These old-fashioned molasses cookies have a great chewy texture from real butter and molasses while slightly crispy on the outside and a beautiful cracked effect from rolling the cookie dough in white sugar.
Soft molasses cookies are perfect for the holiday season - loaded with warm spices. Enjoy a freshly baked batch of molasses cookies with a warm mug of eggnog or crumbled-over ice cream.
If you love Christmas baking you have to try my Christmas Spritz Cookies, No Chill Gingerbread Cookies, Pumpkin Pie Cookies or Banana Bread With Cranberries.
Jump To
- Ingredients For Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- What Readers Say
- How To Make Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies Step By Step
- Tips For The Best Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- Freezing and Storing Leftovers
- Easy Cookie Recipes
- Did You Try This Recipe?
- 📖Recipe
- Molasses Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions
- 💬 Comments
Ingredients For Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- Butter and egg - These ingredients should be at room temperature, as this will help incorporate them into the cookie dough mixture better. While I’ve used unsalted butter, you could use salted butter instead, but you’ll need to omit the salt in the ingredients. I haven't tried making these cookies with coconut oil, but I'm sure it would still work.
- Sugar - Combining brown sugar and molasses creates a crisp outer edge and a soft buttery center.
- Spices - I’ve used cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger in these molasses cookies. They are typical spices used in molasses cookie recipes that provide warmth. Ground cloves can also be added.
- Baking soda - Check the expiry date on your baking soda, as this will impact the rise of the cookies. I’ve also opted to sift the baking soda like the flour for an extra smooth cookie batter.
- Flour - All-purpose flour is a sturdy option for soft and buttery cookies, but you could also use gluten-free flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill. I prefer to sift the flour for an extra smooth cookie batter.
- Granulated sugar - For rolling the cookie balls.
- Molasses - Choose unsulphured or dark molasses for these cookies; avoid blackstrap as it's too intense in flavor for this recipe.
For the full list of ingredients, please scroll down where you'll find the recipe card.
What Readers Say
Just what I was looking for! Soft, and yummy. I cut the spices just a tad, because I didn't want to over power the molasses flavor. But next time I won't just to see if they are still as good! My go to recipe from now on. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- Linda
How To Make Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies Step By Step
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer or electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
- Mix in the molasses and egg until well incorporated. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda to the mixing bowl and mix well.
- Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed, just until combined. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Roll the dough into 1 ½" balls and roll them in the granulated sugar until coated.
- Place dough balls 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 11 minutes.
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, cookie jar, or freezer bag.
Tips For The Best Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- Ensure that the eggs and butter are both at room temperature, which helps them mix well into the cookie batter.
- You can easily double the ingredients to make an extra batch of cookies and store them in the freezer to enjoy whenever you like. Alternatively, freeze the unbaked cookie balls on the cookie sheet for longer storage or wrap the dough in plastic wrap to store in the freezer or fridge.
- Always check the expiry date on your baking soda label, as old or expired ingredients can affect how these cookies rise while baking.
- Consider using a cookie scoop to create uniform-sized cookie dough balls when adding them to the prepared baking sheets.
- Don't bake the cookies without chilling the cookie dough first. Chilling will help make the dough less sticky and easier to roll into balls. It will also ensure that the cookies don’t spread flat while baking.
Freezing and Storing Leftovers
- Cool the old-fashioned molasses cookies before storing them. Transfer to an airtight container and keep at room temperature for 3-4 days or freeze for 2-3 months. However, I don't recommend freezing baked cookies as they will lose their crisp texture.
- If you want to keep them for later, freeze the unbaked cookie dough (add plastic wrap around it first) instead. Let thaw to room temperature and until it's easy enough to roll these.
Easy Cookie Recipes
If you're looking for more Christmas-themed cookies you have to try our Christmas Spritz Cookies and some of my favorite cookies below:
📖Recipe
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies (Soft and Chewy!)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
For Rolling
- ½ cup granulated sugar , for rolling the cookies
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with a hand mixer or electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.1 cup brown sugar, ¾ cup unsalted butter
- Mix in molasses and the egg until well incorporated. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and baking soda to the mixing bowl and mix well.½ cup molasses, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon salt, 2 teaspoon baking soda
- Gradually add in the flour mixture on low speed, just until combined. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- Preheat at an oven temperature of 350F.
- Roll dough into 1 ½" balls and roll them in the granulated sugar until coated. Place dough balls 2" apart on an ungreased cookie sheet pan, lined with parchment paper. Bake cookies for 11 minutes.½ cup granulated sugar
- Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container, cookie jar, or freezer bag.
Nutrition
Molasses Cookies: Frequently Asked Questions
There are different types of molasses, some more suitable when following an old-fashioned molasses cookie recipe. You can use light molasses or dark molasses to make these cookies. The darker molasses will create a stronger flavor and a darker color in the cookies, so choose based on personal preference.
Something like blackstrap molasses has a very strong, almost bitter flavor, which is why I wouldn't use it when making these chewy molasses cookies.
Molasses cookies are chewy, while gingersnap cookies are slightly chewy on the inside but much crispier on the outside, “snapping” when pressure is applied.
Yes, you can substitute butter for shortening, resulting in a crispier cookie than chewy cookies made with butter. Cookies made with butter are also typically richer in flavor.
If you do opt for shortening, use a one-to-one swap ratio.
If your molasses cookies have spread flat, the cookie dough may not have been chilled long enough, or your kitchen may be too warm.
If you are making batches of cookies, avoid using a cookie sheet that is still warm from the previous batch, as this will cause your fresh cookie dough to spread while baking.
There are a few reasons why the molasses cookies haven’t developed that “cracked look.” This could be due to expired or old baking soda, not creaming the butter long enough to create air pockets to assist the baking soda, or over-mixing the cookie dough, which over-develops gluten.
Rita
Delicious molasses cookies with crispy exterior and soft inside.
Christine
Absolutely delicious! Can’t wait to make them again.
Linda
Just what I was looking for! Soft, and yummy. I cut the spices just a tad, because I didn't want to over power the molasses flavor. But next time I won't just to see if they are still as good! My go to recipe from now on.
Rita
thank you Linda, these are our favorite too!
Jasmine
These are good cookies, a good recipe. I made them for my mother however, the one thing I do have an issue with is in the way the recipe is written. At the beginning it states to “cream the sugar and butter together” however the first time I made these, that specific instruction was faultered because it should be written to “cream the brown sugar and butter together” as I ended up losing half a cup of brown sugar due to this error. This wasn’t noticed until I luckily managed to see farther down that the granulated sugar is used to roll the dough in, not at the beginning. Otherwise, good recipe.
Rita
thank you, and sorry for the confusion. Please always take care to read the recipe card to avoid confusions.
Diane
These were the best molasses cookies I ever had!!!! They are so good and soft !!!
Rita
Thank you Diane, they are too good!
Elmer M
I saw this recipe while looking at other cookie recipes. It looked like a wonderful recipe so I tried it. IT IS A WONDERFUL RECIPE! The only thing I did wrong was I made the balls a little big. This is a good recipe and I'm making some more! Don't hesitate to try this recipe!
Rita
thank you for your feedback! Glad you liked it Elmer!
Anne Degrange
Soesn't say what kind of molasses
Rita
Anne you can choose unsulphured or dark molasses for these cookies; avoid blackstrap as it's too intense in flavor for this recipe.
Marcy Jones
Has anyone tried adding a bit of orange zest to the cookie dough? I'm curious if it would complement the molasses flavor. Thoughts?
Beth Ann
I tried it last year! Adds a nice, subtle brightness. Def worth a shot. 🙂
Rita
Hi Marcy, I haven't tried it yet but it sounds interesting! let me know if you try it out!
Max
Rita, loved ur ginger molasses cookies recipe, turned out great and the fam couldn't get enough of them. Will be making these again for sure, thanks!
Rita
Hi Max, thank you for your comment. We make them often too!
Karl_the_Fifth
I'm skeptical of these so-called 'easy' recipes. More often than not, they oversimplify things and the results are mediocre. Are these ginger molasses cookies genuinely worth the effort, or am I going to be disappointed again?
JennyBakes
I was pleasantly surprised with how they turned out. Definitely give it a try, Karl!
CookieMonster42
Totally worth it, Karl. They were a hit in my house.
Rita
Hi Karl. Just try them, they are easy to make, and you'll love them!