Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

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by Haley//November 1, 2018 (updated October 11, 2022)

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If you want a cookie that gives you all the cozy winter vibes, then I have a recipe for you. Warm baking spices and molasses create a flavorful ginger molasses cookie perfect for Christmas and snowy days!

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (1)

Cookie season is here and these chewy molasses cookies are a must for the holiday season. I am a fan of pretty much all cookies, but every now and then I bake a cookie that is especially hard to resist. These cookies are one of them. They are chewy and crinkly at the same time, plus they have all the good baking spices.

Table of Contents

Why this recipe works

The molasses and brown sugar create the most perfect chewy consistency while cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg bring in the winter spice flavor. Talk about a killer combo!

Ingredient notes

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (2)
  • Unsalted butter: Unsalted is best when baking (make sure it’s room temperature).
  • White and brown sugar: A mix of sugars gives great flavor and improves the texture of these cookies.
  • Molasses: Grabbing a bottle of this sweetener (if you don’t normally use it) gives these cookies their deep taste.
  • Spices: Mix up some cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves here. The combo is what adds depth rather than using a single flavor.
  • Cinnamon Sugar: Take the extra step of rolling the dough in sugar before baking. This gives the baked cookies a sweet crunchy bite.

Recipe variations

If you prefer to use fresh ginger in your cookies, you totally can use it! I recommend grating the ginger on a fine grate for best results. Start with 1 Tablespoon fresh ginger and adjust according to your preferred taste.

Another way to personalize these cookies is adding a simple glaze on top. Is suggest the maple glaze I use on my gingerbread scones. Whisk together 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, 1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk if needed for thinner consistency. Drizzle glaze over cookies and serve.

I also love to use these cookies to make ice cream sandwiches with eggnog ice cream. It’s such a lovely flavor combo!

Add some mix-ins, such as 1 cup chopped nuts or white chocolate chips. I also think raisins would taste amazing (I use them in hermit cookies, which have a similar flavor profile).

How to make ginger molasses cookies

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (3)
  1. Whisk together dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
  2. Beat together wet ingredients—butter and sugars, then egg, vanilla and molasses.
  3. Combine wet and dry ingredients. Stir just until combined.
  4. Shape dough into balls and roll in cinnamon sugar.
  5. Bake cookies at 350° F for 8 to 10 minutes until edges are set.

Expert tips

The key to a crinkly top cookie is using enough sugar in the dough and then rolling the cookie dough balls in sugar before baking. They will glisten and shimmer making them super appealing on the cookie platter.

If you want thicker cookies, chill the cookie dough before rolling into balls and baking. About an hour of chilling should do the trick! You can also chill the dough for up to 48 hours for easy holiday prep.

​​​​​​​Frequently Asked Questions

Which molasses is best for cookies?

Light molasses (unsulphured) works best to keep cookies soft. I prefer Grandma’s Original Molasses for these cookies.

How to soften molasses cookies:

Place a small apple slice in an airtight container with the cookies. In a couple hours they should be soft again!

Can you freeze the cookie dough?

Yes. Store the dough in an airtight container or wrap securely with plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator before baking.

Why are my molasses cookies hard?

Too much flour is usually the answer. I use a kitchen scale to weigh my flour. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, fluff up your flour with a fork then spoon it into a measuring cup (never pack down flour). Another culprit is over-baking. The edges of the cookies should be set, but the center soft (only about 8 minutes of baking!)

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (4)

Related recipes

Molasses is a unique flavor that lends itself well to baking. Here are more ways to use up your jar!

Gingerbread Crinkle Cookies
Gingerbread Man Cookies
Pfeffernüsse Cookies
Gingerdoodle Cookies (aka Ginger Snickerdoodles)

Did you love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card below and if you REALLY loved it, consider leaving a comment further down the page.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (9)

Get the Recipe: Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Yield: 24 cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 8 minutes mins

Total Time: 18 minutes mins

Chewy ginger molasses cookies are made with baking spices and molasses to create a flavorful cookie perfect for Christmas and the winter season!

4.92 (12 ratings)

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Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ½ cup (113 g or 1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • ½ cup (100 g) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar, (light or dark)
  • 1 large egg, room temperature
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup light unsulphured molasses

For the cinnamon sugar coating:

  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

  • In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add egg, vanilla and molasses, and beat until the dough turns a light brown color, about 2 more minutes.

  • With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the dough and mix together until just combined.

  • In separate a small bowl, mix together your cinnamon and sugar topping. Use a cookie scoop to scoop 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball. Roll your dough ball into the cinnamon sugar mixture.

  • Place cookie dough on prepared sheet and space about 2 inches apart.Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until cookies are crinkly and the edges are set. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool for 2 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to five days.

Store cookie dough in an airtight container the refrigerator for up to two days or in the freezer for up to three months. Let dough defrost in the refrigerator before baking.

Serving: 1cookie, Calories: 125kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 4g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 17mg, Sodium: 100mg, Potassium: 71mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 128IU, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg

Author: Haley D Williams

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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15 comments //Leave a Comment or Review »

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    15 Comments on “Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies”

  1. JackieReply

    These cookies are great who needs a holiday for them.yumm!

  2. AnitaReply

    I love these cookies. They are great for my afternoon coffee break. 🙂

  3. Andrea MetlikaReply

    These are the best looking Molasses cookies I’ve ever seen. I think I might get my family to like them as much as me with this recipe.

  4. LINDSEY PINEReply

    These are my favorite type of cookie. I just love of all of those pungent sweet spices!

  5. Jessica FormicolaReply

    This is my family’s favorite cookie recipe! We make them all the time!

  6. ToniReply

    These were so good! My kids can;t get enough of them!

  7. AnaReply

    Could I mix it by hand? I usually do chocolate chip cookies mixing by hand and don’t really have any kind of mixer right now, would it work out? TY, the recipe sounds delicious and I’ll be trying it soon (hopefully).

    • Haley

      Hi Ana! Yes, you can mix by hand if you need to. Make sure to mix the butter and sugars thoroughly (it will take some arm work!)

  8. Laura JohnsonReply

    These are the best cookies – easy AND yummy! Definitely will be adding them to my Christmas cookie list. Who am I kidding? I could eat them any time of year!

  9. KathrynReply

    We love these – so delicious!

  10. loriReply

    Made this recipe over the weekend and so happy with the results. Very easy recipe and very tasty cookie.

  11. KayReply

    I love molasses cookies! Thank you for a great recipe! My question is that my cookies tastes great but dont have those pretty cracks like yours and didn’t flattened out either..please tell me what I did wrong!

    • Letitia Selk

      Great taste. I got them flat by minimally refrigerating the dough – which is very hard to roll into balls when I don’t chill. I am not able to get the beautiful cracks though. I’ll keep trying and will give 5 stars if I can figure these two things out.

  12. KristineReply

    These were a big hit. Question for making ahead: should I freeze the dough before rolling the balls in cinnamon sugar or freeze after the balls have been rolled in the coating?

    • Haley

      Hi Kristine – If you freeze the balls of dough, wait until right before baking to add the sugar. The dough tends to absorb the sugar granules if not baked right away.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are my ginger molasses cookies not cracking? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

What happens if you add too much molasses to cookies? ›

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

What makes a chewy cookie? ›

Cornstarch helps product soft and thick cookies. Using more brown sugar than white sugar results in a moister, softer cookie. An extra egg yolk increases chewiness. Rolling the cookie dough balls to be tall and lumpy instead of wide and smooth gives the cookies a bakery-style textured thickness.

What factors cause a cookie to be crisp soft and chewy? ›

The ingredients you use and how you shape your cookies both play an important role in whether your cookies turn out crispy or chewy. The type of flour and sugar you use, if your cookie dough contains eggs, and whether you use melted or softened butter all factor into the crispy-chewy equation, too.

How do you fix cracked gingerbread dough? ›

Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking. Follow this tip: Let the dough chill in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for at least two hours or overnight before rolling it out.

How much molasses to use? ›

These are the most common tips for applying molasses to your soil: For every 1,000 square feet, use 1/2 cup liquid molasses. When applying to individual plants, mix two tablespoons of molasses per gallon of water.

What does too much molasses do? ›

Also, because people make molasses in a process called fermentation, it can cause digestive problems. Consuming large amounts may cause loose stools or diarrhea. People with irritable bowel syndrome or other forms of digestive discomfort may want to avoid this syrup.

Which molasses is best for cookies? ›

Light molasses is the sweetest and mildest out of the bunch because it is made from the first boiling cycle,” she said. “I like to use this type of molasses because it adds moisture to cookies, resulting in a soft and chewy texture.”

What is the trick to making soft and chewy cookies? ›

It's not the egg, all-purpose flour, or even the vanilla extract. The simple, yet oh-so-necessary component is cornstarch. That's right, the flavorless thickening agent used for soups, stews, and curries is also the secret weapon for baked goods that boast a silky-smooth mouthfeel.

What flour is best for chewy cookies? ›

Bread Flour: For Chewy Texture

Bread flour contains a higher protein content (around 12-14%), leading to more gluten development. This makes it ideal for bakers seeking a chewier texture in their cookies. The extra gluten can help retain gas and moisture, producing a denser and chewier result.

Is the most likely ingredient to provides a chewy texture to a cookie? ›

The softer and chewier they are, the tastier and more fulfilling they tend to be. To make the chewiest cookies possible, you could try melted butter or include cream cheese as your secret ingredient. But one trick you may not have tried is adding honey to ensure your cookies are at their very softest and chewiest.

What does an extra egg yolk do for cookies? ›

A cookie made with extra egg yolk (or, in this case, only egg yolk), will be lighter and chewier than a cookie made with whole eggs. The cookies will also have a richer flavor thanks to the added fat in egg yolk.

What is the secret to making good cookies? ›

The key is to always use top-quality ingredients as they'll result in a better cookie; it really is that simple.
  1. Always use butter.
  2. Choose the right sugar.
  3. Choose the right flour.
  4. Check your flour is in date.
  5. Choose the right kind of chocolate.
  6. Cream the butter and sugar.
  7. Beat in the eggs.
  8. Fold in the flour.

Should I use baking powder or baking soda for cookies? ›

Baking soda is typically used for chewy cookies, while baking powder is generally used for light and airy cookies. Since baking powder is comprised of a number of ingredients (baking soda, cream of tartar, cornstarch, etc.), using it instead of pure baking soda will affect the taste of your cookies.

Why aren't my cookies crackly? ›

Issues with cracking usually derive from the sugar coating, not enough or expired baking powder or baking soda, or the oven temperature isn't hot enough. Solution: Granulated sugar is more effective at drying the surface than powdered sugar.

What makes gingerbread cookies crack on top? ›

You have a few things that can go wrong: The oven isn't hot enough. (it needs to set the top before the middle's fully risen) Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set)

Why didn't my crinkle cookies crack? ›

Why didn't my chocolate crinkle cookies crack? The most common reason for cookies that don't crack is either that the oven was not hot enough or the baking powder was expired.

Why didn t my molasses cookies spread? ›

One of the most common reasons why cookies didn't spread out in the oven is because you added too much flour. Cookies rely on the perfect ratio of butter to flour in order to spread just the right amount when baked. It's very easy to over measure flour when using cup measurements.

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