Lightened Up Spiced Ginger Cookies (WW Friendly)

These soft and chewy spiced ginger cookies are one of my favorite treats to bake during the holiday season. Warm with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, they smell as cozy as they taste. A light sprinkle of sparkling sugar adds just the right amount of crunch on top, giving each cookie a pretty finish.

This recipe is adapted from Eat What You Love Everyday (affiliate link) by Marlene Koch, and I was delighted by how easy it is to make a lighter version of a classic holiday cookie without sacrificing flavor or texture. The cookies bake up soft, nicely spiced, and perfect with a cup of tea or tucked into a festive cookie tin.

Why I Love These Lightened Up Spiced Ginger Cookies

• Warm holiday spices in every bite
• Soft and chewy texture
• Lightened up but still full of flavor
• Easy to mix together with simple ingredients
• WW friendly for the holiday season
• Perfect for gifting or freezing

Ingredients and Easy Substitutions

• Butter – Provides richness and helps create the soft, chewy texture ginger cookies are known for. Light butter also works, though texture may change slightly.
• No-calorie or reduced-calorie sweetener – Choose a sweetener that measures 1:1 with sugar for best results.
• Egg – Binds the dough and gives structure.
• Molasses – Adds moisture, rich flavor, color, and that signature gingerbread taste.
• All-purpose flour – Provides structure. A gluten-free measure-for-measure blend may be substituted.
• Baking soda – Helps the cookies spread and stay soft.
• Ground cinnamon – Adds warm spice.
• Ground ginger – Provides that distinctive zingy heat ginger cookies are known for.
• Ground cloves – Deepens the flavor and adds cozy holiday aroma.
• Sparkling sugar (optional) – Adds a little crunch and a festive touch on top.

How Many Calories and WW Points Are in These Ginger Cookies?

According to my calculations, each ginger cookie has just 72 calories.

To see the WWPoints for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)

How to Make Spiced Ginger Cookies, Step-by-Step

Step 1: Gather and prepare all ingredients.

Step 2: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Set aside cookies sheets, parchment paper or silicone liners, if using.

Step 3: In a large mixing bowl (affiliate link), beat the butter sweetener, egg and molasses with an electric mixer (affiliate link) on medium speed until creamy.

Step 4: In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground ginger and ground cloves.

Step 5: With the mixer on medium, gradually beat in the dry flour mixture until thoroughly incorporated.

Step 6: Roll cookie dough into 24 balls, using approximately 1 tablespoon dough, and place at least 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Slightly flatten the balls with damp fingers or the bottom of a glass and lightly sprinkle with sparkling sugar. (My dough was still quite damp and sticky, so the sparkling sugar stuck well. If your dough is dry, you can lightly whisk an egg white and lightly brush each cookie before sprinkling with sparkling sugar.)

Step 7: Bake for about 10 – 12 minutes, until firm to the touch and golden.

Allow cookies to cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Step 8: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

Recipe Notes and Sweetener Tips

• The original recipe suggests brushing cookies with egg white before sprinkling with sugar. I tried it both ways and preferred skipping the egg wash. My dough was moist enough for the sugar to stick.
• Sweetener Tip:
  For the best texture, use a sweetener that measures cup-for-cup with sugar. If your sweetener is more concentrated (such as Truvia Baking Blend (affiliate link)), be sure to reduce the amount to achieve the right level of sweetness and avoid cakey cookies.
• These cookies stay soft for several days and freeze well.

Storage Tips for Soft Ginger Cookies

• Store at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
• Place a small piece of bread in the container to help keep them soft.
• Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

If you like soft and chewy ginger cookies, check out my other holiday cookies and bars, including: Soft Spice Cookies, Eggnog Snickerdoodles, Italian Molasses Cookies, Low Fat Rum Balls, Enlightened Sugar Cookies and Mint Chocolate Bars

If you’ve made these Low Calorie Spiced Ginger Cookies, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.

Source: Adapted from: Eat What You Love Everyday (affiliate link) by Marlene Koch

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular sugar instead of a no-calorie sweetener?

Yes. Just use a 1:1 ratio. If your sweetener doesn’t measure like sugar, adjust accordingly. Using regular sugar will slightly increase calories and WW Points.

Why did my cookies turn out cakey?

This usually happens when too much sweetener is used or the dough contains extra moisture. Be sure to flatten the dough balls slightly and avoid overbaking.

Can I make the dough ahead?

Yes. The dough can be refrigerated up to 24 hours. If it firms up, simply flatten each dough ball gently before baking.

Do these cookies freeze well?

They do. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Can I make them gluten-free?

Yes—use a gluten-free measure-for-measure flour. The cookies may be slightly softer, but still delicious.

More WW Friendly Holiday Cookies to Try

If you liked these lightened up ginger cookies be sure to check out more of my Holiday Cookie Favorites:

• Cranberry Ginger Oatmeal Cookies – Chewy, lightly spiced, and dotted with tart cranberries.
• Crackle Spice Cookies – Soft spice cookies with a pretty crackled top.
• Pizzelle Cookie Cannolis – Light pizzelle shells rolled and filled for an easy festive Italian style dessert.
• Raspberry Squares – Sweet, jam-topped bars that make a lovely jewel-like holiday treat.
• Old-Fashioned Wheaties Cherry Blinks – A nostalgic cookie made lighter and WW friendly.