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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.
Looking for more Christmas cookies to try? I highly recommend checking out these soft cut out sugar cookies, chewy oatmeal raisin cookies, easy brown sugar cookies, and chocolate crinkle cookies!
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! Here’s why:
- Soft and chewy. I wanted to be sure that these cookies were more chewy than cakey, and they sure are. I also added in an egg yolk and used all brown sugar to give extra flavor and moisture for chewiness!
- Great make ahead recipe. Believe it or not, these cookies taste EVEN BETTER the day AFTER you make them. The moisture really sets in and they get even more soft and chewy!
- Easy. It takes about 10 minutes to prep the cookie dough, and 10 minutes to bake the cookies. There is some chill time required as well, but the hands-on part of the cookie-making process is very quick and easy!
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 chewy molasses cookies!
Recipe Ingredients
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 (check out the recipe card below for exact amounts):
- All-purpose flour – For the best results, be sure to weigh your flour so that you don’t add in too much by accident. You can also use the spoon-and-sweep method, if you like.
- Baking soda – This will give your molasses cookies a little bit of lift.
- Spices – I like to include a mix of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves.
- Salt – You can use kosher salt, sea salt, etc.
- Unsalted butter – Be sure to bring your butter to room temperature before you begin.
- Brown sugar – As mentioned above, brown sugar gives these cookies extra moisture so that their texture is perfectly tender!
- Unsulphured molasses – Sulphured molasses is preserved with sulfur dioxide and does not have as sweet a taste as unsulphured molasses, so I prefer to use the latter in these cookies.
- Eggs – To bind the cookie dough together.
- Vanilla extract – Pure vanilla extract is the way to go in this recipe.
These soft molasses cookies are 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) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and set it aside.
- Cream the butter and sugar. Cream the butter and brown sugar together in a large mixer bowl on medium speed until the mixture is 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 eggs. Stir in the molasses and mix until well combined. Then, add the egg and egg yolks one at a time, mixing until combined after each addition.
- Mix in the vanilla and dry ingredients. Add the vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Then, add in the dry ingredients and mix again. The dough will be sticky – do not over-mix it.
- Chill the dough. Cover and refrigerate the cookie dough for at least 2-3 hours.
- Let the dough 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 the dough into a ball, then roll each ball in the additional sugar to coat. Next, set the balls on the baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies. Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, then let them 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.
If you’re looking for a step-by-step visual guide on how these molasses cookies come together, check out the video below!
Tips for Success
Before you start baking, be sure to give this list of tips a quick read through!
- Chill your dough. It’s tempting to skip this step, but chilling the dough helps prevent the cookies 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. Remember to thaw them in the fridge before digging in.
Want to add some more cookies to your holiday cookie tray? Here are a few more ideas:
- Best Gingerbread Cookies
- Soft and Chewy Eggnog Cookies
- Southern Pecan Pralines
- Soft and Chewy Snickerdoodles
- Russian Tea Cakes
- 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 tablespoons (309g) all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon 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 teaspoon 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
- Yield. Makes 35-40 cookies.
- To store. 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.
- To freeze. 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. Remember to thaw them in the fridge before digging in.
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
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 !
I would need to roll these in balls and freeze for a week or so. Do you see a problem in freezing prior to baking. I do this with many of my cookie recipes and just let them thaw well prior to baking.
Sounds like a really good recipe.