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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Once again a perfect recipe!! They came out perfect and so fitting for a cold day with a nice hot chocolate!
Thanks again!
Wonderful recipe! And, just in time for the holidays!
I added these cookies to my Christmas baking this year and they are a big hit. Really delicious recipe!
I just baked these cookies and they are sooooo delicious! We love the bit of crunch that the turbinado sugar added. These are definitely a new favorite at our house!
Jenn, 2 questions please: What is the reason for chilling the dough before making the cookies? Have you ever tried using Crisco instead of butter for this recipe? If so, what is the difference between the two.
Hi Pam, Chilling the dough prevents the cookies from spreading flat in the oven. I haven’t tried these with Crisco, as I much prefer the taste of butter in cookies. In general, shortening is flavorless and makes for puffier cookies. Hope that helps!
Delicious!
Hi Jenn,
I made these cookies last week, and although they were absolutely delicious and we gobbled them up, mine were as flat as paper. I only baked one sheet of cookies at a time in the middle of the oven, could this have affected them since the directions say to bake two at a time? If not, any other idea what could have caused them to be so flat? Thanks in advance, and thank you for all of the wonderful recipes!!
Hi Anne, Did you chill the dough adequately?
Yes, it actually chilled over night. Too long?
That’s so strange, Anne – too cold shouldn’t cause a problem. Is it possible your baking soda is expired, or that you mismeasured the flour?
These were absolutely fantastic and I’m not usually a ginger fan! Will be making many batches for my kids’ teachers this year. Thank you for another winner Jenn!
I loved these cookies. I found that I had to flatten the balls down prior to baking otherwise they stayed doughy and browned too much on the bottom. I think that’s because I left them in the fridge overnight so the dough was quite firm. The second tray cooked wonderfully and I enjoyed the taste. Rolling them in dark brown sugar is a nice touch compared to white sugar. Thank you for sharing this tried and true recipe!
Absolutely fabulous . Made them tonight and my partner said they were better than the ones in Ottolenghi !