Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies – classic holiday cookie that everyone loves! No special ingredients and no chilling the dough required!
These chewy ginger molasses cookies are a must on our holiday cookie platter. Alongside my Perfect Sugar Cookies and soft and chewy M&M Chocolate Chip Cookies.
GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES
One of my favorite things about the holiday season is baking cookies. Ginger cookies are one of my favorites! I love to bake them, share them and eat them. Molasses and ginger combo to me is a classic one when it comes to holiday cookies. These cookies are chewy, perfectly spiced with ginger, cloves and cinnamon and have a slight crunch from the sugar coating. The smell and the taste of it make me so happy and excited for Christmas!
How to make Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies?
- Start by beating butter and sugars until fluffy. Mix in egg and molasses.
- Whisk dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Gradually mix in with butter mixture.
- Scoop dough and roll in sugar into balls.
- Bake until tops are cracked.
Tips for making Ginger Molasses Cookies:
- The dough is slightly sticky, so I scoop it and place it directly in the bowl with sugar. Roll it a few times and it’s much easier to handle and roll into a perfect ball in your hands.
- Place cookies 2″ apart on a sheet so they have the room to spread.
- If you feel like having even more fun, you can dip the cookies in white chocolate and add festive sprinkles! Sprinkles are always a good idea when it comes to cookies! The more festive – the better!
Why should I try this recipe?
I love that these cookies are so easy to make. There is no need to chill the dough (although you can and it will produce slightly thicker cookies) which means you can enjoy a stack of these babies in 30 minutes from start to finish. When you want cookies – you want them now!
What do Molasses Cookies taste like?
The dark molasses gives these cookies a deep, rich flavor that will remind you of gingerbread cake or cookies.
MORE COOKIE RECIPES:
Brown Sugar Cookies from Dinner, then Dessert
If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out!
CHEWY GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES RECIPE:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 12 tablespoons
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses I used Grandma's molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Line a baking sheet with Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for 30 seconds with electric mixer. Add sugar and beat for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add egg and molasses and beat on medium low speed just until combined.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger and salt. Gradually add to the sugar molasses mixture and beat on low until combined.
- Place 1/4 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop cookie dough with a medium size (1 and 1/2 tablespoons) cookie scoop and place directly on the sugar. Roll few times and then form into a ball in your hands. Place on a cookie sheet, leaving about 2" of space between cookies.
- Bake cookies for 9 to 11 minutes (10 minutes was the magic number for me). Remove from oven and let cool 2 minutes on the sheet. Transfer cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in an air-tight container for up to a week.
The calorie count is for 4 cookies per person.
Jolie says
December 19, 2017 at 8:12 amI just made these molasses ginger cookies and they turned out perfect! I’ll definitely be baking them again and again. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 21, 2017 at 1:13 amHi Jolie! Yay! That’s awesome! I am so happy you are enjoying this recipe!
Bev says
December 6, 2017 at 6:51 pmHave you ever frozen the dough to bake at a later date?
Laura Sabovitch says
November 13, 2017 at 8:59 pmCan you freeze the cookies after they are made
I’m going to a cookie exchange and I would like to make my cookies in advance and freeze them… possible?
Anita says
June 14, 2017 at 7:45 pmJust made cookies, smell delicious, some were a little flat,
Approximately how many cookies do u get with scoop, I think some maybe were to big. They look smaller in picture. Thx Anita
jessica says
January 30, 2017 at 3:42 pmthank you for sharing! I made these today with chocolate chips and cayenne pepper added and they were divine…made exactly 24 too!
Judy says
December 20, 2016 at 10:44 amHi,
Just wanted to let you know that I recently made these and I have to say, they were the best ginger cookies I have ever made. I ended up rolling them in turbinado sugar. My oh my! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 20, 2016 at 1:21 pmHi Judy! I am so happy to know that you love the cookies! Yay! 😀 Thank you for letting me know! Happy Holidays! -Anna
Keisha says
December 18, 2016 at 7:24 pmHi,
I just made these, followed the recipe exactly, but my cookies spread out and were flatter than a pancake. Is this dough supposed to be chilled before baking?
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 19, 2016 at 1:41 pmHi Keisha! You can always chill the dough for thicker cookies. I don’t chill this dough. Thanks so much!
Sarena says
December 22, 2016 at 1:22 amSame here! Before 10 minutes were up I watched as my cookies started deflating! I’m not sure what went wrong.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 24, 2016 at 1:12 pmHi Sarena! This dough doesn’t need chilling and the cookies should not come out flat. I’ve made them many times and they always come out as on the photos. What kind of butter did you use? Did you cream it with sugar until fluffy? Thanks so much! -Anna
Sarena says
January 24, 2017 at 1:00 amUnsalted butter and I dreamed it with sugar. Didn’t chill it. Made the dough and went straight to the oven. I made it again tonight and took off a minute and they still completely flattened.
Maegan Jean says
December 5, 2017 at 4:25 pmTry putting a little more flour into the cookies. Doesn’t work with melted butter! Soft butter, not melted.
If that doesn’t work, try half butter, half shortening.
Claire says
August 17, 2019 at 12:54 pmBuy new baking soda. That should fix it. Voice of experience.
Julie Jubb says
December 1, 2017 at 7:57 pmI’ve heard that is from the temperature of your oven being too low. Crank it up another 25 degrees next time and try it.
Kate says
December 11, 2016 at 11:31 pmHi! I was just a little confused because it has ginger listed as a produce so does that mean I shoud use fresh ginger? Thank you!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 12, 2016 at 1:35 pmHi Kate! I am guessing that Pinterest is showing ground ginger as produce. It is a mistake in their system. In this recipe you need to use the spice: ground ginger. Hope this helps! Have a beautiful day! -Anna
Michelle says
December 2, 2016 at 6:53 pmCan you freeze either the dough or the cookie after they are baked? Making 4 different types of cookies for Christmas and I am trying to organize them so I’m not baking all at once. TIA
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 2, 2016 at 9:23 pmHi Michelle! Yes, you can definitely freeze the cookie dough. Scoop the dough onto a sheet, cover with saran wrap and freeze. Once frozen you can store them in a ziploc bag. When ready to bake, thaw in room temperature, roll in sugar and bake. I hope this helps! Have a beautiful weekend! -Anna
Nicole says
December 1, 2016 at 1:11 pmI just made these cookies (with a few substitutions to make them vegan) and my coworkers are RAVING about them! Thank you for this recipe!!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 2, 2016 at 8:56 pmHi Nicole! That’s FANTASTIC!! I am so happy to know you made the cookies and everyone loved them! I love that you adapted it to be vegan. Awesome! 😀 Thank you for letting me know! Have a beautiful weekend! -Anna
Cathy Trochelman says
December 2, 2015 at 11:15 pmMolasses cookies always remind me of my grandma…and these ones look absolutely perfect!
Sylvie says
December 2, 2015 at 5:15 amA Christmas classic, love the crackle top!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
December 1, 2015 at 4:15 pmThese cookies look like absolute perfection! Now I’m craving a thick and chewy ginger cookie!
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
December 1, 2015 at 12:35 pmI love classic holiday cookies, especially when there is ginger and molasses involved! These look just perfect!
Christi @ Love From The Oven says
December 1, 2015 at 9:31 amWow, these look incredible! Last year I found that I really loved gingerbread, so I’m excited to try some new recipes recipes with ginger this year. This one is at the top of the list!
Sara says
December 1, 2015 at 1:04 amThese look like the ultimate ginger cookie. I’m totally a chewy cookie girl so I definitely want to try them soon!
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
November 30, 2015 at 9:47 pmThe perfect holiday cookie – love a chewy molasses cookie!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
November 30, 2015 at 9:42 pmGinger cookies are so awesome, but chewy ginger molasses cookie? The cookie bomb! Yours looks so good – I’d love a few with a glass of milk right now! I’ll be making these this season!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
November 30, 2015 at 7:46 pmThese are some of my all-time favorite cookies and I’m so happy to see you use butter instead of oil!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 30, 2015 at 11:05 pmAlways butter! Thanks, Kimberly!
Kathleen says
November 30, 2015 at 7:28 pmThese look delicious! Can’t wait to try your recipe. They’re a must on our Christmas Cookie plate as well.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
December 2, 2015 at 9:44 pmThank you, Kathleen!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
November 30, 2015 at 7:11 pmThese look so chewy and delicious!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 30, 2015 at 11:00 pmThank you, Medha!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
November 30, 2015 at 4:19 pmThese cookies look like they have the PERFECT texture!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
November 30, 2015 at 10:52 pmThank you, Sharon!