Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
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Soft and chewy with a crackly sugar crust, these molasses cookies are perfectly spiced and a must-bake for the holiday season.
Every year, my daughter and I bake these gingery molasses cookies for her holiday cookie bake sale and every year, they sell like hotcakes. Soft and chewy with a crackled sugar crust, they have just the right balance of spices to please kids and adults alike. You’ll note that the recipe calls for black pepper. I promise, no one will know it’s there, but it adds a delightful little kick that lingers on the palate.
Heads up: the dough needs a few hours to chill before baking, so plan accordingly. And if you love the deep, cozy flavor of molasses, be sure to check out my crispy ginger cookies, comforting gingerbread, gingerbread cookies, and pumpkin scones—all brimming with the cozy flavors of fall and winter.
“So delicious that my husband (who doesn’t normally have a sweet tooth) has to reach for second helping 😃. Definitely a keeper.”
What You’ll Need To Make Molasses Cookies
- All-Purpose Flour, Baking Soda & Salt: These form the base and structure of the cookies, help them rise for that classic crackled top, and balance the sweetness. For accuracy, spoon the flour into your measuring cup and level it off—no packing!
- Warm Spices (Ginger, Cinnamon, Allspice, Cloves & Black Pepper): This cozy mix gives the cookies their signature warm, spiced flavor with just a subtle peppery kick to balance the molasses.
- Butter, Granulated Sugar & Light Brown Sugar: Together, these ingredients add richness, sweetness, and moisture, creating soft, chewy cookies with great flavor.
- Egg: Binds the dough and contributes to the cookies’ chewy texture.
- Molasses: Gives the cookies their deep, robust flavor and dark color. I use Grandma’s Original, but any unsulphured molasses works. Just steer clear of blackstrap—it’s too bitter for this recipe.
- Raw Sugar (for Rolling): Gives the cookies their signature crackly, sugary crust on the outside.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-By-Step Instructions
Step 1: Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and all the spices until evenly combined.
Step 2: Beat the butter and sugars. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add the egg and molasses. Beat until evenly combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until combined.
Step 5: Chill and roll the dough. Refrigerate the dough until firm, a few hours. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Scoop heaping tablespoons of dough, roll into balls, and coat generously in raw sugar. Arrange about 2½ inches apart on the baking sheets.
Step 6: Bake and cool. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until puffed and set. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temp for up to 3 days.
More Cookie Recipes You May Like
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
- 2 tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground allspice
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup + 2 Tbsp (packed) light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma's Original
- ½ cup raw sugar (also called turbinado or demerara sugar), for rolling cookies
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and black pepper.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and the granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 x 18-in (33 x 46-cm) baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously. Arrange the dough balls about 2½ in (6 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and front to back midway through, until puffed and set. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Hi Jenn,
These sound great !! Should I use light or dark Molasses?
Thanks- Laura
Hi Laura, I use light (Grandma’s). Hope you enjoy the cookies!
These look wonderful, and I can’t wait to try! I have everything in the cupboard/fridge to make these today except for allspice. Is there a reasonable substitute I could use?
Hi Tracy, I’d replace the allspice with more cinnamon – should be fine. I’d love to know how they turn out!
This recipe is just what I’ve been looking for! I’d like to make these before the holidays and freeze them (fully baked). What is the best way to freeze cookies?
Hi P, I’d freeze them in a freezer-safe airtight container with wax or parchment paper between the layers. Hope you like them!
These are my favorite cookies! I can’t wait to try them. Will they freeze well? I saw they can only be stored for 3 days and would love to get a head start on my baking.
Thanks!
Hi Kerry, I’ve never frozen them, but I think they should freeze nicely. Enjoy!
These cookies look perfect! I love the addition of black pepper! I always add a bit whenever I make ginger cookies. It takes them to the next level! I want to be able to freeze some of these cookies in already shaped balls. Do you think rolling in the raw sugar prior to freezing is the best or rolling in sugar just before baking Is best? Thanks, Jenn!
Hi Deb, I thik you could go either way with the sugar. Hope you enjoy!
These look amazing! A quick question regarding the turbinado sugar–I looked at it on Amazon, and it looks like there are white and brownish versions. Which do you use? Thanks so much! Looking forward to your cookbook! 🙂
Hi Amy, I use the brown but either will work. Hope you enjoy them!
Hello all,
I added a 1/4 cup of finely chopped crystallized ginger to this recipe, and the cookies turned out fantastic. Thanks for a great addition to my holiday cookie baking!
Did you add the crystallized ginger and omit the ground ginger in the recipe?
Thanks!
Sharon
Any idea if i can make these to be gluten free… my husband is celiac…
Hi Laura, I haven’t tried these with gluten-free flour, but I think it should work. I’ve heard great things about this gluten-free flour. Please LMK how they turn out!
Hi Jen,
Is there a substitute for Turbinado sugar? If not, how long does it keep since none of my recipes call for it other than this one and your apple tart? Also, is it dark molasses that you use?
Thanks!
It keeps forever, Denise – I highly recommend using it as it lends really nice texture. And I use light molasses (Grandma’s). 🙂
My all-time favorite cookie is a seasonal store-bought chewy ginger cookie with bits of candied ginger. Have looked and looked for a recipe, and I think this might work. Do you think I can dice candied ginger to add to this dough? I’d love to try that!
Definitely! I’d love to know how it turns out. 🙂