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This ginger molasses cookies recipe makes soft and chewy cookies with warming, cozy spices and picture-perfect crinkles. Everyone loves this popular cookie: it’s a family favorite!
If we’re ranking cookie recipes, this one just might be at the top of our favorites list: soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies! There’s something about this type of cookie Alex and I can’t resist, and it’s become a fast favorite in our family (especially as a Christmas cookie).
This recipe makes soft and chewy cookies with a sugar-crisp exterior and cozy, bold spices and a hint of earthy molasses. Each one is fractured into picture-perfect crinkles, and when you sink in your teeth for the first bite, it’s like being enveloped in a warm hug. OK, enough talking: let’s get to the recipe!
Ingredients in ginger molasses cookies
These ginger molasses cookies were one of the first recipes we created for this website a decade ago, and we’ve revamped this recipe so it’s even more perfect! The texture comes out pillowy soft and chewy (not cakey), coated in sugar on the outside for a textural crunch. Molasses lends a deep complexity in flavor and cements that signature chewy texture. The spices are similar to those in gingerbread: cinnamon, ginger, allspice and cloves, but the texture is lusciously chewy! Here’s what you’ll need for ginger molasses cookies:
- All-purpose flour and baking soda
- Ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and salt
- Unsalted butter
- Light brown sugar and granulated sugar
- Egg
- Molasses
Tips for baking ginger molasses cookies
It’s challenging to get cookies that look perfectly identical, and ginger molasses cookies are no different. Here are a few tips for upping your baking game:
- Use a cookie scoop or weigh the dough. If you have a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop, it’s helpful for portioning the dough perfectly. You can also weigh out the dough into equal portions (about 30 g).
- Bake the trays of cookies separately. Baking only one tray of cookies at a time ensures the best consistency between the trays, because the oven heat is exactly the same for each. (This is even true with beautiful new ranges like this one.) If you do try to bake them together, rotate the trays halfway through.
- Don’t refrigerate the dough in between baking the trays. We found that refrigerating the dough between batches made less crinkles, which is no good for this recipe! So you can portion out the dough while you bake the first batch.
Storing leftovers
What’s the best way to store molasses cookies? Line a storage container with paper towels and store the cookies at room temperature. The paper towels help to preserve the moisture, keeping the cookies soft over the storage time. You can also freeze the cookies! Here’s what to know about cookie storage:
- Store molasses cookies in a sealed container lined with paper towels at room temperature for 1 week. The texture holds up well with this method.
- Store refrigerated for 2 weeks. Or, place the paper-towel lined container in the fridge (we’d recommend keeping it at room temp for 1 day to preserve moisture). Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
- Store frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost and store at room temperature in a paper-towel lined container.
When to serve ginger molasses cookies
Ginger molasses cookies are some of our favorite cookies because they’re very versatile! Add them to a Christmas cookie platter, or make them as a fall dessert for the beautiful cozy spices. They even work in the summer as a deliciously soft cookie for cookouts and parties. Anything goes here!
Dietary notes
This ginger molasses cookies recipe is vegetarian.
Ginger Molasses Cookies
This ginger molasses cookies recipe makes soft and chewy cookies with warming, cozy spices and picture-perfect crinkles. Everyone loves this popular cookie: it’s a family favorite!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 24 to 25 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookie
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Cookie
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups [280 g] all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated light brown sugar, packed
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
Instructions
Note: Make sure to set out your butter at room temperature for 30 minutes to 1 hour before making this recipe.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and kosher salt.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer (or with a hand-mixer), beat the room temperature butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and molasses and beat for 1 minute, until fully combined. Set mixer to low and slowly add dry ingredients until just combined.
- Form the dough into a ball and cover in plastic wrap or place in a sealed container. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375°F.
- Roll the dough into 1 ½ tablespoon balls (30 g each), then roll the balls in granulated sugar to coat the outsides. Arrange the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. (We recommend baking 1 tray at a time for the most even bake, or rotate the trays halfway through baking.) Bake until set and crinkled on top and no longer gooey, about 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 2 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool fully.
- To store, line a container with paper towels (this helps to preserve moisture and keep them chewy). Store at room temperature for 1 week, refrigerated for 2 weeks (bring to room temperature before serving), or frozen for 3 months.
More cookie recipes
Love a great cookie? Here are a few more tasty cookie recipes we can’t resist: and we hope you won’t be able to either!
- Try these decadent chocolate chip cookie bars or brown butter chocolate chip cookies.
- Make the pumpkin cookies or Linzer cookies.
- Go for hot chocolate cookies or iced applesauce cookies.
Best molasses ginger cookies I’ve ever made! They were delicious.
Delicious! Softer and chewier than other versions I’ve tried.
I had to skip the dough refrigeration due to time constraints, so of course they spread more than I had hoped, but they were still very tasty. Thanks!
This recipe sounds great but I’m wondering what would happen if you didn’t refrigerate the dough for an hour and just rolled them and baked them?
Thank you!
They just flatten more instead of getting puffy and chewy.
Hi, I have been making your delicious ginger cookies for many Christmases now. Every year someone new asks for the recipe. I am just noticing a change since I saved the original recipe. I’m curious why you moved away from using the raw cane sugar? I have always liked that, especially for rolling. Thanks for an amazing recipe that family and friends always look forward to.
Hi! Sorry, here’s the original if you prefer: https://web.archive.org/web/20221126131527/acouplecooks.com/soft-ginger-molasses-cookies/
Did you change this recipe? I make it every December and remember it using turbinado sugar not granulated. Do you still have that recipe available?
Btw- I add a teaspoon of espresso powder and it makes the cookies even better than normal. Give it a try. Thank you.
Espresso powder sounds great! Here’s the former version: https://web.archive.org/web/20221126131527/acouplecooks.com/soft-ginger-molasses-cookies/