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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I made these cookies today and they are very good. However, the texture is more like a sugar cookie, very soft. What did I do wrong?
Hi Paula, Sorry you were disappointed with the texture. These cookies are actually intended to be soft. If you’d prefer a crispier version, I’d suggest this recipe.
I just baked my third batch of these delicious cookies (in a week!) and my whole family love them – my son loves to help rolling the cookie dough in sugar. I substituted the golden syrup for maple syrup in the last batch and they were still amazing. Thanks so much 🙂
Not really a baker, but these cookies were simple and delicious. Shared them at work and everyone loved them. Only complaint was that we ran out of them. Thank you!
I made these cookies a few days ago. They turned out exactly how you described, crunchy on the outside while being soft on the inside. The next day, after being stored one night in an airtight container, the entire cookie was the soft texture. Still delicious, but what went wrong?
Hi Debbie, Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Are you in a humid environment?
I am in southeast Texas, 90% humidity…is that why mine went soft overnight? Are there any changes that I can make in the future to prevent this? Thank you !
I do think that’s why they got soft. I haven’t tried this but some bakers place a piece of bread in with the cookies to help absorb any excess moisture. To refresh the soft cookies, try heating them for 5 min or so in a 300°F oven. (Another idea for future batches would be to freeze the dough balls and bake them as needed.) Hope that helps!
Thank you Jenn! Between your website, and your cookbook I am becoming a better cook! Thoroughly enjoying your recipes and appreciate your interaction! Thanks again!
Hi Jenn, I actually have a humidity gauge and it’s reading normal, not too high and not to low. I might have put them in the sealed container while they were still slightly warm. Do you think that could’ve caused it? Love your cookbook!
Yep, that would do it. 🙂
These cookies were absolutely fabulous, great taste and texture. Loved by all! 😋
Hi Jen, excited to make these cookies for an Xmas day dinner I’m hosting. My question is not about the recipe but about baking with kids. You mentioned that you bake with your daughter. My daughter has just turned one, and I’m hoping in a few years I can start baking and cooking with her. I’d love a blog post about how you did it with yours. Things like what tasks work well, how do you keep her interested and focused, what tools are useful and safe to use etc. Anyhow, I hope this is not too off topic. I love your recipes and I hope to show my daughter how to make them too!
Hi Mae, Baking with your kids really can be a great experience as long as you pay attention to where they are developmentally. I will add your suggestion to potential content to develop (and thanks for the suggestion)!
Should I form them into balls before chilling or chill the dough they form them?
Thank you
Quynh
Chill the dough first, then form the balls. Enjoy!
Amazing and easy recipe! You can’t go wrong! The texture and taste is well balanced throughout. Rotating the tray while baking helps for even consistency! Definitely bake on parchment paper to avoid sticking while removing! Looking for a cookie to make for holiday parties-this IS IT!
Great cookie recipe. Easy to follow, great flavor! It’s a keeper.
Ann
Came out perfectly.
I got a new oven this year, with both a conventional oven setting and a convection oven setting. I baked them both ways and the convection oven setting at 350 degrees worked perfectly. It made them puff up beautifully with small cracks across the top, which looks awesome. This is the third time I have made them, and they are by far my family’s favorite cookie. They are the only cookie my husband will eat. And he eats plenty of them.