Perfectly spiced molasses cookies are flavored with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and (of course) plenty of rich sticky molasses! They have slightly crisped, sparkling sugar coated exteriors and soft, chewy interiors.
This Molasses Cookie Recipe is the softer, chewier cousin of the Gingerbread Cookies that I shared the other day. They’re a great and easy-to-make cookie option for your holiday cookie tray.
Cookie Season is in full swing! Which cookies will have the honor of being on your cookie tray this year?
For me, these Molasses Cookies definitely make the cut. They have a place reserved right beside my Sugar Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Peanut Butter Blossoms, to name just a few.
With their crackly sugared surfaces, slightly crisped edges, and soft, so soft, chewy interiors, Molasses Cookies are the treat to leave out for Santa if you have something particularly pricy on your wishlist this year. They’re brilliantly flavored with real butter (no shortening!), molasses and dark brown sugar, and spiced with ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
These are eat-by-the-fireplace-on-a-snowy-Christmas-Eve cookies, and they taste like the holidays. Cozy, molasses-y holidays.
How to Make Molasses Cookies
The dough for these cookies will need to be prepared a little bit in advance, as it will need to chill for at least 3 hours (you can chill it longer, sometimes I like to make the molasses cookie dough the day before I plan to bake, and chill it overnight).
Because of the molasses, the dough is a little bit sticky, and chilling is required to make the dough manageable and easy to roll the dough into balls. The chilling period also allow the flavors to really develop, giving you the best, most deeply flavored molasses cookies.
You’ll roll the dough in granulated sugar for their sparkly surfaces. I like to use a coarse or turbinado sugar, but regular granulated sugar will work, too.
Are Molasses Cookies the Same as Gingersnaps?
No, Molasses Cookies are not the same as Gingersnaps. While the flavor is quite similar, Gingersnaps have a spicier, more pronounced ginger flavor while molasses cookies have a deeper rich molasses flavor. Another key difference: Gingersnaps are typically thin and crisp and snappy, while my Molasses Cookies are thick, soft, and chewy.
I happened to have some leftover whipped cream in the refrigerator and topped some of the warm cookies off with it after they finished baking. Indulgent? Totally. But also totally delicious and reminded me of a whipped cream-topped gingerbread that my mom likes to make… just something you might want to try out for yourself 😉
Enjoy!
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Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature (170g)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- ½ cup dark brown sugar packed, can substitute light brown sugar (100g)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses it should say unsulphered on the label, I used "Grandma's" brand) (60ml)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour (280g)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer (or you may use a large bowl and an electric hand mixer).
- Add egg, stir until combined.
- Add molasses and vanilla extract, stir well until ingredients are combined.
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until completely combined.
- Cover dough with clear wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
- Once dough has chilled, preheat oven to 375F (190C) and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- Roll dough into heaping Tablespoon-sized balls and roll in sugar to coat completely.
- Place at least 2" apart on prepared cookie sheet and bake on 375F (190C) for 10-11 minutes.
- The cookies should look baked but have slightly under-done centers. Let them cool completely on the baking sheet to finish cooking -- this will make them very soft.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
I originally shared this Molasses Cookie Recipe 12/01/2017. Post updated (recipe remains the same) 12/15/2018.
Amy R
I made these yesterday and they were perfect! I used turbinado sugar on the outside, and it made them sparkle. These just might be my go to Christmas cookie this year!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Wonderful! Thanks for using our recipe, Amy ❤️
Allyson
Every cookie recipe of yours I have tried has been lovely! I have a wicked sweet tooth and tend to freeze cookie dough pucks to bake off slowly (so I’m not tempted to eat the entire batch!) I’ve never frozen molasses cookie dough. Do you have experience freezing this one?
Sam
Hi Allyson! I’m so glad you have enjoyed all of the cookies! I haven’t tried freezing this one, but I don’t think you would have any issues doing so. 🙂
Mark B
My family was visiting from california and stocking up on Molasses Archway cookies, i snached up your recipe and made a triple batch. thereafter- no one wanted the store bought – big suprize. These were WAY better. first time out. the sugar i used was organic Granulated so its kinda brown . i played a bit with the briwn / white sugar amounts and they came out amazing. WOW. more family is leaving tomorrow and i SO want to make them again. who knows maybe ill send some as a care package for later.
loving your measurements with grams. thank you. keep up the good tastes for us. M
Sam
I’m so glad everyone enjoyed them so much, Mark! 🙂
Jodie
So delicious! Made the cookiesabitbigger andcooked them a few minutes longer- just like the coffee shop cookie❣️