Soft Molasses Cookies
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Molasses Cookies embody all the spicy flavors of the holidays and taste like soft and chewy gingerbread. If you are only going to bake one cookie this year, it should be this one!
Molasses cookies are one of the holiday cookies that friends and family have come to expect every year. I start making these cookies just before Thanksgiving and continue making them all the way through the New Year.
Need the perfect cookie for Halloween or Thanksgiving? Try my Iced Pumpkin Cookies!
WHAT ARE MOLASSES COOKIES?
Basically, Molasses Cookies are chewy ginger cookies. They are kind of like gingersnaps, but soft, chewy, and a little spicier. They taste like buttery gingerbread men.
These cookies pair well with warm apple cider, hot tea, fresh-brewed coffee, and hot chocolate. PERFECT for fall!
Whenever I eat these, I feel like I am sitting in front of a cozy fire with snow gently falling outside. Almost like a holiday greeting card scene, I promise the smell of these baking will remind you of simpler holiday times.
INGREDIENTS
The ingredients needed for making ginger molasses cookies are pretty basic and things you probably already have on hand for holiday baking!
- Molasses — or corn syrup, in a pinch
- Sugar
- Brown sugar
- Flour
- Salted butter
- Butter flavored shortening
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Egg
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Ginger
TIPS FOR SOFT AND CHEWY COOKIES
One of my secrets to keeping my molasses cookies soft is to use butter-flavored shortening in addition to butter. Shortening has a higher fat ratio than butter so it acts differently in the oven. Plus, you don’t lose the rich butter flavor.
There is less spread and less steam during the baking process which means there isn’t moisture loss in shortening.
Feel free to use a more butter flavor shortening and less butter. Those cookies will have less spread and turn out thicker.
I use shortening in my snickerdoodles and sprinkle cookies to keep them soft and chewy, too!
REFRIGERATING THE COOKIE DOUGH
Pro-tip: Refrigerate the dough for about an hour before baking your molasses cookies. I promise it’s for the best!
There are two ways you can do this. You can refrigerate the molasses cookie dough as soon as it comes to together and form the dough balls later, or you can roll them into balls before refrigeration.
While making Italian wedding cookies, my daughter taught me it’s easier to roll the cookie dough into balls before you refrigerate it. The dough is so much easier to scoop when it isn’t solid and the dough balls take on a beautiful round shape. The sugar coating sticks better, too!
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Why did it take me 40 years to just learn this?!
Cookie dough that hasn’t been formed into balls will need at least 2 hours in the refrigerator for the center of the dough to firm up. Cookie balls only need about an hour in the refrigerator to firm up.
The cookie dough and balls can be refrigerated for up to 5 days when stored in an airtight container.
CAN BE MADE WITHOUT MOLASSES!
Some people find the flavor of molasses a bit too harsh but that doesn’t mean they can’t enjoy all the other holiday spices in one cookie!
It’s hard to call them molasses cookies without molasses in them, right? So we call them blonde ginger cookies!
They use the same recipe below but are made with corn syrup instead of molasses.
Corn syrup can be substituted 1:1 in molasses cookie recipes, ginger cookie recipes, and gingerbread recipes without any problem. Blonde gingerbread makes a beautiful gingerbread house too!
There is no need to adjust baking times or other ingredients.
HOW TO FREEZE
Molasses cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before baking. It can also be frozen for up to 5 months!
If frozen, allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
Dough balls rolled in sugar can be frozen in a single layer and placed into a freezer container or freezer baggie for up to 5 months. Place frozen cookie balls on a baking sheet and allow the dough to thaw on the counter for about an hour before baking.
Baked cookies can be frozen after they have been completely cooled. They will be OK in the freezer for up to 3 months. Any longer than that and they will start to dry out a bit and won’t be as soft.
I don’t recommend decorating them before freezing! The icing will likely crack and break so, if decorating your Molasses Cookies, do so after thawing.
- Cut-Out Sugar Cookies
- Rollie Pollies
- Sprinkle Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Italian Wedding Cookies
- German Almond Icebox Cookies
- Frosted Peppermint Cookies
- Italian Ricotta Cookies
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Soft Molasses Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter softened
- 1/4 cup butter flavor shortening all butter can be substituted
- 1/2 cup white sugar plus 1/4 cup more for rolling
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses not black strap
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream softened butter [1/2 cup], shortening [1/4 cup], granulated sugar [1/2 cup] and brown sugar [1/2 cup] until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add egg [1 large] and molasses [1/4 cup], mix until smooth.
- In separate bowl, add flour [2 ¼ cups], baking soda [1 teaspoon], salt [1/4 teaspoon], cinnamon [1 teaspoon], ground cloves [1/4 teaspoon], and ground ginger [1/4 teaspoon]. Whisk until blended.
- Add flour mixture to wet ingredients.
- Mix just until flour is no longer visible.
- Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl, mix in any dough that was scraped off the bottom and sides.
- Roll dough into cookies balls using about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough and roll into sugar.
- Place sugar-coated cookie balls onto a plate or cookie sheets [spaced at least 2-inches apart] and place into the refrigerator and refrigerate for at least one hour and up to 5 days **see notes.
- Remove the dough balls from the refrigerator before preheating the oven. They will spread out more the longer they sit at room temperature.
- Preheat an oven to 375⁰F.
- Place cookie balls onto a cookie sheet 2 inches apart if not already on one and bake for 9 to 11 minutes or just until the centers of the cookies no longer look wet.
- Remove from the oven and allow to sit on the cookie sheets for 1 minute.
- Remove the cookies to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before attempting to stack, decorate, or store.
Notes
- This recipe an be doubled.
- Baked cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week.
- Molasses cookie dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days before baking. The dough can be frozen for up to 5 months.
- Allow the dough to thaw in the refrigerator before baking.
- **Dough balls rolled in sugar can be frozen in a single and placed into a freezer container or freezer baggie for up to 5 months. Place frozen cookie balls on a cookie sheet and allow to thaw on the counter for an hour before baking.
- Dip cookies in melted chocolate or almond bark and cover with sprinkles or other edible decorations if desired.
- A #40 cookie scoop is 1 1/2 tablespoons.
- Shortening can be substituted with softened butter.
- Up to 50% of the butter called for can be substituted with shortening.
- Dough does not have to be formed into balls before refrigeration. Cover the dough before refrigeration so it doesn’t dry out. Allow the dough to sit in the refrigerator for at least two hours or until it is firm all the way through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and may vary based on exact ingredients used. For accuracy, consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
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Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller
Elizabeth (Beth) Mueller is a food journalist, CEO of Pear Tree Kitchen, and co-creator of Food Blogger Help. She also has a bachelor’s degree in philosophy and a registered nurse licensed in the State of Oklahoma. When she has free time between writing, blogging, and cooking, she can be found volunteering as an RN with the Oklahoma Medical Reserve Corps.