Chewy Molasses Cookies with Ginger and Clove
Sink your teeth into these incredible Molasses Cookies before it’s too late! They’re unbelievably chewy – they’re ooey-gooey in the middle with the perfect amount of light crisp on the edges. They’re sweet and spiced, and everything nice!
Dark, rich molasses makes these cookies unique in two ways: it infuses the cookies with its signature deep sweetness while transforming their texture into something wonderfully chewy. As these cookies bake, they develop a crispy, golden edge and tender center that is literally melt-in-your-mouth!
While these cookies are a quintessential holiday treat, they’re incredibly versatile throughout the year. They make excellent ice cream sandwich cookies during summer months, pair beautifully with afternoon tea in spring, and serve as the perfect lunchbox treat when school starts in fall. The dough can even be made ahead and frozen, making them an great option for busy bakers who like to plan ahead!
Equipment Needed
Don’t worry, you just need some kitchen basics to make this homemade molasses cookies recipe! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Spice grinder (optional)
- Microplane (optional)
- Mixing spoon
- Whisk
- Hand mixer (optional)
- Stand mixer (optional)
- Baking sheets
- Parchment paper
- Medium cookie scoop
- Cooling rack
Ingredients Needed
These are the ingredients you will need to make soft molasses cookies:
- Flour: All-purpose flour is great here, but you can use gluten-free flour instead if you need! Just make sure to use a gluten-free all purpose flour that has a 1:1 cup ratio.
- Baking Soda: To help the cookies have a little rise in the oven.
- Salt: To balance out the flavors!
- Spices: You will need ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cloves to season up these cozy molasses cookies!
- Unsulphured Molasses: The star of the show, molasses adds sweetness, color, and a chewier texture.
- Butter: Since we are using melted butter here, it is important to chill the cookie dough before baking.
- Sugar: To sweeten things up!
- Egg: An egg adds structure and helps the cookies rise in the oven.
- Vanilla Extract: For an added depth of flavor.
Substitutions and Additions
Depending on what is in your pantry, you can make these substitutions or additions:
- I used Target’s Good & Gather brand molasses, but you can use any brand of unsulphured original or blackstrap molasses (such as Grandmas).
- If you don’t have the individual spices available, you can substitute with about 3 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or any other pie spice you have on hand – they may have additional flavors like nutmeg or mace, but don’t worry – those elements will only add to the depth of the spice flavor in these cookies.
- If you like, you can also grind or grate your own spices using a spice grinder, coffee grinder, or microplane. Remember that freshly ground spices will often yield stronger flavors than pre-ground options, so you may want to underseason just a bit depending on your tastes.
- You can replace half of the granulated sugar with ½ cup packed brown sugar for more of that ooey-gooey chewy texture in your cookies.
- If you don’t have access to molasses, you can also make great cookies by replacing the entire cup of granulated sugar with 1 cup packed brown sugar. Brown sugar is made with molasses, so you won’t be totally missing out on molasses flavor.
- To garnish, consider dipping these cookies in melted butterscotch chips or white chocolate, dusting with powdered sugar, or glazing with a simple powdered sugar & milk glaze.
How to Make Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Measure Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and clove until thoroughly combined.
- Prep Wet Ingredients: In another microwaveable bowl, combine the melted butter, molasses, sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix with a mixer or whisk until smooth.
- Combine Wet & Dry Ingredients: Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the ingredients are combined and a thick batter has formed.
- Chill: Cover the dough and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the dough to set.
- Preheat: Heat your oven to 350⁰ F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Scoop the Cookie Dough: Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto your prepared baking sheet, placing each dough ball 2 inches apart.
- Bake: Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the tops of the dough are just slightly browned and set.
- Cool: Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
- Repeat: Repeat the process until all of the dough has been used.
Tips for the Best Molasses Cookies
- No cookie scoop? No problem! To portion the dough without a cookie scoop, you can use a measuring spoon to scoop out about 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. Roll the dough into balls in between your palms before baking in order to give your cookies a nicely rounded shape.
- The 30-minute chilling time is crucial – don’t skip it! This allows the flour to hydrate properly and prevents excessive spreading during baking. You can even chill the dough overnight for enhanced flavor development!
- Watch your timing carefully during baking. These ginger molasses cookies should be pulled from the oven when they look slightly underdone in the middle – they’ll continue to set up as they cool. This ensures you achieve that perfect chewy texture!
Serving Suggestions for Molasses Cookies
I think these chewy molasses cookies are perfect on a cookie tray with Christmas Cracker Candy or Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars!
Or, consider making them for Christmas dinner and serving them alongside this Sheet Pan Christmas Dinner or my Bourbon Brown Sugar Pork Tenderloin!
Storing Suggestions
Store leftover baked cookies in a sealed bag or airtight container for 1 week at room temperature.
You can freeze the dough in advance for up to 3 months. I recommend scooping it into balls, freezing on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and placing the frozen dough balls into a gallon-sized zip-lock freezer bag or tightly covered plastic container before returning them to the freezer.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Chocolate Chip Cookies with Walnuts
- Brownie Mix Cookies
- Grandma’s Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Linzer Cookies with Blackberry Jam
- Christmas Sugar Cookie Bars
Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.5 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter melted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and clove until thoroughly combined.
- In another microwaveable bowl, combine the melted butter, molasses, sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix with a mixer or whisk until smooth.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until the ingredients are combined and a thick batter has formed.
- Cover the dough and refrigerate for a minimum of 30 minutes to allow the dough to set.
- Heat your oven to 350⁰ F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Use a medium sized cookie scoop to scoop the dough onto your prepared baking sheet, placing each dough ball 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, or until the tops of the dough are just slightly browned and set.
- Remove the pan from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before serving.
- Repeat the process until all of the dough has been used.
Nutrition
This recipe is part of The Sweetest Season, an annual virtual cookie swap co-hosted by Erin of The Speckled Palate and Susannah of Feast + West. Every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes to make and give.
This year we are raising money for Cookies 4 Kids’ Cancer, which is a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers across the country. From these grants have stemmed 35+ treatments available to kids battling cancer today.
Help us raise money for this important cause! Donate through our fundraising page.
Another exciting thing is that Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO, meaning OXO will be matching every dollar raised through the end of 2024, up to $100,000. Whatever money we raise will automatically double on our fundraising page!
