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These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are easy to make, super-soft and chewy, and irresistibly delicious.
It seems a bold move to declare an all-time favorite cookie. But after having been on Team Molasses for going on over three decades now, and already whipped up my third batch of molasses dough in a month, I’ve gotta say that I don’t foresee any allegiance shifts happening soon. So with that said, allow me to introduce you to my all-time favorite cookies…
…the most delicious, soft, chewy, gingery, life-changing molasses cookies. ♡♡♡
My love for these molasses cookies is entirely thanks to my mom, who baked fresh batches of cookies for our family pretty much every week when we were growing up. Granted, she was always a bit mystified that her oldest daughter (hi, Mom) never inherited her obsession with all kinds of chocolate cookies, which will forever and always be her all-time faves. But molasses cookies were always a compromise we could both agree on. We both lovethese cookies.
This time of year, they are still the first recipe to which I always turn for holiday cookie baking. And this year in particular, they’ve been extra fun to share with all of our European friends who — as it turns out — maybe love them even more than we do! Ha, every time that we have served them to our friends, and our Spanish class, our neighbors, everyone goes crazy for them. Which means that we never come home with leftovers. Which just means that we have to keep baking more, naturally. Which requires exactly zero twisting of my arm. More molasses cookies for all!
Anyway, these cookies are clearly a hit. So as part of our week of cookies here on the blog, I thought I would bump this recipe back up to the top of the pile today for some non-chocolate cookie inspiration. I initially shared this recipe on the blog nine years ago. But that said, a number of you have reported over the years that your cookies have spread a bit more than you like. So I’ve been tinkering around with our family recipe this fall, and have made a few small adjustments to the recipe below that should help them to stay nice and thick and chewy, without compromising the flavor of the cookies at all. (Although if your cookies do ever flatten out, I promise they’ll still be delicious.)
So I hope that you enjoy them as much as we do, and if you decide to bake up a batch, I’d love to hear how they go! Enjoy, everyone!
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe | 1-Minute Video
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Ingredients:
To make this chewy ginger molasses cookies recipe, you will need:
Butter: Completely softened to room temperature (not melted, or else it will not cream properly with the sugars)
Sugars: I use half granulated (white) sugar, half packed brown sugar, plus extra sugar for rolling the dough balls.
Eggs and baking soda: Two soft and chewy cookie staples.
Flour: I typically use all-purpose flour for this classic recipe, but white whole wheat flour can work too.
Spices: We will use a mixture of ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Feel free to tinker around with the spice proportions to taste.
Salt: To bring out all of those delicious flavors.
How To Make Molasses Cookies:
To make these homemade molasses cookies, simply:
Whisk together dry ingredients. Flour, soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Cream together butter and sugars. Using a separate mixing bowl, either with a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally as needed.
Mix in the remaining wet and dry ingredients. Mix in the eggs (one at a time) and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until each is combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture and beat until it is evenly incorporated.
Chill the dough. Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is completely chilled. I know — the extra chilling time is substantial, and very tempting to skip. But this particular dough, with all of its butter and molasses, really does need a thorough chilling to prevent the cookies from spreading. Worth the wait, I promise. :)
Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and set aside.
Roll the dough balls. Once the dough is chilled and firm, roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Fill a separate small bowl with sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake. Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top. (They will crack more while cooling.) Remove from the oven and let cool for 4-5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Possible Variations:
Want to mix things up with your ginger cookies? Feel free to:
Add in extra ginger: I also really love adding some chopped crystallized ginger to these cookies for added ginger flavor and crunch.
Frost your cookies: A really light glaze is delicious atop these cookies. Or if you really want to go for it, cream cheese frosting is divine.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes:
Looking for more delicious cookie inspiration? Feel free to check out our full collection of cookie recipes, or any of these other favorite classic cookies:
These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are easy to make, super-soft and chewy, and irresistibly delicious. Feel free to halve this recipe if you would like a smaller batch!
Ingredients
Scale
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (not melted*)
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.
Using a separate mixing bowl, either with a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally as needed. Mix in the eggs (one at a time) and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until each is combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture and beat until it is evenly incorporated.
Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is completely chilled.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside.
Roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Fill a separate small bowl with sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top. (They will crack more while cooling.) Remove from the oven and let cool for 4-5 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.
Serve warm and enjoy, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.
Baking soda amount: Because this question comes up occasionally in the comment section — yes, this amount is correct. The recipe needs 4 teaspoons of baking soda to rise properly.
So glad to see you changed it to a higher amount of cookies. I printed it months ago and my recipe says 28-32. I easily got 64. These were moderate one inch balls. They make beautiful cookies. Delicious as well!! Followed the recipe exactly. Used my kitchen aid and just kept mixing. Thanks for the recipe. Will use again!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Yes, we definitely made an error there! :) We’re so happy you love the cookies!
When baking mine, I take them out of the oven right at 8 minutes even when they still look wet. This makes them soft and chewy. Unless you want them harder, then bake for the full 10 minutes.
Just made these, bought the baking soda new, they would be perfect in the oven but when I took them out of oven they slowly flattened. Is it possible to beat the dough too much?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Donna! We’re sorry to hear this happened. :( Was your butter definitely at room temp? You can’t really cream the butter and sugar too long, but you don’t want to overmix the dough after you’ve added your eggs and dry ingredients. Either one of those two things could have contributed to them flattening. We hope they still tasted good!
I absolutely love ginger Molasses cookies and was thrilled when i found this recipe. The first time i made it, it came out perfectly!! This is also my neighbor’s fav cookie and he absolutely loved them! The recipe seems to be the perfect ratio of ingredients. The recipe is a crowd pleaser with our friends and family! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you for sharing with us, Rachel — we’re so happy these were a hit with folks! :)
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for Ginger Molasses Cookies, and this looks great! I’ve already made the dough and it’s cooling now. Tastes great, so far. There’s a lot of comments about cookies turning out flat, and one thing not mentioned so far is making sure the eggs are room temp before adding them. I’ve seen untrained bakers cream butter and sugar beautifully until it’s fluffy for several minutes, then turn it into a sorry mess with cold eggs straight from the fridge. Sugar crystals help beat air into the butter- keep it fluffy.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for pointing that out Tom, you’re exactly right — it’s crucial for the eggs to be room temp as well!
HELP!!! I put 2 tsp of ginger, should have been 1. What are my options?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Kala! You might want to just go ahead and double the whole recipe then, otherwise these will be super gingery (but if you reeeeally love ginger, that might be okay)!
I’ve tried this recipe a couple of times and the cookies drastically, dramatically spread out, like across-the-cookie-sheet-down-into-the-oven spread out. The butter was room temperature; the dough was ice cold; the eggs sat out on the kitchen table for hours. I even reduced the amount of butter crazily for the second round. Something isn’t right in the state of Denmark. Is this blog real? Are these positive commenters real? Are you a robot? Are you Fancy/Cozy Bear? WTF? How do you get top-google-hit-billing for such disastrous cookies? I’m an American human and this recipe didn’t work.
-Disappointed in Des Moines
Rubysue —
It could be your butter’s fat content…I’ve never had these NOT turn out well, but I’m in Utah where the elevation is quite high?
Julia —
If you’re willing to try again, maybe add a bit more flour?
I’ve had mine spread too much, and even my good batches aren’t just like the photos here (they’re thinner but soft and chewy) BUT they are a hit with everyone. Friends and relatives always ask me to bring them for holidays now.
I’ve made them enough that I tend to know when the dough is too thin, and then I just add a bit more flour and they turn out. Making them in two batches also ensures my second batch is perfect. They’re worth the trial and error!
Hi! So the first time I made hear they were amazing! They looked just like the photo and dark and gooey inside. Best cookie I have ever had. My husband loved them and requested them again. I made them again tonight and they were drastically different. They didn’t sink down, had the consistency of pumpkin pie now the middle, and all the bottoms burned black (had in oven only 8 min for both batches). Was trying to figure out what I did wrong. Any suggestions? Was thinking the eggs were beat too much or the butter too soft.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Del! We’re sorry for just now getting to your comment. That’s so strange your experiences were so different! You do want to make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for this recipe. If it is too hard, or too melty, the creaming process won’t work its magic and you may have flatter cookies as a result. (Still tasty, but flatter!) Also, it is essential that the dough be thoroughly chilled with this recipe before baking. Otherwise, the dough will be soft and difficult to form into balls, and the cookies will flatten out significantly while baking. We hope this helps for next time!
I love your recipes Ali! Every, single recipe I’ve tried has been nothing short of delicious. To those having issues with spreading with these cookies, I have a tip. Not all butters are the same. I’ve made cookies for years and years (I’m not gonna date myself here, LOL) and I have found that while store brand butters taste doesn’t vary much the results with baking does. I did an experiment this past Christmas with several different cookies that called for butter, using four different butters. Each time the cookies made with store brand butters spread very thin while the brand name butters performed better and made beautiful cookies. If you’re having issues with your cookies, try a different butter and see if it helps. :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for your sweet words, Starr, we’re so glad you enjoy the blog and the recipes you’ve made! And thank you so much for your tip on the butter, you raise a very good point! :)
I was really excited to try these. I cut the recipe in half since I didn’t want so many cookies. I followed the instructions for the most part. I did not have an electric mixer to cream the sugar and butter so I did it by hand. The cookies turned out very much like cake and more puffy than the flat ones shown in the picture. Maybe I overbaked them? I had them in at 350 for exactly 10 minutes. Any advice to make these turn out just right?
there’s far too much butter and sugar in this.
half cup butter and three quarter cup sugar is ample otherwise it doesn’t work.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hello Malou! We’ve tested this recipe a zillion times and have never found the cookies to have too much butter or sugar. They work out great for us every time! However, definitely feel free to use less if you prefer.
These are THE BEST molasses cookies I have ever made. They turn out exactly as stated and look just like the pictures on this blog. These are a family (and friend) favorite for sure. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thank you, Patricia, we’re so happy you and your friends and family love them! :D
Hi! These look great and I plan to try making them soon. I read in the comments that the butter is supposed to be unsalted, but the recipe doesn’t specify that, so you may want to change that in the original recipe. :-) When I come back to these I want to make sure I remember not to do salted butter…
These were PERFECT! NO I am not a robot…yes I am a REAL person and they were absolutely PERFECT! I posted pics to my Instagram and FB page. My son is so in love with me right now. And it makes a TON of cookies…I used a small ice cream scooper so they were all the exact same size. THANK YOU! I will be making these FOREVER
this recipe is great. I made it for my family and friends and they absolutely loved it. you can substitute regular sugar for ungranulated cane sugar if you don’t want a sugar spike.
bob —
I totally agree rocky
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing, Rocky, we’re so happy they were a hit with folks! :)
Getting ready to make these again for my mom’s birthday: this year her 87th. They take her back to HER grandma’s cookies in the 1930’s. No fail recipe–really more delicious than I’d think a ginger cookie could be.
Very good recipe for ginger cookies! I did find 375 degrees too hot, it browned them on the bottom a bit too much for my liking but my second batch at 350 degrees was perfect and no more than 10 mins and they looked just like the pictures. Oh and I only dipped the tops in the sugar since some people said they were pretty sweet. I used soft margarine and was a bit worried about the spreading issue but I did not flatten the dough after I put them on the cookie sheet and although they did flatten considerably in the oven they pretty much kept their shape but I left probably closer to 2 inches between cookies. Next time I may just try to put them back in fridge after scooping out on sheet as I’m sure this would help to keep the round shape better. Thank you so much for sharing, this one is a keeper!
Most delicious cookies ever! Thank you so much for posting your recipe. I love baking in the fall, even though the temperature here in California’s in the high 80’s. I’ve always liked ginger cookies, but this is the first time I’ve attempted them from scratch. I ate 7 cookies last night and one this morning with my coffee. Going to the gym now.
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for! The taste and texture is perfect. I did have a spreading problem on my first pan, but I was using parchment paper. I took the parchment off the next pan, and the cookies came out perfect! This recipe definitely needs to go directly on the pan.
I used to make these with my grandmother, she called them Lucky Pennies. I’ve misplaced the recipe card, so through searching I’ve found your recipe! They are fantastic and are just like my old recipe.
These are great for school bake sales (no nuts) and make great gifts too.
As a child we only got these cookies for St Patrick’s Day but I will make them for any reason now.
Thank you!
This recipe brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother – she made wonderful cookies like these. Great recipe and did follow the directions on chilling the dough which did make more yummy cookies.
This recipe is amazing! Even though I’m not the best baker, these turned out beautifully. The best part? It’s so easy! I’m never buying store-bought again! Your little tips about the butter temperature and chilling the dough helped!
Not sure what Disappointed in Des Moines is talking about. I live in Kansas (almost the same elevation as Des Moines, just fyi). I think that one is user error!
Thank you! I have made these twice. And each time, they have been PERFECT. Posted my photo on Pinterest. I found it to be a very forgiving recipe. Everything is ta room temperature before I start and I chilled my dough overnight. I rolled mine in sugar before baking. Crispy on the outside, chewy in the center and absolutely redolent of Fall flavors. These always go FAST.
I was given a very similar recipe from a friend’s mom. Her recipe calls for two teaspoons of vinegar. It’s great!
Jacqueline —
My friend also makes them with vegetable oil and they are great.. I can’t bring myself to use oil! I have also made them with crisco. They were perfect- a bit more crunchy. I would think if there is a problem, like the one negative comment, it might be the oven temp or adding baking powder instead of the soda.
Very easy to make.
On my 2nd batch I added some cut up candied ginger.
8 minutes worked for me. They were thin but did not spread out to much.
still chewy and yummy!!
Thank you so much, the absolute best molasses ginger cookies I’ve ever had. This recipe is definitely going in the recipe box ( I have the notecards too) .
I recently made this cookie for a cookie exchange and it was a big hit! They were delicious! After reading reviews, I was afraid they would spread excessively and placed they a few inches apart. They did not spread much though and came out beautifully., as in the above photos. This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be my go-to ginger cookie recipe.
I’ve made these cookies twice before with AMAZING results. My colleagues at work continually ask me to make them again, so I’m back here finding the recipe! :)
Is it possible to make-ahead the dough and freeze it for a couple days or does that noticeably reduce the outcome of the cookies? I have a holiday cookie exchange but due to my calendar would love to make the dough a few days beforehand and then just bake them the night before. If this is possible, how early should I take the dough out of the freezer to allow it to thaw enough to form individual cookies?
Just baked a batch and kept eating them. I had the brand name butter out at least 24 hrs, the dough in the fridge for over 2hrs,and but the dough back into the fridge between batches to roll or to bake. The last batch I thing was in the over for an extra minute which were the only puffy cookies. I’ll still be trying them again. yum,yum!…I also didn’t roll them in sugar_just dabbed one side. Made a few without extra sugar for my mom and still good.
I found this recipe last year and loved it so much I made them again this year. I made them with vegan (dairy free) butter replacement as my son has a dairy allergy and they are AMAZING (you honestly cannot tell the difference which is so nice for anyone with limitations due to an allergy). This recipe is one for the books!
These cookies are wonderful! I get asked to make these every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have used the original recipe though, not this updated one. Is 4 teaspoons of baking soda correct or a typo? I hate to mess with perfection, I think the original recipe is wonderful. I personally like to make the cookie dough,and using a small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and roll into sugar mixture. I refrigerate them in a container or Ziplock bag for an hour or over night, and then bake them well chilled. They don’t spread and stay nice and chewy.
So glad to see you changed it to a higher amount of cookies. I printed it months ago and my recipe says 28-32. I easily got 64. These were moderate one inch balls. They make beautiful cookies. Delicious as well!! Followed the recipe exactly. Used my kitchen aid and just kept mixing. Thanks for the recipe. Will use again!
Yes, we definitely made an error there! :) We’re so happy you love the cookies!
When baking mine, I take them out of the oven right at 8 minutes even when they still look wet. This makes them soft and chewy. Unless you want them harder, then bake for the full 10 minutes.
Can i possibly roll it in powdered sugar and out turn out just as good?
Hi Cassandra! We’ve never tried that, but you’re welcome to!
These are wonderful! Just wanted to add that cutting this down to a yield of one dozen requires the following measurements:
1/2 cups butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/6 cup molasses
2/3 eggs
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 teaspoons baking soda
2/3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2/3 teaspoons ground ginger
1/3 teaspoon ground cloves
1/3 teaspoon salt
And they come out just fine. :)
We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Chelsea, and thanks for sharing this! :)
Just made these, bought the baking soda new, they would be perfect in the oven but when I took them out of oven they slowly flattened. Is it possible to beat the dough too much?
Hi Donna! We’re sorry to hear this happened. :( Was your butter definitely at room temp? You can’t really cream the butter and sugar too long, but you don’t want to overmix the dough after you’ve added your eggs and dry ingredients. Either one of those two things could have contributed to them flattening. We hope they still tasted good!
I absolutely love ginger Molasses cookies and was thrilled when i found this recipe. The first time i made it, it came out perfectly!! This is also my neighbor’s fav cookie and he absolutely loved them! The recipe seems to be the perfect ratio of ingredients. The recipe is a crowd pleaser with our friends and family! Thank you so much for sharing it!!
Thank you for sharing with us, Rachel — we’re so happy these were a hit with folks! :)
I’ve been looking for a good recipe for Ginger Molasses Cookies, and this looks great! I’ve already made the dough and it’s cooling now. Tastes great, so far. There’s a lot of comments about cookies turning out flat, and one thing not mentioned so far is making sure the eggs are room temp before adding them. I’ve seen untrained bakers cream butter and sugar beautifully until it’s fluffy for several minutes, then turn it into a sorry mess with cold eggs straight from the fridge. Sugar crystals help beat air into the butter- keep it fluffy.
Thanks for pointing that out Tom, you’re exactly right — it’s crucial for the eggs to be room temp as well!
HELP!!! I put 2 tsp of ginger, should have been 1. What are my options?
Hi Kala! You might want to just go ahead and double the whole recipe then, otherwise these will be super gingery (but if you reeeeally love ginger, that might be okay)!
Can I use gluten-free flour for these cookies? Hope you respond quickly, I want to make these Wednesday. ?
Hi Jill — we haven’t experimented with a gluten-free version of these, but it’s worth a shot. If you try it, let us know how they turn out!
Hi,
I’ve tried this recipe a couple of times and the cookies drastically, dramatically spread out, like across-the-cookie-sheet-down-into-the-oven spread out. The butter was room temperature; the dough was ice cold; the eggs sat out on the kitchen table for hours. I even reduced the amount of butter crazily for the second round. Something isn’t right in the state of Denmark. Is this blog real? Are these positive commenters real? Are you a robot? Are you Fancy/Cozy Bear? WTF? How do you get top-google-hit-billing for such disastrous cookies? I’m an American human and this recipe didn’t work.
-Disappointed in Des Moines
It could be your butter’s fat content…I’ve never had these NOT turn out well, but I’m in Utah where the elevation is quite high?
If you’re willing to try again, maybe add a bit more flour?
I’ve had mine spread too much, and even my good batches aren’t just like the photos here (they’re thinner but soft and chewy) BUT they are a hit with everyone. Friends and relatives always ask me to bring them for holidays now.
I’ve made them enough that I tend to know when the dough is too thin, and then I just add a bit more flour and they turn out. Making them in two batches also ensures my second batch is perfect. They’re worth the trial and error!
These were just like the photo! Chewy goodness. Next time I will use less sugar in the dough.
We’re so happy you liked them, Renee!
Hi! So the first time I made hear they were amazing! They looked just like the photo and dark and gooey inside. Best cookie I have ever had. My husband loved them and requested them again. I made them again tonight and they were drastically different. They didn’t sink down, had the consistency of pumpkin pie now the middle, and all the bottoms burned black (had in oven only 8 min for both batches). Was trying to figure out what I did wrong. Any suggestions? Was thinking the eggs were beat too much or the butter too soft.
Hi Del! We’re sorry for just now getting to your comment. That’s so strange your experiences were so different! You do want to make sure the butter is softened to room temperature for this recipe. If it is too hard, or too melty, the creaming process won’t work its magic and you may have flatter cookies as a result. (Still tasty, but flatter!) Also, it is essential that the dough be thoroughly chilled with this recipe before baking. Otherwise, the dough will be soft and difficult to form into balls, and the cookies will flatten out significantly while baking. We hope this helps for next time!
I love your recipes Ali! Every, single recipe I’ve tried has been nothing short of delicious. To those having issues with spreading with these cookies, I have a tip. Not all butters are the same. I’ve made cookies for years and years (I’m not gonna date myself here, LOL) and I have found that while store brand butters taste doesn’t vary much the results with baking does. I did an experiment this past Christmas with several different cookies that called for butter, using four different butters. Each time the cookies made with store brand butters spread very thin while the brand name butters performed better and made beautiful cookies. If you’re having issues with your cookies, try a different butter and see if it helps. :)
Thanks for your sweet words, Starr, we’re so glad you enjoy the blog and the recipes you’ve made! And thank you so much for your tip on the butter, you raise a very good point! :)
We LOVE this recipe. We get rave reviews every time we make them. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Thank you, Natalie — we’re so glad to hear they’re a hit! :)
I was really excited to try these. I cut the recipe in half since I didn’t want so many cookies. I followed the instructions for the most part. I did not have an electric mixer to cream the sugar and butter so I did it by hand. The cookies turned out very much like cake and more puffy than the flat ones shown in the picture. Maybe I overbaked them? I had them in at 350 for exactly 10 minutes. Any advice to make these turn out just right?
Ive made these cookies quite a few times. Definitely a family favorite.
Thanks for sharing with us, Katelyn — we’re so happy you and your family love them!
there’s far too much butter and sugar in this.
half cup butter and three quarter cup sugar is ample otherwise it doesn’t work.
Hello Malou! We’ve tested this recipe a zillion times and have never found the cookies to have too much butter or sugar. They work out great for us every time! However, definitely feel free to use less if you prefer.
These are THE BEST molasses cookies I have ever made. They turn out exactly as stated and look just like the pictures on this blog. These are a family (and friend) favorite for sure. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you, Patricia, we’re so happy you and your friends and family love them! :D
I made them with gluten-free baking flour and they are awesome! I’m so tickled because gluten-free stuff can be hard to make.
That’s so cool, Jane! We’re so glad to hear they can be made gluten-free, and that you enjoyed them! :)
Hi! These look great and I plan to try making them soon. I read in the comments that the butter is supposed to be unsalted, but the recipe doesn’t specify that, so you may want to change that in the original recipe. :-) When I come back to these I want to make sure I remember not to do salted butter…
Do these cookies freeze well?
Yes, they do, we hope you enjoy!
These were PERFECT! NO I am not a robot…yes I am a REAL person and they were absolutely PERFECT! I posted pics to my Instagram and FB page. My son is so in love with me right now. And it makes a TON of cookies…I used a small ice cream scooper so they were all the exact same size. THANK YOU! I will be making these FOREVER
Thank you, Eva, we’re so glad you loved them! :D
this recipe is great. I made it for my family and friends and they absolutely loved it. you can substitute regular sugar for ungranulated cane sugar if you don’t want a sugar spike.
I totally agree rocky
Thanks for sharing, Rocky, we’re so happy they were a hit with folks! :)
Fabulously perfect!! Thank you!
You’re very welcome, we’re happy you enjoyed these!
Getting ready to make these again for my mom’s birthday: this year her 87th. They take her back to HER grandma’s cookies in the 1930’s. No fail recipe–really more delicious than I’d think a ginger cookie could be.
Is 4 t. of soda right? Just seems like a lot. Sounds delicious though.
Very good recipe for ginger cookies! I did find 375 degrees too hot, it browned them on the bottom a bit too much for my liking but my second batch at 350 degrees was perfect and no more than 10 mins and they looked just like the pictures. Oh and I only dipped the tops in the sugar since some people said they were pretty sweet. I used soft margarine and was a bit worried about the spreading issue but I did not flatten the dough after I put them on the cookie sheet and although they did flatten considerably in the oven they pretty much kept their shape but I left probably closer to 2 inches between cookies. Next time I may just try to put them back in fridge after scooping out on sheet as I’m sure this would help to keep the round shape better. Thank you so much for sharing, this one is a keeper!
Most delicious cookies ever! Thank you so much for posting your recipe. I love baking in the fall, even though the temperature here in California’s in the high 80’s. I’ve always liked ginger cookies, but this is the first time I’ve attempted them from scratch. I ate 7 cookies last night and one this morning with my coffee. Going to the gym now.
This is the recipe I’ve been looking for! The taste and texture is perfect. I did have a spreading problem on my first pan, but I was using parchment paper. I took the parchment off the next pan, and the cookies came out perfect! This recipe definitely needs to go directly on the pan.
I used to make these with my grandmother, she called them Lucky Pennies. I’ve misplaced the recipe card, so through searching I’ve found your recipe! They are fantastic and are just like my old recipe.
These are great for school bake sales (no nuts) and make great gifts too.
As a child we only got these cookies for St Patrick’s Day but I will make them for any reason now.
Thank you!
This recipe brought back wonderful memories of my grandmother – she made wonderful cookies like these. Great recipe and did follow the directions on chilling the dough which did make more yummy cookies.
Just delicious!! Super easy recipe..we put our dough in freezer to chill it faster..my 11 year can make these now!!! Yum
This recipe is amazing! Even though I’m not the best baker, these turned out beautifully. The best part? It’s so easy! I’m never buying store-bought again! Your little tips about the butter temperature and chilling the dough helped!
Not sure what Disappointed in Des Moines is talking about. I live in Kansas (almost the same elevation as Des Moines, just fyi). I think that one is user error!
Thank you! I have made these twice. And each time, they have been PERFECT. Posted my photo on Pinterest. I found it to be a very forgiving recipe. Everything is ta room temperature before I start and I chilled my dough overnight. I rolled mine in sugar before baking. Crispy on the outside, chewy in the center and absolutely redolent of Fall flavors. These always go FAST.
Great cookies. This is the second time I have made them. This time I increased the spices
I made this recipe into mini cookies and now have almost 100 delicious bites of heaven. Yum! Amazing recipe…. AMAZING!
I was given a very similar recipe from a friend’s mom. Her recipe calls for two teaspoons of vinegar. It’s great!
My friend also makes them with vegetable oil and they are great.. I can’t bring myself to use oil! I have also made them with crisco. They were perfect- a bit more crunchy. I would think if there is a problem, like the one negative comment, it might be the oven temp or adding baking powder instead of the soda.
I found these cookies to be soft and chewy and full of flavor. I am going to make several more batches for Christmas gifts. Thanks
Very easy to make.
On my 2nd batch I added some cut up candied ginger.
8 minutes worked for me. They were thin but did not spread out to much.
still chewy and yummy!!
These came out perfect! Buttery and spicy and soft. I froze the dough balls, rolled in sugar and then baked as directed.
Well, I must admit these are fabulous cookies. Very tastier but a little rich. I will definitely put this recipe in the special cookie recipe box.
Thank you so much, the absolute best molasses ginger cookies I’ve ever had. This recipe is definitely going in the recipe box ( I have the notecards too) .
I recently made this cookie for a cookie exchange and it was a big hit! They were delicious! After reading reviews, I was afraid they would spread excessively and placed they a few inches apart. They did not spread much though and came out beautifully., as in the above photos. This recipe is definitely a keeper and will be my go-to ginger cookie recipe.
I’ve made these cookies twice before with AMAZING results. My colleagues at work continually ask me to make them again, so I’m back here finding the recipe! :)
Is it possible to make-ahead the dough and freeze it for a couple days or does that noticeably reduce the outcome of the cookies? I have a holiday cookie exchange but due to my calendar would love to make the dough a few days beforehand and then just bake them the night before. If this is possible, how early should I take the dough out of the freezer to allow it to thaw enough to form individual cookies?
I love these cookies. Always turn out. Thank you for such a delicious recipe.
I let them sit in fridge for about 4 hours … also, added 1 tsp pepper after getting mixed up with another recipe, but they turned out GREAT!!
Just baked a batch and kept eating them. I had the brand name butter out at least 24 hrs, the dough in the fridge for over 2hrs,and but the dough back into the fridge between batches to roll or to bake. The last batch I thing was in the over for an extra minute which were the only puffy cookies. I’ll still be trying them again. yum,yum!…I also didn’t roll them in sugar_just dabbed one side. Made a few without extra sugar for my mom and still good.
I found this recipe last year and loved it so much I made them again this year. I made them with vegan (dairy free) butter replacement as my son has a dairy allergy and they are AMAZING (you honestly cannot tell the difference which is so nice for anyone with limitations due to an allergy). This recipe is one for the books!
These cookies are wonderful! I get asked to make these every Thanksgiving and Christmas. I have used the original recipe though, not this updated one. Is 4 teaspoons of baking soda correct or a typo? I hate to mess with perfection, I think the original recipe is wonderful. I personally like to make the cookie dough,and using a small cookie scoop, form dough into balls and roll into sugar mixture. I refrigerate them in a container or Ziplock bag for an hour or over night, and then bake them well chilled. They don’t spread and stay nice and chewy.
Hi, my cookies are turning out too cakey. I’m using white wheat flour…could this be the cause?