These soft and chewy molasses cookies are warmly spiced with cinnamon, ginger and cloves. They’re so irresistible it’s impossible to eat just one!
Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
As soon as the weather starts to cool in the fall, I crave these spiced molasses cookies. They’re the perfect holiday cookie, with rich molasses flavor, warm spices and crackly sugar tops. Give me a couple of these and a mug of tea and my afternoon is complete.
These molasses cookies are so easy to make with simple ingredients. The brown sugar and molasses are the secret to why these cookies turn out so soft and chewy that they practically melt in your mouth. If you’re a fan of spiced cookies, you are going to love these!
Ingredient Notes
- All-Purpose Flour: Lightly spoon the flour into your measuring cup then level it off, or use the weight measurement provided in the recipe.
- Baking Soda: Makes the cookies puff up slightly as they bake.
- Salt: Brings out all of the flavors.
- Spices: Ground cinnamon, cloves and ginger complement the molasses flavor.
- Butter: Let it soften to room temperature before beginning.
- Brown Sugar + Granulated Sugar: Brown sugar gives the cookies their chewy texture, while the granulated sugar helps them to spread just enough as they bake.
- Molasses: I like to use Grandma’s original molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses in this recipe because its flavor is too bitter.
- Egg: You’ll need one large egg.
- Vanilla: For warm sweetness.
- Granulated Sugar for rolling the cookie dough balls.
Find the printable recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Molasses Cookies
Make the cookie dough: First whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger). Then use an electric mixer to beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Mix in the molasses, egg and vanilla. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until combined.
Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least 90 minutes and up to 48 hours.
Roll and bake cookies: Scoop rounded tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar, coating them fully, and place on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350° F for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are barely set in the center. For soft and chewy cookies, do not overbake.
Tips for the Best Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Measure the flour accurately. Use a kitchen scale and the weight measurement provided in the recipe or use the spoon and level method: Fluff the flour in the container, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup and then level it off.
- Chill the cookie dough. The dough will be soft after mixing; chilling it helps it to firm up so that you can more easily roll it into balls. Chilling the dough also keeps the cookies from spreading too much as they bake.
- Coat the dough balls generously with sugar so they get those classic crackly tops.
- Err on the side of slightly underbaking the cookies. This is key to keeping them soft and chewy.
More Cookie Recipes You’ll Love
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Sugar Cookies
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar, light or dark
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (113g) molasses, not blackstrap
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger.2 ½ cups (300g) all-purpose flour, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves, ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar until creamy. Add the molasses, egg and vanilla and beat until well combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter, ½ cup (100g) packed brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, ⅓ cup (113g) molasses, 1 large egg, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix on low speed until combined.
- Cover the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 90 minutes and up to 48 hours.
- When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 350° F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. If the cookie dough is very firm after chilling, let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
- To roll cookie dough balls: Place the ½ cup of granulated sugar in a wide, shallow bowl. Scoop rounded tablespoon-sized portions of cookie dough and roll into smooth balls. Roll the balls in the sugar, coating them fully, and place on the prepared baking sheets, about 2½ inches apart.⅓ cup (67g) granulated sugar
- Bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are barely set in the center. For soft and chewy cookies, do not overbake. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Notes
- Measure the flour accurately, either using the weight measurements provided in the recipe or by using the spoon and level method: Fluff the flour in the container, lightly spoon it into your measuring cup and then level it off.
- Cookies store well in the freezer. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
