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, The cookies were fabulous. I made the cookies with 5600 ft altitude adjustments, based on a previous reviewer from Lake Tahoe. I increased the temp to 365, increased flour by 1 T, decreased sugar by 1 T, decreased baking soda a bit; I added about 1-2 TBS of extra egg white for 1 batch, and for a different batch I added about 1 extra T of molasses; I rolled the cookies in demerara sugar mixed with some Christmas sprinkles and they look so festive! This will be my new go to Christmas cookie, along with the Coconut-Lime Mexican Wedding Cookies on this site.
I made the dough and put batter in the refrigerator but don’t have time to bake today. Do I need to have it sit out prior to baking tomorrow and, if so, for how long?
No, they don’t need to sit out at all. Hope you enjoy!
These are my new favorite! I made these exactly as the recipe and they are delicious!
Hi Jenn. Love your recipes. Make them often and they are always delicious. I’m going to make these cookies but don’t have raw sugar. Can I roll them in regular granulated sugar. Thanks.
Sure, Eileen – they won’t be quite as crunchy, but they will still be delicious. 🙂
Hi Jenn! I’m planning on freezing the dough balls prior to baking. Would you recommend rolling in the sugar before freezing or immediately prior to baking? Love your recipes! Thanks in advance!
Hi Aly, You could go either way with the sugar, so just do whatever’s easiest for you. Enjoy!
Can white pepper be substituted for the black pepper in this recipe? Thanks.
Hi Stella, it should be fine. Enjoy!
The recipe calls for the dough to be chilled for a few hours until firm. How much time do you allow for this to occur?
I generally refrigerate it for about 3 to 4 hours.
Hey Jennifer~
Whats the difference between these and your crispy ginger cookies?
Hi Kim, These are thick and chewy; the others are thin and crispy.
which ones are your favorites?
-k
Definitely these! 🙂
Do you have any recommendations for high altitude (around 7,000 ft) ?
Hi Courtney, I don’t have experience baking at high altitudes so, unfortunately, I don’t have any wisdom to share – I’m sorry! You may find these tips helpful though. Hope you enjoy the cookies if you make them!
Thank you. That’s a great resource! I cooked them exactly as your recipe says minus a little bake time and they were amazing!
Hello Jennifer, I will make these Ginger cookies, but what kind of Molasses do I buy? I see two kinds dark and light. Thank you, Bonnie Brownfield
Hi Bonnie, I’d go with the light – that’s what I use. Hope you enjoy!
Love these Ginger Spice cookies! Our ginger loving family gobbled them up. They have the perfect combination of crispy and chewy! I have made these several times, they are easy and delicious! Even good for breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea…
These cookies are the best. I made them for Christmas, and next year I have to bring three times more because they were such a hit. They taste wonderful, but the best part is the texture, slight crisp and crunch on the outside and a soft, chewy center. Follow the recipe exactly! They go especially well with bourbon and hot tea.
I love these cookies! Just finished making my third batch in three weeks. I would only change one thing: the baking time. In my oven, I have found that 12 minutes (total time) works best: 6 minutes for the first side, then rotate and switch shelves as the recipe directs, and bake 6 minutes more. The cookies come out puffed and the surface is cracked, with a hint of crunch on the top. For me, less time than 12 minutes in the oven meant less rise and a doughier consistency. But both (a little crunchy vs. chewy) are great, so it’s a matter of taste. Thanks Jenn; your recipes are the best!