Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
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Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, these gingery molasses cookies are loved by kids and adults alike.
Every year, my daughter and I bake these gingery molasses cookies for her holiday cookie bake sale and every year, they sell like hotcakes. Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, they have just the right balance of spices to please kids and adults alike. You’ll note that the recipe calls for black pepper. I promise, no one will know it’s there, but it adds a delightful little kick that lingers on the palate. Allow a few hours for the dough to chill in the fridge before baking.
If you love the rich flavor that molasses adds to baked goods, you’ll definitely want to try my crispy ginger cookies, comforting gingerbread, gingerbread cookies (a fun project to do with the kids), or pumpkin scones—all brimming with the cozy flavors of fall and winter.
“So delicious that my husband (who doesn’t normally have a sweet tooth) has to reach for second helping 😃. Definitely a keeper.”
What You’ll Need To Make Molasses Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour: Forms the base of the cookies, giving them structure. To ensure accuracy, measure the flour by spooning it into the measuring cup and leveling it off.
- Baking Soda: Acts as a leavening agent, helping the cookies rise and develop their crackled tops.
- Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances the warm, spiced flavors.
- Ground Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves, Black Pepper: This mix of spices gives the cookies a rich, warm, and slightly peppery flavor that complements the molasses and enhances the classic taste.
- Butter: Adds richness and creates a soft, chewy texture.
- Granulated Sugar and Light Brown Sugar: Sweeten the dough while helping with moisture retention, keeping the cookies soft.
- Egg: Binds the dough together and contributes to the chewy texture.
- Unsulphured Molasses: A key ingredient in the cookies, providing the signature deep, robust flavor and dark color. I use Grandma’s Original unsulphured molasses but any brand will work. Just make sure not to purchase blackstrap molasses; it’s quite bitter and would have a significant impact on the flavor of the cookies.
- Raw Sugar (for rolling): Creates the characteristic crackled, sugary crust on the outside of each cookie.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
Whisk to combine.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), combine the butter and the granulated and light brown sugars.
Beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the egg and molasses.
Beat to combine.
Add the flour mixture.
Mix on low speed until combined.
Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 x 18 in baking sheets with parchment paper. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously. Arrange the dough balls about 2½ in apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make-Ahead & Freezing Instructions
The cookies will last nicely, stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 3 days. The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
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Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, these gingery molasses cookies are loved by kids and adults alike.
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp packed light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma's Original
- ½ cup raw sugar (also called turbinado or demerara sugar), for rolling cookies
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and the granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 x 18 in baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously. Arrange the dough balls about 2½ in apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months: Roll the dough into balls, let set on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from the freezer. (Allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven.) To freeze after baking: Let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 103
- Fat: 4 g
- Saturated fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 16 g
- Sugar: 9 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 74 mg
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Once again a perfect recipe!! They came out perfect and so fitting for a cold day with a nice hot chocolate!
Thanks again!
Wonderful recipe! And, just in time for the holidays!
I added these cookies to my Christmas baking this year and they are a big hit. Really delicious recipe!
I just baked these cookies and they are sooooo delicious! We love the bit of crunch that the turbinado sugar added. These are definitely a new favorite at our house!
Jenn, 2 questions please: What is the reason for chilling the dough before making the cookies? Have you ever tried using Crisco instead of butter for this recipe? If so, what is the difference between the two.
Hi Pam, Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading flat in the oven. I haven’t tried these with Crisco, as I much prefer the taste of butter in cookies. In general, shortening is flavorless and makes for puffier cookies. Hope that helps!
Delicious!
Hi Jenn,
I made these cookies last week, and although they were absolutely delicious and we gobbled them up, mine were as flat as paper. I only baked one sheet of cookies at a time in the middle of the oven, could this have affected them since the directions say to bake two at a time? If not, any other idea what could have caused them to be so flat? Thanks in advance, and thank you for all of the wonderful recipes!!
Hi Anne, Did you chill the dough adequately?
Yes, it actually chilled over night. Too long?
That’s so strange, Anne – too cold shouldn’t cause a problem. Is it possible your baking soda is expired, or that you mismeasured the flour?
These were absolutely fantastic and I’m not usually a ginger fan! Will be making many batches for my kids’ teachers this year. Thank you for another winner Jenn!
I loved these cookies. I found that I had to flatten the balls down prior to baking otherwise they stayed doughy and browned too much on the bottom. I think that’s because I left them in the fridge overnight so the dough was quite firm. The second tray cooked wonderfully and I enjoyed the taste. Rolling them in dark brown sugar is a nice touch compared to white sugar. Thank you for sharing this tried and true recipe!
Absolutely fabulous . Made them tonight and my partner said they were better than the ones in Ottolenghi !