These soft and chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are just what your holiday season has been waiting for! Delightfully chewy with a crisp sugar coated exterior and plenty of spice and warmth, these molasses cookies are impossible to resist! Holiday baking? Make sure to try these Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies, Coconut Macaroons, and Peppermint Snowball Cookies!
Molasses Cookies
Ginger molasses cookies. The quintessential Christmas cookie that needs to happen in your house at least once this season.
I have a number of ginger cookie recipes that I adore. I’m spoiled year-round by my sister who makes ginger cookies all the time for the boys. It’s their favorite. I have three favorite recipes and this is one of them. It yields the prettiest soft molasses cookies you’ve ever seen: soft, chewy and with tons of flavor.
Love all things ginger? Try these recipes!
- Slow Cooker Gingerbread Mocha
- Mini Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe with Gingersnap Crust
- Pumpkin Ginger Bars with Maple Glaze
- Pear Ginger Cinnamon Oat Smoothie
What Spices are In Ginger Cookies?
There is a ton of spice in this soft molasses cookie recipe. This combination of three spices makes for a powerful punch:
- ginger
- cinnamon
- cloves
This combination of spices is critical for that extra depth of flavor. It really makes your mouth go wow.
Let’s Make Molasses Cookies
I’m a total sucker for molasses and I think that is the ingredient that makes ginger cookies shine. Such a deep, bold flavor that screams, “Eat me! It’s Christmas time!” Making these cookies is a Christmas tradition and I love that they are SO easy to make.
- Combine flour, baking soda, corn starch, salt, and spices in a large bowl.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars.
- Beat in the egg and then the vanilla and molasses.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring just until combined.
- Chill for at least 2 hours. I like to leave it in there for a solid 24 hours if I have the time. I know this seems like such a buzzkill when you’re making cookies but chilling does two important things:
- limits spreading
- allows the flavors to meld together
- Scoop out dough, form into a ball, and roll in sugar. This is the part that makes that beautiful, sweet exterior.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes being careful not to over bake. Once you see the cookies, cracking, they’re done.
- Let the cookies cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
The cookies can be store in an airtight container for up to a week or frozen, for up to 3 months.
Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe Ingredients
These cookies are made with all butter – no shortening – so you get that awesome buttery flavor in every bite. I use Challenge butter. The quality is exceptional and I am able to see and taste the difference. It’s flat-out delicious 🙂
Here’s what you’re going to need for these ginger molasses cookies:
- all purpose flour
- baking soda
- corn starch
- salt
- ground ginger
- cinnamon
- ground cloves
- butter
- brown sugar (dark or light)
- granulated sugar
- egg
- vanilla extract
- molasses
Tips For The Best Ginger Cookies
- How do you know your ginger snap cookies are done? Just look for the cracking on the top of the cookie. As soon as you spot that, pull them out because you do not want to over bake these cookies. Let them cool for awhile on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
- When you roll the cookie dough balls in sugar, you want to make sure you completely coat the ball. Be generous with that sugar! I think it adds a delightful crunchy sweetness to these cookies AND it’s super sparkly and pretty.
- Do not skip the chilling step! It’s super important for both flavor and presentation.
These really are the perfect soft ginger cookies!
More Cookies To Try
- Butterscotch Shortbread Cookies
- Mint Chocolate Chip Snowball Cookies
- Peppermint Shortbread Cookies
- Almond Joy Cookies
- Maple Cinnamon Glazed Peanut Butter Cookies
How To Make Molasses Cookies
Perfect Soft Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 cup Challenge butter softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar dark or light
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup molasses
Coating
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Combine flour, baking soda, corn starch, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Whisk together.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugars.
- Beat in egg until thoroughly combined.
- Mix in vanilla and molasses.
- Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture, stirring just until combined.
- Place in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. I like to leave it in there for a solid 24 hours if I have the time.
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Use cookie scoop to scoop out dough, form into a ball, and roll in sugar. Place on cookies sheet.
- Bake for 9 to 11 minutes being careful not to over bake.
- Let cool for several minutes on the cookie sheet before moving to a cooling rack.
- Store in an airtight container for up to a week or freeze for up to 3 months.
Video
Notes
Tools Needed
Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer | Mixing Bowls | Baking Sheet | Cookie Scoop | Silicone Baking MatNutrition
Originally published December 9, 2014.
For all fudge recipes, go HERE.
For all dessert recipes, go HERE.
Sign up to get emails when I post new recipes!
For even more great ideas follow me on Facebook – Pinterest – Instagram – Twitter – Bloglovin’.
Have a great day!
Disclaimer: As an Ambassador for Challenge, I was provided product and compensation for this post by Challenge Butter, but all opinions are, as always 100% my own. I LOVE Challenge Butter!
Patty says
Can you freeze the dough ahead of time for another day?
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
I think that would be fine patty!
marljong says
Thank you for sharing your divine ginger cookie recipe! For helping a teacher after school, I asked the student what kind of cookies he’d like. He requested that I bake him some soft, delicious, ginger cookies with sugar on top–like the ones he fondly remembered from his old baby sitter. Suffice to say, I found your recipe and baked it up. I taste-tested it and I was hooked! I wanted to eat the whole batch, but I resisted with three. I packed it up into a bag and gave it to the student. The next day, the student returned to tell me that he shared it with his family and they enjoyed it tremendously. He stated,” I loved my babysitter’s cookies, but yours was even better! Thank you!”
Heather says
These turned out delicious! Not having a cookie scoop, big teaspoons made 52 1.25″ balls that ended up as 2″ cookies and the tops were cracking at 8 minutes.
Thanks!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Fantastic! Thanks Heather!
Deb says
Just made these and they are SOOOOO YUMMY and pretty easy for a non-baker like me!! My only disappointment is that there wasn’t a yield listed in the recipe (that I could see), so I didn’t know how many it would make. Had I known how good they would turn out to be, I would have definitely doubled or tripled the recipe!! Thank you!!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
These do look perfectly soft Trish!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Julianne!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
Soft and chewy ginger cookies are one of my favorite holiday cookies! These look perfect with that pretty crinkle, I could easily go for a dozen! Yum!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Mine too Kelly!!
Sarah @ SnixyKitchen says
No such thing as too many cookies! These ginger cookies have the perfect crinkle on top and they look so soft and chewy! Pinned!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Agreed 🙂 Thanks Sarah!
marcie says
Gingersnaps are my favorite, and these do look perfect! Pinned. 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks so much Marcie!
Amy @ Amy's Healthy Baking says
These look perfect Trish!! Sing me up for a whole dozen. 😉 Surprisingly enough, ginger cookies are the ONLY cookies my guy will eat. But unfortunately, he likes his crunchy. Because his mom always burned cookies while he was a kid, so he got used to the crunchy ones. Oh well, more soft & chewy ones for me! Pinned!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Of course he does!! He’s so funny 🙂 Thanks Amy!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
Soft ginger cookies are my favorite! Yours look perfect!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Jessica!!
Marti @ SewliciousHomeDecor says
I love ginger cookies, these sound amazing! I’m going to have to try them!! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thank you so much Marti!
Betsy | JavaCupcake.com says
I need these cookies in my life!!! PINNED!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Yes you do 🙂 Thanks for the pin!
Mir says
If you’re putting cooling racks away this time of year, something is wrong! My baking sheets haven’t been put away in at least two weeks.
These are so thick and soft and fluffy! I love the telltale cracks. Such an amazing cookie!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Totally agree Mir 🙂 It’s baking season after all! Thanks girl!
Gretchen @ Two Healthy Kitchens says
Mmmmm … soft and chewy ginger cookies! Sounds perfect! I’m not a fan of the crisp ones – I love them to be more tender than crunchy!
Great tip on watching them crack – perfect! Can’t wait to add these to my Christmas cookies – I just know they will be a big hit!!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Thanks Gretchen!
Dave Brown says
yay! Soft ginger cookies. I hate the hard ones!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Same here Dave 🙂
Chef Beth says
The hard ones, ginger snaps, make an excellent crust under cheese cakes & cream pies! Just put them in a food processor & grind them to crumbs, add a couple tablespoons of melted butter to hold it together & press into the pan. Prebake @ 350 8-10 minutes for cream pies or fill & bake for cheese cakes. Enjoy!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Great tips! Thank you!