traditional Ginger Molasses Cookie
Although I encourage you to make these cute little gingerbread caramel thumbprint cookies, I totally understand if you want the classic. Since this recipe makes a lot of cookies, I did both and I know I will continue to do so. For the classic ginger molasses cookie, I use my 2 tablespoon cookie scoop which makes them the size my grandma made them. I like to roll some of them in regular, granulated sugar and some in Christmas nonpareil sprinkles. You can use colored sugar, which my granny often did. Or sanding sugar for larger crystals and more crunch, or any sprinkles you love. Mix it up and do a variety for your cookie gift boxes.
And speaking of cookie boxes:
Check out this post for my favorite cookie box to date and all my tips and tricks on How to Make a Christmas Cookie Box. (Plus my peppermint bark recipe.)
I hope you'll give this special recipe a try. Making these cookies is a way of remembering my sweet grandma and continuing her tradition. Having her old, stained, well-used and loved recipe card fills me with gratitude. And making these cookies overwhelms me with the most beautiful, bittersweet feelings. I miss her so much. These cookies are just one small way I can keep her close to me and my kids. I love, too, that this recipe uses her classic recipe but gives it a new spin. Combining old traditions with new is one of my favorite things. I hope you'll love these cookies as much as we do.
Merry Christmas and a happy holiday season to you and your families. xoxo - Li'l 'Nita
Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprint Cookies
Tender inside and slightly crisp at the edges, these Ginger Molasses Cookies are the ultimate Christmas Cookie thanks to my grandma's recipe. I turn them into the cutest Gingerbread Caramel Thumbprint Cookies, but you can leave them as-is for a classic holiday treat.
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 120 thumbprint cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- ¾ cup butter, room temperature (1.5 sticks/6 ounces)
- ¾ cup vegetable shortening, room temperature *see notes
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 4 and ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
For Gingerbread Caramel Sauce:
- ½ cup water
- 1.5 cups brown sugar
- 1.5 cups granulated sugar
- ¾ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1.5 sticks cold butter (12 tablespoons), cut into small pieces
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons bourbon (optional)
For the caramel filling:
- 1 cup gingerbread caramel, very hot
- 12 ounces white chocolate chips
Instructions
To prepare Gingerbread Caramel Sauce (this will make more than you need for this recipe but it is so good and makes a wonderful gift)
- Combine molasses, water, and sugar in a heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar dissolves.
- Bring to a boil and cook until you reach 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cream, butter, salt, and spices.
- Stir until all butter is melted and combined.
- Return to heat and allow to boil for another 2-3 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add bourbon if using.
- Reserve one cup for this recipe.
- Allow the rest to cool to room temperature before transferring to jars, Store in refrigerator.
To make Caramel Filling:
Prepare Gingerbread Caramel Sauce *see notes below. Combine one cup of very hot caramel sauce with one bag of white chocolate chips in a medium sized mixing bowl. Allow to sit for 5 minutes and then stir or whisk to combine. If the filling sets before you have all the cookies made, just give it 30 seconds in the microwave to loosen back up.
To prepare Cookie Dough:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream butter, shortening, and sugar until creamy and fluffy, this will take about 5-7 minutes on medium-high speed.
- Next, add molasses, vanilla, and eggs and mix well, scraping down sides and bottom as needed. It will look a little lumpy and "broken" at this stage. Don't fear.
- Add one cup of flour, baking soda, all of the spices, and salt. Mix to combine thoroughly - again scraping sides and bottom to make sure nothing is hiding from the beater. Finally, add remaining flour and mix until combined.
- Give the bowl a good scrape to make sure everything is combined. I even use my hands sometimes to really squish it all together. At this point you can proceed with cookie making, or stash this in the fridge covered tightly for 24-48 hours.
To make Thumbprint Cookies:
Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough (I use a cookie scoop) onto a parchment lined baking sheet about 1.5 inches apart. If desired, roll in granulated sugar or sprinkles. Bake for 8 minutes at 350 degrees F. Remove from oven and using a small, round ½ teaspoon, make an indentation in each cookie while still hot. Leave to cool and proceed with the rest of your dough in the same manner.
Fill each indentation with a small amount, about ½ teaspoon, of gingerbread caramel mixture. Allow to set at room temperature until filling is firm. This will take about 2 hours. If desired, while filling is still warm sprinkle tops with your favorite Christmas sprinkles.
To make Regular Cookies:
Scoop 2-tablespoons of dough (I use a cookie scoop) onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving 1.5 inches between. If desired roll dough balls in granulated sugar or sprinkles. Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Notes
You can make the gingerbread caramel sauce from scratch (and you should - it is amazing!), or you can use store bought caramel sauce and just add the spices to it and proceed with the caramel filling recipe as written.
I did update the original Anita's recipe just a bit by changing the spice proportions and adding vanilla.
My grandmother's recipe called for shortening so that's how I left it, but you can use an equal amount of butter instead of the shortening. You may get a tiny but more spread in your cookie, but they will be great.
The recipe yield will depend on what size cookies you make. You'll get less if you make all large cookies and more if you make the smaller thumbprints (I get 120 exactly when I make the small thumbprints using my 1-tablespoon cookie scoop). My grandma's original recipe card gives a yield of 100 cookies which sounds like a lot, but they make wonderful gifts and freeze well.
updated 12/22/24 to add a touch more flour - when I use all butter I find the cookies spread a bit more than I like, so I added a bit more flour to compensate.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cookies, Christmas Cookies
- Method: baking
- Cuisine: American
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