Soft Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Homemade molasses spice cookies are super tender and perfectly spiced! Filled with the cozy flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon, these soft and chewy cookies with crackly tops are a holiday favorite. For best results, cover and chill the soft dough for 2 hours before baking. Cold cookie dough results in thicker cookies! Recipe makes 28 cookies.

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These molasses cookies are one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes! With plenty of spice flavor, these cookies have a soft and chewy texture that I absolutely love – each bite almost melts in your mouth.

I like to dress up the cookies with a drizzle of vanilla glaze and sprinkle of sparkling sugar for a festive touch. Or drizzle the tops with melted white chocolate – so yum!

Craving more cookies? If you’re looking for a chewy ginger crinkle-top cookie with molasses, try my giant ginger cookies!

Key Ingredients

• Flour – Use all-purpose flour in this recipe.
• Baking soda – Gives the cookies a lift.
• Cornstarch – Prevents the cookies from overspreading and makes the cookies soft and tender.
• Salt – Enhances the spice and molasses flavor.
• Spices – The cookie dough is nicely spiced with ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. If you like allspice, add up to 1/4 teaspoon.
• Butter – Use softened unsalted butter. The butter is the ideal temperature when you can press it with your finger and leave an indentation.
• Sugar – The cookie dough is sweetened with granulated sugar and light brown sugar. You can also swap the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar for even more molasses flavor.
• Molasses – Dark molasses adds plenty of flavor and keeps the baked cookies soft and chewy. I use and recommend Grandma’s Original Molasses. Look for a robust or full molasses, but avoid blackstrap molasses as it can overpower the spices and add a bitter flavor to the cookies.
• Egg – One large egg binds ingredients together.
• Vanilla – A splash of pure vanilla extract enhances the flavor.

Overview: How to Make Molasses Cookies

Cookie dough – Whisk together dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, and light brown sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until soft and creamy, about 2 minutes. Mix in molasses.

Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Add dry ingredients and beat just until incorporated.

The finished dough will be soft so chilling is a must:

Chill dough – Cover dough and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Chilling the dough briefly develops flavor and helps the cookies hold their shape in the oven.

Scoop and shape dough – Use a medium cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to form 1 1/2-inch balls of dough. Roll the balls in granulated sugar and place about 2 inches apart on baking sheets, then refrigerate for 20 to 30 minutes, until firm.

Bake cookies – Bake cookies at 350°F for 13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and crackly. Cool the cookies for 10 minutes on baking sheets before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Glaze – A delicious vanilla glaze makes the perfect finish to these spiced molasses cookies! Drizzle or spoon the glaze over the cooled cookies and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Let set before serving.

Make Ahead Molasses Cookies

If you’d like to make the dough in advance, simply roll into balls and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar and bake as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.

Favorite Christmas cookie recipes:

• Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies
• Peppermint Brownie Cookies
• Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies
• Gingerbread Biscotti
• Iced Oatmeal Cookies

Did you try this Molasses Spice Cookie Recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating below!

Soft Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 5 from 6 reviews

• Author: Laura Kasavan
• Prep Time: 40 minutes
• Chill Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 13 minutes
• Total Time: 3 hours 23 minutes
• Yield: 28 cookies
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Homemade molasses spice cookies are super tender and perfectly spiced! Filled with the cozy flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon, these soft and chewy molasses cookies with crackly tops are a holiday favorite. For best results, cover and chill the soft dough for 2 hours before baking. Cold cookie dough results in thicker cookies!

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Ingredients

Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups (315 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp (8 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp (3 g) cornstarch
• 3/4 tsp (5 g) salt
• 2 1/2 tsp (5 g) ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp (3 g) cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 cup (168 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (100 g) light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (80 g) unsulphured molasses, at room temperature
• 1 large egg (50 g)
• 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract

For Rolling

• 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar

Glaze

• 1 Tbsp (14 g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 tsp (4 g) vanilla extract
• 1 cup (120 g) powdered sugar
• 2 Tbsp (30 g) milk
• coarse sparkling sugar, for topping

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Instructions

1. Make dough: Whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, salt, and spices in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugars in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until soft and creamy (about 2 minutes). Beat in molasses until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Reduce speed to low and gradually add flour mixture; beat just until incorporated.
2. Chill dough: The dough will be soft – cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
3. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Use a cookie scoop coated with nonstick spray to form 1 1/2-inch balls of dough (approximately 26-28 grams each). Roll in granulated sugar to coat and place two inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill for 30 minutes in the refrigerator while preheating oven to 350°F.
4. Bake cookies for 13 minutes, rotating pans halfway through, until cookies are puffed and crackly, with edges set. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Make glaze: Whisk together melted butter, salt, vanilla, powdered sugar, and milk in a small bowl until smooth. Drizzle or spoon glaze over cookies and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar. Let set before serving.
6. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Equipment

Baking Sheets

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Stand Mixer

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Notes

Molasses: I use and recommend Grandma’s Original Molasses.

Make Ahead: Roll the dough into balls and freeze on a baking sheet for 1 hour, then transfer to an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Just before baking, roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar and bake as directed, adding 1-2 minutes to baking time.