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These Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies are a must-try! They’re full of cozy fall flavor and they’re great for making ahead of time! An old fashioned Christmas cookie recipe that’s not to be missed.
Whether you’re looking for a crowd-pleasing Christmas cookie or an easy treat to make with your kids, these molasses cookies are a must-make! I wanted to be sure they were more chewy than cakey, and they sure are. I added in an egg yolk and used all brown sugar to give extra flavor and moisture for chewiness.
These cookies have the perfect texture and the most delicious flavor, thanks to the molasses and the spices. They’re super quick and easy to make as well! Believe it or not, the cookies taste EVEN BETTER the day AFTER you make them. The moisture really sets in and they get even more soft and chewy!
Molasses cookies are similar to gingersnap cookies when it comes to flavor. Both kinds of cookies are made with cinnamon, ginger and molasses, but molasses cookies are soft and chewy rather than crispy. So, if you’re more of a soft cookie person but you love the flavor of gingersnaps, you’ll fall in love with these molasses cookies!
You just need some molasses and a few other pantry staples to make these cookies. Here’s my fool-proof ingredient list for molasses cookies:
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking Soda
- Spices: Ground Ginger, Ground Cinnamon, Ground Cloves
- Salt
- Unsalted Butter: Bring your butter to room temperature.
- Brown Sugar
- Unsulfured molasses:
- Eggs
- Vanilla Extract
These cookies a very easy to make. They do require some chill time to help prevent the dough from spreading too much during baking so plan ahead for a few hours of chill time. I like to make the dough in the morning, then bake them in the afternoon. They make your house smell amazing!
- Prepare for Baking: Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream Butter & Sugar: Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
- Add Molasses & Eggs: Add the molasses and mix until well combined. Then, add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition.
- Add Vanilla & Dry Ingredients: Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Then, add in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. The dough will be sticky. Do not over mix.
- Chill Dough: Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours.
- Let Sit: Let the cookie dough come closer to room temperature so that it’s still chilled, but not hard and cold.
- Assemble: Create tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake: Bake for 8-10 minutes, then let cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling. They will fall a bit as they cool. Do not over bake them, or they will end up more cakey.
- Chill your dough. It’s tempting to skip this step but chilling the dough helps prevent them from over spreading in the oven and results in a softer, chewier molasses cookie.
- Check your spices. If your cinnamon, ginger or cloves have been sitting in the cupboard for more than a year, getting new spices will ensure the best flavor.
- Make them ahead. You can also make the dough ahead of time and bake the cookies later if you’d like. Just form the dough balls after the initial chilling of the dough and then store them in the fridge for up to 3 days. Before you bake the cookies, make sure you let the dough warm up a bit on the counter.
- Cookies not spreading enough? If your cookies don’t spread as much as they should, it could be because you’re over-measuring the flour or that the cookie dough was too cold for baking. You want it to be slightly cool, but closer to room temperature than cold.
Store leftover molasses cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They’ll stay fresh for 4-5 days. If you want them to last a few days longer, transfer them to the fridge.
Want your cookies to last for a few months instead of a few days? Just freeze them! These cookies will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just thaw them in the fridge before digging in.
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- Prep Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: 40
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
You have to try these supremely Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies. They’re full of cozy molasses flavor and they’re great for making ahead of time!
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups plus 2 tbsp (309g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 3/4 cup (224g) packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You should be able to see the change in color happen and know it’s ready.
- Add the molasses and mix until well combined.
- Add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined.
- Add in the dry ingredients and mix until the dough is well combined. The dough will be sticky. Do not over mix.
- Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours.
- Let the cookie dough come closer to room temperature so that it’s still chilled, but not hard and cold.
- Create tablespoon-sized balls of cookie dough. Gently roll into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Set the balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, then let cool on the baking sheet for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling. They will fall a bit as they cool. Do not overbake them, or they will end up more cakey.
Notes
Makes 35-40 cookies.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 82
- Sugar: 5.3 g
- Sodium: 81 mg
- Fat: 3.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.8 g
- Protein: 1.1 g
- Cholesterol: 23 mg
Keywords: molasses cookies, molasses cookies recipe, ginger molasses cookies, soft molasses cookies, chewy molasses cookies, best easy cookie recipes, easy christmas cookie recipes
This is one of my family’s favorite cookies!! Thank you so much for these 🙂
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoy them!
I am trying this recipe because every thing i have made from your site has turned out fantastic. Ill let you know how they turn out!
So glad to hear that! I hope you enjoy them!
Just made these and they are delicious!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
Fantastic. Can’t wait to try this !
★★★★★