This soft molasses cookie recipe makes the best molasses cookies. These old fashioned molasses cookies are loaded with ginger, cinnamon, and of course molasses. Unlike a gingersnap cookie, these molasses cookies are soft, thick, and chewy. Better than you’d get at any bakery, and so easy to make.
About Molasses Cookies
I’ve written a lot about molasses cookies. I always say that I don’t know if it’s because I grew up in New England where molasses is part of so many old-fashioned recipes. Or, if it’s because molasses cookies were a family favorite. Either way, my childhood memories always include molasses cookies. My mother and grandmother always had molasses cookies on hand. I distinctly remember my Mum having one molasses cookie with her lunch every day.
I think one of the things that I like about molasses cookies is that they aren’t too sweet. So, you can top-off a meal with a sweet treat, without going into a sugar coma. And since they are usually loaded with spices, a small cookie really packs a punch and is loaded with flavor. Molasses and ginger cookies are my daughter’s favorite cookies too, so I’m always making a batch so that we have fresh cookies at all times.
Secret to a Soft Molasses Cookie Recipe
Most of my other molasses cookie recipes, like my Molasses Spice Crisps and my grandmother’s molasses cookie recipe, make thin or crispy cookies. My daughter likes a soft molasses cookie, so I always decrease the baking time so that the cookies turn out softer. However, that doesn’t always work because some recipes are designed to deliver a crispy cookie like a gingersnap. They don’t always have the chewy texture that she loves.
One of the secrets to this soft molasses cookie recipe is that it uses brown sugar instead of white sugar. There is granulated sugar used for rolling the cookie dough balls before baking. However, the cookie dough itself only has brown sugar. This is different from most of my other molasses recipes, as they typically use only granulated sugar. Granulated sugar makes crispier cookies, and brown sugar helps keep cookies soft.
I always use Grandma’s brand molasses in my recipes. I stick with the original, regular molasses instead of the dark molasses. I feel that blackstrap molasses is too robust a flavor for my taste, and I prefer the flavor of the original version. However, you can certainly use the robust version if you prefer.
Tips for Making These Cookies
I like this soft molasses cookie recipe because it’s really easy to make. As much as I enjoy using my stand mixer, I’m always happy when I can mix cookies by hand. There’s something very therapeutic and relaxing about mixing a batch of cookie dough by hand. I feel the same way when I make my favorite chocolate chip cookies. The key to most of these recipes is the use of melted butter. With melted butter you don’t need to rely on a mixer to do the work of creaming the ingredients together.
But if you are a person who can’t imagine making cookies without a hand mixer, or stand mixer, that’s fine. Use the paddle attachment to cream the wet ingredients together. For the dry ingredients, mix on low speed just until combined. Alternatively, you can use a spoon or spatula to mix the dry ingredients by hand. Whichever method you choose, do not overmix the dough.
This recipe calls for using one teaspoon kosher salt. If you use regular table salt instead, be sure to drop the quantity down to one half or three-quarters of a teaspoon salt. I use a cookie scoop so that I get uniform cookie dough balls. However, you can just use a spoon to scoop out some dough. Roll the dough in the palm of your hands so that you get a nice ball, and then roll dough in the granulated sugar.
Another thing that I like about this soft molasses cookie recipe is that you don’t have to chill the dough. I personally prefer chilling the dough for at least 30 minutes before baking them, but I like that I don’t have to. That way I can bake a few to start and then chill the dough until I’m ready to bake more. Using chilled cookie dough is also helpful when I’m baking a lot of cookies. I can make the cookie dough ahead of time and then bake them all right before I need them. This is so helpful during the holidays.
To make sure that you end-up with a chewy cookie that’s soft in the middle, make sure that you don’t overbake them. The cookies will look really soft in the middle when you pull them out of the oven. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. This ensures that you get soft cookies with crackly tops that are typical for classic molasses cookies.
Thick Molasses Spice Cookies
Equipment
- Measuring Cups
- Measuring Spoons
- Cookie Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Large bowl
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 1/3 cups All-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 6 tablespoons granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Melt butter and set aside to cool.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, spices, salt and pepper in a large bowl and whisk until fully mixed.
- Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the melted butter, brown sugar, molasses and egg yolk. Whisk the ingredients a couple times until the egg yolk is dispersed.
- Switch to a spoon and continue mixing. The dough will be very thick.
- Scoop 2 tablespoons dough and roll between your palms to form a ball.
- Roll cookie ball in granulated sugar and place on parchment lined cookie sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes. Cookies will be soft on top when you pull them from the oven.
- Let cookies cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Can chill dough
- Store in an airtight container for 2 weeks at room temperature
Storing Molasses Cookies
There are a lot of reasons to love this soft molasses cookie recipe. It’s loaded with molasses flavor and lots of spices like ginger and cinnamon. It’s also a simple recipe that doesn’t take a lot of time to make. But one of the other things that I like about this recipe is that these cookies store really well. I store them in an airtight container and they last for days without drying out. And the soft, chewy texture is still there.
A lot of people tend to make a lot of molasses and spice cookies during the holiday season, but I think that these old fashioned soft molasses cookies are perfect any time of year. These really are the best chewy molasses cookies. Because they are extra big and thick, I think that they are the perfect cookie for a bake sale. Or, to make for a cookie exchange. This recipe is ideal for making large cookies like you’d get at a bakery. It’s an old-fashioned cookie that everyone will rave about.
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