These soft and chewy Molasses Cookies are full of warm gingerbread spices and rich buttery brown sugar flavor, and they take less than an hour to whip up!
If I had to pick one cookie that said fall flavors to me, molasses cookies would be it!
Warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves add complexity and deep aroma. Butter lends richness, and molasses helps make these cookies soft and chewy.
And I’m sharing a quick and easy trick for making these cookies crispy on the outside. Simply spray the bottom of a glass with coconut oil cooking spray (or rub it with butter), dip it in sugar, and lightly press down on each cookie dough ball before baking.
Bake these up and you’ll feel like they’re the cookies you should have been making all autumn. They’re also a great addition to a holiday cookie tray!
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The Best Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients in Molasses Cookies
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Dried ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Allspice
- Cloves
- Unsalted butter
- Granulated sugar
- Egg
- Egg yolk
- Unsulfured molasses
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Soft Molasses Cookies
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a medium bowl.
- Add the butter to a large bowl and slightly soften it in the microwave. Don't fully melt it though.
- Add the sugar to the butter, and use a handheld electric mixer to cream them together.
- Beat in the egg, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla.
- Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients at a time, and mix to combine.
- It will form a dough.
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, roll it into balls, and arrange 8 per large baking tray.
- Pour a little granulated sugar in the bottom of a small, shallow dish. Lightly spray the bottom of a glass with coconut oil spray and dip it in the sugar.
- Use the sugared bottom to lightly press down each cookie.
- Bake the cookies until they’re set along the outside but still look just a touch doughy in the center, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.
How to Store Homemade Molasses Cookies
Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days for best flavor and texture.
Tips for Making Molasses Cookies
- Feel free to adjust the spices. If there’s a particular spice you don’t like, simply omit it. And if you want, add more of a different one.
- Soften the butter. It’s best to use softened, but not fully melted butter for this recipe.
- Don’t skip the extra egg yolk. This recipe calls for 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk. I know it’s a pain the tush to separate the egg yolk, but it is important here. That extra egg yolk helps make these molasses cookies soft and chewy.
Molasses Cookies FAQs
What’s the Best Molasses for Cookies?
Unsulfured molasses is the best for cookies. It has a sweeter, milder flavor than other types of molasses. Additionally, it doesn’t use sulfur dioxide as a preservative, so it’s less processed.
What Does Adding Molasses to Cookies Do?
Adding molasses to cookies helps give them a soft, chewy texture. It also adds sweetness and complex notes of brown sugar flavor.
Can You Freeze Molasses Cookie Dough?
Yes! To freeze molasses cookie dough:
- Scoop the dough into balls as directed in the recipe.
- Place the raw cookie dough balls on a parchment-lined baking tray (don’t roll them in sugar first).
- Freeze until the dough balls are solid, about 4 hours.
- Transfer the dough balls to a large zip-top plastic bag and label with the date and contents.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
- When you want to bake them, thaw the dough balls in the fridge overnight (or at room temperature for 1 hour). Arrange thawed cookie dough balls on a baking tray, lightly press them down with a sugared glass, and bake as directed.
More Fall Cookie Recipes to Make
Did You Make This?
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Xoxo, Faith
Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons dried ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter softened slightly
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar plus more for pressing the cookies
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 3 tablespoons unsulfured blackstrap molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Coconut oil spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 335F. Line 2 large baking trays with parchment paper or silpat liners.
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a medium bowl.
- In a separate large bowl, use a handheld electric mixer to cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg, egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla.
- Mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients half at a time until it forms a dough.
- Use a 1.5-tablespoon scoop to measure out the dough, roll it into balls, and arrange 8 per large baking tray.
- Pour a little granulated sugar in the bottom of a small, shallow dish. Lightly spray the bottom of a glass with coconut oil spray and dip it in the sugar. Use the sugared bottom to lightly press down each cookie.
- Bake the cookies until they’re set along the outside but still look just a touch doughy in the center, about 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the trays once halfway through.
- Let the cookies cool on the trays for 5 minutes, and then use a thin metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Faith's Tips
- Storage: Store in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3 days for best flavor and texture.
Nutrition
Betsy says
Oh my goodness, these were so good! Chewy and delicious with the perfect spice level!