Soft Molasses Cookies
There’s a certain magic to the smell of molasses cookies baking. It fills the whole house with warm spices and sweet memories.
For years, I chased that perfect cookie—soft, chewy, and full of deep flavor. Not a hard, crunchy disk.
This recipe is the one. It’s simple, straightforward, and gives you wonderfully soft cookies every single time. Let’s get baking.
What You’ll Need
This recipe uses basic pantry items. Nothing fancy is required to make these amazing cookies.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Salt
- Unsalted butter, softened
- Granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
- One large egg
- Unsulphured molasses
Tools You’ll Need
You don’t need a professional kitchen for this. Just a few basics will do the job perfectly.
- Mixing bowls (one large, one medium)
- Whisk
- Electric mixer (handheld or stand)
- Spatula
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Cookie scoop (optional, but helpful)
How to Make Soft Molasses Cookies
Follow these steps closely for the best results. The chilling part is super important, so don’t skip it.
Step 1: In your medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set it aside.
Step 2: In the large bowl, use your electric mixer to beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. This usually takes about 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Beat in the egg until it’s just combined. Then, mix in the molasses. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with your spatula to make sure everything is mixed well.
Step 4: Slowly add the dry flour mixture to the wet mixture. Mix on low speed until you don’t see any more flour streaks. Don’t overmix the dough.
Step 5: Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the refrigerator for at least one hour. This is my secret to thick, chewy cookies that don’t spread too thin.
Step 6: Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
Step 7: Put some extra granulated sugar in a small, shallow bowl. Scoop the chilled dough into balls, about 1.5 inches each. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat it completely.
Step 8: Place the sugar-coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches of space between them.
Step 9: Bake for 8-10 minutes. The centers should look a little soft. They will set up as they cool. This is the key to a soft cookie.
Step 10: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before moving them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tips
After making thousands of cookies, I’ve learned a few things. Here are some tips to help you nail this recipe.
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Don’t Skip the Chill. Chilling the dough is a must. It solidifies the butter, which means your cookies will spread less and bake up thicker and chewier. An hour is good, two is even better.
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Use Unsulphured Molasses. There are different kinds of molasses. For baking cookies, unsulphured molasses has a cleaner, sweeter taste. Blackstrap molasses is much stronger and can be a bit bitter.
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Slightly Underbake. The cookies should look a tiny bit underdone in the very center when you pull them out. They will finish baking on the hot pan and stay soft for days.
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Room Temperature Ingredients. Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature. They mix together more smoothly, creating a better cookie texture.
Quick Timetable
Here’s a quick look at how long this will take.
| Task | Time |
|---|---|
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Chill Time | 1 hour (minimum) |
| Bake Time | 8-10 minutes |
| Total Time | ~1.5 hours |
Substitutions and Variations
Feel free to play around with the recipe. Cookies are meant to be fun.
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Spices: If you love spice, add a pinch of cardamom or nutmeg. You could also add a little bit of black pepper for a tiny kick.
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Flour: A 1-to-1 gluten-free baking flour can be used instead of all-purpose flour. The texture might be slightly different.
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Mix-ins: Add a cup of white chocolate chips or crystalized ginger for a different twist.
Dietary Swaps
Need to adjust for a specific diet? Here are some simple swaps.
| Original Ingredient | Dietary Swap | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Unsalted Butter | Vegan Butter Sticks | Use a brand that bakes well. |
| Large Egg | Flax Egg (1 tbsp flax + 3 tbsp water) | Let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken. |
| All-Purpose Flour | 1-to-1 Gluten-Free Flour | Results may vary slightly by brand. |
Make-Ahead Tips
You can easily prep this dough ahead of time.
The cookie dough can be made and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
You can also freeze the dough balls. Place them on a baking sheet, freeze until solid, then transfer to a freezer bag. They can be baked straight from the freezer; just add a minute or two to the baking time.
Nutritional Breakdown
This is an estimate per cookie. Actual values can change based on your ingredients and cookie size.
A single cookie has roughly 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 16 grams of carbs, and 1 gram of protein. They are a treat, so enjoy them!
Meal Pairing Suggestions
These cookies are great on their own, but they also go well with a few things.
| Drink Type | Suggestion |
|---|---|
| Hot Drink | Glass of cold milk |
| Warm Drink | Cup of black coffee |
| Warm Drink | Spiced chai tea |
Leftovers and Storage
If you have any cookies left, here’s how to store them.
Place the cooled cookies in an airtight container. They will stay soft at room temperature for up to a week.
You can also freeze the baked cookies. Place them in a single layer in a freezer-safe bag or container. They’ll last for about 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions people have.
Q1. Why are my molasses cookies hard?
Ans: They were likely overbaked. The trick to soft cookies is to pull them from the oven when the centers still look a little undone. They will set as they cool on the pan.
Q2. Can I use blackstrap molasses?
Ans: You can, but it will change the cookie a lot. Blackstrap molasses is much less sweet and has a very strong, almost bitter flavor. I recommend sticking with regular unsulphured molasses for this recipe.
Q3. My cookies spread out and were too thin. What went wrong?
Ans: This usually happens for two reasons. The dough wasn’t chilled long enough, or your butter was too soft, almost melted, when you started. Chilling is the best way to fix this.
Wrapping Up
This recipe is one of my all-time favorites. It’s simple, reliable, and makes the kind of soft, spicy molasses cookies that everyone loves.
Give them a try. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
When you make them, come back and leave a comment. I’d love to hear how they turned out for you
