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Ginger Molasses Cookies
I'm all about chocolate chip cookies, but come Christmastime I put the chocolate chips away and grab all the ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Ginger cookies, in all forms (gingersnaps, gingerbread cookies, gingerbread cookie bars) are where it's at.
These ginger molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and absolutely divine. They might look plain, but they are loaded with holiday spices and flavor. My favorite part? They stay soft and delicious for DAYS. Make a batch and they'll stay soft and chewy all week.
Gingersnaps VS. Molasses Cookies
What's the difference? Traditionally, gingersnaps are a small, crispy ginger cookie while molasses cookies are soft and rich with less of a ginger kick. That being said, I love ginger so I add the same amount of ginger to my gingersnaps and molasses cookies. Basically, one is crispy and one is soft and chewy. There's your difference. Molasses cookies come in different sizes and thicknesses. The more brown sugar you use the thicker your cookies will be. Some recipes call for all brown sugar. I use a combination of brown and white sugar. My recipe base is from Betty Crocker. I've made a few adjustments to it to create a recipe that I absolutely love.
Molasses Cookies Ingredients
- Spices: ground ginger, ground cinnamon and ground cloves (you can add nutmeg if you'd like as well)
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda and salt: for leavening and flavor.
- Brown sugar and white sugar: some recipes call for all brown sugar, but I like using a mixture. If you want a thicker cookie you can use less white sugar and more brown sugar.
- Large egg: a room temperature egg for richness and texture.
- Butter: you can use salted or unsalted. I prefer to use salted butter in all of my baking. Many gingersnap, gingerbread and molasses cookies call for shortening. You can use shortening if you'd like (and I do for my gingerbread cookies, and use a mixture for my chewy gingerbread cookies), but I prefer butter in molasses cookies for the richness it adds. According to the Betty Crocker website, "There are reasons for using shortening versus butter when mixing up a cookie dough. Shortening has a higher melting point, so cookies will hold their shape longer in the oven before the fat melts in the dough (and shortening doesn’t release any steam like butter) so results in moist, chewy cookies. While butter melts more quickly and releases some steam so that cookies will spread more and be crisper, with a distinctly buttery flavor. Some recipes use a combination of the two fats."
- Molasses: obviously. Use the basic unsulphured molasses from the grocery store, not blackstrap which has an overwhelming flavor.
- Sugar: extra sugar is needed for rolling the cookie dough balls in before baking.
How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl. Whisk then set to the side. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars until creamy. Mix in egg and molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix until soft cookie dough forms. Cover cookie dough with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (can chill longer if needed). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop (2 Tbsp.) then roll in granulated sugar. Bake the cookies, 6 per cookie sheet for 11-13 minutes. Let cookies stand for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack. This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.
3 More Christmas Cookie Recipes
Peppermint Bark Shortbread Cookies Hot Cocoa Cookies Shortbread Christmas Tree Cookies
Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe
(printable version)
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Soft ginger molasses cookies are loaded with holiday spices and stay soft for days! The perfect Christmas cookie.
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Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 150kcal
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup butter 1 ½ sticks, softened
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- ¼ cup sugar to roll cookies in
Instructions
- Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a bowl.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugars with an electric mixer until creamy. Mix in egg and molasses.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until soft cookie dough forms.
- Cover cookie dough with plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours (can chill longer if needed).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Scoop dough using a medium cookie scoop (2 Tbsp.) then roll in granulated sugar.
- Bake the cookies, 6 per cookie sheet* for 12-13 minutes. Let cookies stand for 5-7 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.*Cookies will spread so only bake 6-9 at a time. You can keep the rest of the dough in the refrigerator while you wait to bake it.
Notes
This recipe makes about 2 dozen cookies.
I bake with light baking sheets so my recipe times reflect that. If your cookie sheets are dark may need to adjust the baking time, baking the cookies for less time.
Nutrition
Calories: 150kcal
Sarah Nearhoff says
These taste absolutely incredible. Mine came out very flat but that’s probably the water content in the butter I used so be sure to use a high quality butter to have an even more superior cookie. These disappeared in record time. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Brandy says
Sarah, I’m so glad to hear that! Maybe add a little more flour the next time to counteract any extra moisture! Hopefully that will help them not be so flat for you!
Miz Helen says
I would love to have a platter of these cookies! Thanks so much for sharing your post with us at Full Plate Thursday, we have really enjoyed it. Hope you have a great day and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Erlene says
My hubby loves Snickerdoodles and this sounds like a great twist for fall. Thanks for sharing on MM.
Molly says
They looks awesome
Mollyx