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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I made these cookies today and they are very good. However, the texture is more like a sugar cookie, very soft. What did I do wrong?
Hi Paula, Sorry you were disappointed with the texture. These cookies are actually intended to be soft. If you’d prefer a crispier version, I’d suggest this recipe.
I just baked my third batch of these delicious cookies (in a week!) and my whole family love them – my son loves to help rolling the cookie dough in sugar. I substituted the golden syrup for maple syrup in the last batch and they were still amazing. Thanks so much 🙂
Not really a baker, but these cookies were simple and delicious. Shared them at work and everyone loved them. Only complaint was that we ran out of them. Thank you!
I made these cookies a few days ago. They turned out exactly how you described, crunchy on the outside while being soft on the inside. The next day, after being stored one night in an airtight container, the entire cookie was the soft texture. Still delicious, but what went wrong?
Hi Debbie, Glad you enjoyed the cookies! Are you in a humid environment?
I am in southeast Texas, 90% humidity…is that why mine went soft overnight? Are there any changes that I can make in the future to prevent this? Thank you !
I do think that’s why they got soft. I haven’t tried this but some bakers place a piece of bread in with the cookies to help absorb any excess moisture. To refresh the soft cookies, try heating them for 5 min or so in a 300°F oven. (Another idea for future batches would be to freeze the dough balls and bake them as needed.) Hope that helps!
Thank you Jenn! Between your website, and your cookbook I am becoming a better cook! Thoroughly enjoying your recipes and appreciate your interaction! Thanks again!
Hi Jenn, I actually have a humidity gauge and it’s reading normal, not too high and not to low. I might have put them in the sealed container while they were still slightly warm. Do you think that could’ve caused it? Love your cookbook!
Yep, that would do it. 🙂
These cookies were absolutely fabulous, great taste and texture. Loved by all! 😋
Hi Jen, excited to make these cookies for an Xmas day dinner I’m hosting. My question is not about the recipe but about baking with kids. You mentioned that you bake with your daughter. My daughter has just turned one, and I’m hoping in a few years I can start baking and cooking with her. I’d love a blog post about how you did it with yours. Things like what tasks work well, how do you keep her interested and focused, what tools are useful and safe to use etc. Anyhow, I hope this is not too off topic. I love your recipes and I hope to show my daughter how to make them too!
Hi Mae, Baking with your kids really can be a great experience as long as you pay attention to where they are developmentally. I will add your suggestion to potential content to develop (and thanks for the suggestion)!
Should I form them into balls before chilling or chill the dough they form them?
Thank you
Quynh
Chill the dough first, then form the balls. Enjoy!
Amazing and easy recipe! You can’t go wrong! The texture and taste is well balanced throughout. Rotating the tray while baking helps for even consistency! Definitely bake on parchment paper to avoid sticking while removing! Looking for a cookie to make for holiday parties-this IS IT!
Great cookie recipe. Easy to follow, great flavor! It’s a keeper.
Ann
Came out perfectly.
I got a new oven this year, with both a conventional oven setting and a convection oven setting. I baked them both ways and the convection oven setting at 350 degrees worked perfectly. It made them puff up beautifully with small cracks across the top, which looks awesome. This is the third time I have made them, and they are by far my family’s favorite cookie. They are the only cookie my husband will eat. And he eats plenty of them.