These Molasses Cookies are classic Christmas cookie that everyone loves! They are thick and chewy. No special ingredients and no chilling the dough required!
These chewy ginger molasses cookies are a must on our holiday cookie platter alongside my Gingerbread Bars and Oreo Fudge.
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!
Ingredients
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- molasses
- large egg
- all-purpose flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- cloves
- nutmeg
- ginger
- salt
Instructions
- 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.
Expert Tips
- 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!
Storing
Cookies (or any baked goods for that matter) that contain a high ratio of brown sugar or molasses are best kept in a container with a lid to prevent drying out. They will stay moist and chewy for days!
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Can I freeze the dough?
Absolutely! You can make the dough and scoop it out with a cookie scoop onto a baking sheet. Place them close together. Place the sheet in a freezer and freeze the cookie dough balls. Transfer into a freezer bag and store in the freezer for up to 4 months.
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!
The flavor
The dark molasses gives these cookies a deep, rich flavor that will remind you of gingerbread cake or cookies.
More Christmas cookies:
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 and leave a comment! 😀
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature, 12 tablespoons
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup molasses I used Grandma's molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- 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 ¼ cup of sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop cookie dough with a medium size (1 and ½ 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.
Notes
- The calorie count is for 4 cookies per person.
- Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in December 2017 and updated on November 30th, 2019.
Keisha says
Hi,
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
Hi Keisha! You can always chill the dough for thicker cookies. I don't chill this dough. Thanks so much!
Sarena says
Same here! Before 10 minutes were up I watched as my cookies started deflating! I'm not sure what went wrong.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Hi 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
Unsalted 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
Try 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
Buy new baking soda. That should fix it. Voice of experience.
Julie Jubb says
I'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
Hi! 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
Hi 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
Can 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
Hi 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
I 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
Hi 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
Molasses cookies always remind me of my grandma...and these ones look absolutely perfect!
Sylvie says
A Christmas classic, love the crackle top!
Amanda @ Once Upon a Recipe says
These cookies look like absolute perfection! Now I'm craving a thick and chewy ginger cookie!
Justine | Cooking and Beer says
I love classic holiday cookies, especially when there is ginger and molasses involved! These look just perfect!
Christi @ Love From The Oven says
Wow, 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
These 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
The perfect holiday cookie - love a chewy molasses cookie!
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Ginger 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
These are some of my all-time favorite cookies and I'm so happy to see you use butter instead of oil!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Always butter! Thanks, Kimberly!
Kathleen says
These look delicious! Can't wait to try your recipe. They're a must on our Christmas Cookie plate as well.
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Kathleen!
Medha @ Whisk & Shout says
These look so chewy and delicious!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Medha!
Sharon @ What The Fork Food Blog says
These cookies look like they have the PERFECT texture!
Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says
Thank you, Sharon!