These soft and chewy Molasses Cookies are hands down my all time favorite Christmas Cookie!
These Molasses Cookies come from my mom – who I think got the recipe from my her mom and she probably got it from her mom. Who knows. Either way – these Molasses Cookies are perfection. The dough comes together quickly, chills in the fridge to harden it up, and then rolled into balls and coated in sugar before baking. The result is a perfectly soft and chewy molasses cookie that you’ll totally love!
Let’s talk in’s and outs of Molasses Cookies!
- What does molasses do for cookies?
- Molasses makes baked goods extra soft so these cookies stay chewy even longer!
- What’s a good substitute for molasses?
- Some people might tell you that you can substitute other ingredients like Maple Syrup, Cane Syrup or Sorghum Syrup, but there really isn’t anything else that compares to the flavor of molasses. It’s carried at almost every grocery store so it’s easy to come by, and it keeps for years in the pantry!
- How do you store molasses cookies?
- My family has been storing them in the freezer since I was a kid. I’ll take out as many as I need an hour or so before I plan on eating them and let them come to room temp. This way they stay fresh even longer! You can also nuke them in the microwave for 10 seconds when they come out of the freezer to speed the process up
- Should I use light or dark molasses?
- For baking – always use dark molasses!
So whip up a double batch of these and store them in the freezer for the next few weeks while you’re prepping for the holidays! Grab a few when you’re sweet tooth strikes and warm them up a bit in the microwave just so you can pretend you’re eating a cooking fresh outta the oven. They are pure perfection – I promise!
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup white sugar, plus extra for rolling
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup dark molasses
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour (measured by scoop and leveling)
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
Instructions
- In a large stand mixer combine the butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix for a minute or two until well combined.
- Combine the flour, cloves, ginger cinnamon and baking soda and sift together.
- Slowly add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix until evenly combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Once chilled, scoop 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and roll into balls. Roll them around in a small cup of sugar and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool.
Ummmm wow these are great cookies!!
Another great WGC recipe!
Sooo good! Thank you my family loved it! It was very chewy and delectable.
I am not a fan of molasses, but I love maple and brown sugar flavors. Do you think I could somehow substitute part of the molasses to get a more maple flavor?
You could probably substitute maple syrup with similar results.
I too am not a fan of the flavor of molasses— it makes me sick even. However, when baked off and mixed into different flavors, the taste of the molasses changes into something really great in my opinion. If you haven’t tried it baked off I would recommended it, however if you have and still didn’t like it, I would just recommended playing around with substitutions.
Carol–have you tried real maple flavoring in your cookies? Not the artificial flavor .
I am also picky with my vanilla and insist on the real stuff.
My mom used to use the real maple flavoring to make fresh, hot syrup for our pancakes. Yummy!
I’ve been on the hunt for new Christmas cookie recipes and I am so excited to try these!
LOVE molasses cookies! Perfection!!
One of my Christmas favorites too!
I freaking LOVE molasses cookies! This seems easy enough that even I can do it!! How many cookies does this yield??
3-4 dozen!
Hi Gaby!
Can’t wait to make these this weekend. Have you tested these out with blackstrap molasses at all? What type of molasses did you use? Are you particular about unsulphured vs. regular?
Molasses newbie over here…
Thanks!!
noe
I usually use Grandma’s Original Unsulphured Molasses!
I know this recipe is from last year…but I just tried them and they are amazzzzzing! But…mine were much darker in color and also poof-ier than yours. Am I doing something wrong? I mean, they taste incredible so I guess it really doesn’t matter, but I’m curious! I tried 1 tbs and 2 tbs sizes and they were both poofy.
the color will depend on the type of molasses – but all molasses varieties are great! And you probably have newer baking soda than me – that’s what yours were poofy!! Poofy is better 🙂 At least thats my preference
Mine turned out exactly like yours Bunny! They were still very good, but much darker and not as flat.
the dark color comes from the type of molasses!!! And the chewier / fluffier the better in my opinion
I have been making these cookies all my life. We usually use cooking oil instead of butter which you won’t even taste the difference and you get a more consistent color. The poofy-ness of this cookie definitely has to do with altitude and humidity. Too poofy? Use less soda or flour or a combination of both. Just takes some tweaking but they’ll turn out. Favorite cookies ever! Really good recipe here!
We can’t use cloves in our house. Is there a substitution you’d recommend? Maybe mace or allspice?
Allspice, cinnamon or nutmeg!
Thank you!!!
I think this is a really great recipe, I just added a little bit more Ginger, cinnamon, molasses ( dark robust) and added cardamom and it was perfect. Also, I would like to mention if there’s anyone out there frustrated with puffy cookies as I was- I found that flattening the dough ball until it cracked slightly on the edges was a must as is making sure the oven temp was 375 to 400 and bake no longer than 8 minutes. The higher temp helps them develop the crackes on top we love! And for the love of cookies I quit sifting the flour as some recipes suggest. Hope this helps someone out there! Merry Christmas! ⭐
Gaby have you ever used cinnamon and sugar to roll it in ?
no but that’s genius!!
As the weather cools in Minnesota, I start getting hungry for great treats like these.. I’m so glad I came across your recipe for molasses cookies. The texture and spices in these were perfect and taste so good with a cup of coffee. Thanks for sharing.
Great cookies..but I like to put raspberry jam ( no seeds ) in the middle then bake them …after cooled put some powdered sugar on them … delicious
My favorite!!! These just scream Christmas to me.
PERFECT cookie!!!
Can never go wrong with a classic…especially when it comes from Mom!
Such a cookie classic!
Oh molasses is my favorite. I’ll take a dozen of these please and thank you!
molasses cookies are the very best!!
I only have blackstrap molasses? R they not as sweet?
that will work
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
unsalted for baking!
discovered this recipe last year and easily made 4-5 batches during the holidays… so easy and SO delicious! this year’s first batch is chilling in the fridge now. such a great recipe that I know will be a part of my family’s holiday traditions for years to come!!
Gaby, you don’t use salt in this recipe? I put in 1 tsp and it really made a difference.
These are great! I made small ones – about 50 cookies and they came out perfectly. A bit of crunch outside and soft and chewy inside. Thanks for a great recipe.
Do you freeze the dough or the finished cookie?
either!
Heavenly! I rolled it in “sugar in the raw” first and then in granulated sugar for good measure! Legit best molasses chew recipe ever! Thank you! I’ve been on the hunt for years. This is the holy grail!!!
These cookies are delicious and just scream holiday time! My husband and kids even loved them, which blew me away because they are all very picky. If it isn’t chocolate covered with more chocolate they usually aren’t interested. Just sent my hubby off to work with a couple dozen! Thank you for sharing with all of us! These are going to become a Christmas cookie tradition for our family!
If I’m short on time do they need to chill for an hour?
yes – makes a difference in the final texture. You could stick in the freezer for 20 minutes if that’s easier
Managed to chill them about 45 minutes. That helped. I did however grab baking powder instead of baking soda. . Got some of the powder out, added the soda and they were still a hit at the Christmas lunch.
Hi! I have the older Pinterest link for molasses cookies from your site that I’ve been making for over 5 years! They are so wonderful and I typically can’t wait till the holidays to make them. This year the pin says the link is inactive. Is this recipe the same as the old post? It seems to be if I remember it right but just wanted to make sure as the pictures of the final cookie look different. I appreciate your help and your fabulous family recipe!
Do you have to melt the butter first?
yes! it affects the end consistency
I’ve made these 4 times this holiday season. They are my new favorite holiday cookie!
I used 1/2 c white sugar and 1/2 c dark brown sugar; and also added 1/4 tsp. cardamom. They were lovely and chewy but they took much longer than 10-12 min. to bake. I think it was more like 18-20 by the time I finished. I have a Wolf oven.
Hi! Looking forward to trying this recipe. I’ve always made ones of a similar recipe, but my results are always inconsistent! Sometimes a batch will crackle perfectly and be round, almost flat and chewy. Other times, they puff up! I can’t figure out why. Have you experienced this? Hoping this recipe will be “foolproof” 😉
Can I completely substitute brown sugar for the white? Will it change the consistency at all? I prefer brown sugar..
sure thing!
Gaby, I have baked these cookies several times. They are awesome ( this is the only recipe I have ever tried for molasses cookies) But I am finding that my cookies have a salty flavor. I use unsalted butter and do not add any salt. Are they supposed to taste salty?
hmmmmmm that’s weird since there isn’t any salt in them. Are you using a new/different brand of molasses that might be a little more salty that usual? xx
Best molasses cookie I’ve ever made or had!!!!!
I absolutely love this recipe for molasses cookies. They are my all time favorite cookie and this is the best recipe ever – in over 50 years of baking ! 5+ stars Gaby!
This is the best recipe! I made these cookies several times and every time each cookie came out perfect – exactly like your picture. Thanks for a great recipe!
These are my ABSOLUTE favorite!!! I need them all year round, not just for the holidays!
Will a hand mixer work if I don’t have a big fancy one??
Thanks
Absolutely!
I made these last night and they were amazing! Thank you to you, your Mom & Grandmother! They are the perfect Molassas Cookie!
These look and sound amazing! I have an aversion to cloves, though. Is it really noticeable? Think I could omit Or substitute it?
you can totally leave them out! still delish!