Gimme Some Oven

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are easy to make, super-soft and chewy, and irresistibly delicious.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

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 love these 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.
  • Molasses: I typically opt for “original” (versus dark) unsulphured molasses.
  • 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

How To Make Molasses Cookies:

To make these homemade molasses cookies, simply:

  1. Whisk together dry ingredients. Flour, soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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. :)
  5. Preheat oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and set aside.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Or freeze for up to 3 months.

Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe

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.

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe

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:

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.7 from 583 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 0 About 42-46 cookies 1x

Description

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*)
  • 1 cup granulated (white) sugar
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 1/2 cups (639 grams) all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda*
  • 1 tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or until the dough is completely chilled.
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper; set aside.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Serve warm and enjoy, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days.  Or freeze for up to 3 months.


Notes

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.

 

This recipe contains affiliate links.

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

1,410 comments on “Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies”

  1. DELICIOUS!
    I was in a hurry, (as usual..) and with my first tray I decided to disregard the ‘1 inch balls 1 inch apart’ instruction. What became of my 2 inch balls 1 inch apart was a cookie that covered the whole baking tray.. haha! But when i slid the 10 x 18 ‘cookie’ off on it’s parchment paper to a cooling rack i got to sample some of the pieces that broke off and instantly did not regret my impatient mistake. Of course the rest of the cookies I formed and spaced with a little more care and they turned out lovely. Absolutely delicious!

    • Thanks Kate, we’re glad you liked these! Also, a giant cookie sounds like a happy accident! :)

  2. These are now my go to cookie! Chewy and delicious! We’ve made them twice, and I had to drop in to leave you a note, letting you know how much we love them :)) Thx!!!

  3. I made these and they keep falling! :-(  but they still taste amazing!!! 

    • We’re glad you like the way they taste Angela, but we aren’t sure what you mean bout them falling?

  4. I retract my last post. These are awesome. Tried it again and they came out amazingly. Thank you for this piece of heaven! 

  5. As an alternative to molasses (in case anyone really doesn’t like the taste, like me), try substituting sorghum. It’s essentially the same molasses texture, and provides the same function, just at a less molasses-y taste. It’s a bit sweeter, but truly amazing! Gluten-free and made from a type of grass. My grandma’s molasses cookie recipe SWEARS by sorghum.

    You’re welcome, world.

  6. I have always known these as Gingersnaps (leave in oven a couple more min and let cool for a crisper cookie). I have loved these cookies since I was little. We always made them for Christmas, instead of gingerbread. 

    • Thanks for sharing Lissa! If you love ginger we think you’ll enjoy these, they’ve got such a nice, chewy texture (definitely not crisp/crunchy like the gingersnaps, but still delicious in their own right)! :)

  7. Can you freeze the dough? I like to make my Christmas cookies ahead of time and put them in the freezer until it gets closer to to the holidays. it saves me a lot of time. Please let me know if that is recommended. thanks. You can email me. :)

  8. I made these today, they are awesome! I’ve never made these kind of cookies and I love them, so do my parents, neighbors and kids. This is definitely a recipe I’m keeping. I’m shocked how many it made, I got almost 80 cookies.

    • That’s awesome Shelly, we’re happy to hear you and your loved ones enjoyed these! :) And wow, 80 cookies, that’s impressive! :)

  9. I have tried many Molasses cookie recipes .. these are the best by FAR!!  Thank you so much .. you’ve made me very popular!

  10. These cookies are perfect! I made them yesterday afternoon and was super pleased with the results. Chewy, flavorful, and needless to say addictive. My boyfriend even liked them and he’s not normally a fan of ginger cookies. The only thing I will say is that I baked mine for only 7 minuets instead of 8 to 10 because I like a softer texture. 

  11. I made these and they were crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle. Almost like a ginger snap, underdone in the middle. Any thoughts as to why they weren’t soft?

  12. What have I done wrong? I’m usually a pretty good baker, I’ve never had this happen before! The cookies come out sad, chewy puddles. Any fluff they might have gained in the oven sags away. They spread way too far. On the other hand, they taste really good, and I’m still happy to eat my wafer cookies, but I also really want to understand what happened so I can not do it again in the future. Any ideas? Thanks!

  13. Just made these and they are AH-MAZING and sooooo easy! These will be a staple every fall now! Thanks for the great recipe!

  14. Did you maybe use shortening for your photographed cookies instead of butter? Because that would explain the lofty vs flat cookie.  

  15. sorry, just one more thing!  I used blackstrap unsulphured molasses and my cookies look like dark chocolate.  If you are shopping and not just using what’s on hand, maybe opt for just molasses, and not blackstrap molasses, to give it the color of the photographs. 

  16. Taste ok, but turned out flatter than a pancake.  3/8 of an inch to be exact.  NOT AT ALL LIKE THE PICTURE.  If you are going for looks, DONT MAKE THESE!!!!!!!  I am a very experienced baker; and I followed instructions to a “T”.  Embarrassed as I had company and these were the only sweets I had enough time to make, thus had to serve.

  17. Hmmm….the recipe turned out a tasty cookie but not as expected.  Firstly I followed the recipe to the letter but my dough was far too sticky to roll into a ball straight from the kitchen aid.  I worked around this by freezing the dough a bit so it was easier to roll.  The other thing was that mine didn’t crack…at all :( and not really chewy either.  Mine came out like a spiced sugar cookie and less like the chewy molasses cookie I was expecting.

  18. These cookies taste great, but are so flat! They are plump in oven but flatten out entirely while cooling. They are also not cracking the way you described. I used all of the ingredients and measurements listed in the recipe, but how can I make them not be so flat? Thanks!

  19. These cookies looked so good, and the cookie batter was excellent! Like several others, my cookies also fell: they came out of the oven nice and slightly puffy, and then their precious cookie souls left their bodies and they became depressing ginger-molasses crackers. They never came close to having the nice, cracked top, either. I don’t know why, especially as I followed the recipe exactly and double-checked the temperature of my oven. I even chilled the cookie dough before baking. Such a disappointment for cookies that look so delicious.

  20. Thank you so much for the recipe. They came out great. Soo good, flavor was amazing!

  21. I made these today, but added crystallized ginger (chopped) and rolled them in turbinado sugar. I also flattened them slightly and chilled them before baking them- fabulous!

  22. Sandra, we’re glad these worked out for you despite our horrible error before! Thanks for your sweet words, we’re really happy you enjoy these! :)

  23. Can I use same recipe, but instead of rolling balls use biscuit cutters ? Also, the 375 degrees…is it Fahrenheit or celius ?

    • Hi Mariam, biscuit cutters should work just fine, and it’s 375F. We hope you enjoy these! :)

  24. Cookies turned out amazing!! I was wondering if you can substitute the butter or cut down the amount for a healthier alternative thanks!

    • Thanks Nicole, we’re happy you liked them! We haven’t tried substituting the butter, but you could always try experimenting with coconut oil (melted and cooled slightly), or Earth Balance (vegan butter)!

  25. I made these tonight, and they are the best molasses cookies I’ve ever had (aside from my grandmother’s ?)!  Baked an additional 3 min and left on cookie sheet 1 min. They were awesome! Exactly like your picture, too!  Ended up with 3 1/2 dozen delicious, soft and chewy cookies. Thanks so much for a GREAT recipe!

  26. Great recipe, works very well although I used 1/2 regular sugar and 1/2 brown sugar for a deeper flavour.

  27. I made these yesterday and then ate six of them!!! Seriously so good! I had to bring them into work so I wouldn’t eat all of them. Highly recommend!!!

  28. Delicious.  Soft and chewy on the inside and sugary and crunchy on the outside.  Exactly what I was hoping for.  I only made 1/2 the recipe and it turned out perfectly.  The recipe made about 40 cookies.   Thank for the great recipes on here I’ve tried a few but this is the first one I’ve commented on.  They were just too yummy not to let others know!

  29. I love these cookies! I refrigerated them over night after I balled and sugared them. They look amazing and are just the perfect size. I’ll be using these for my Christmas Cookie Exchange. Thanks for the recipe!

  30. Best recipe ever! Thanks for sharing. They turn out perfect and delicious every time! I always get more then two trays! :)

  31. This might be silly but did you measure the molasses with a dry or liquid measuring cup? Does it matter? Sorry. 

    • Not a silly question at all! We use a liquid measuring cup, but a dry cup shouldn’t make much of a difference in this case. We hope you like these! :)

  32. Can they be frozen once they’re baked?

  33. I am attempting to make these cookies for the first time. I am a very good cook and can’t figure out why my batter is so sticky. No way can I roll them into balls. I ended up adding another cup of flour and still have the same result. Any advice

    • Hmmm, we’re really not sure Cheryl, as these shouldn’t be that sticky, and you shouldn’t have to add an extra cup of flour. Chilling the dough next time should help, but we still can’t figure out why they were so sticky – that’s never happened to us before. :(

  34. Made these tonight. Were a huge hit! The kids and I love them. So easy, and simply delicious and perfect! Thank you for the recipe!

  35. really nice recipe we baked nearly 100  cookies and we definitely make some more for Christmas :)

    thank you lots xxx 

  36. Wow, these were great. Just the way I love cookies, chewy in the center. I made a half batch and it made plenty. Thanks for the awesome recipe!

  37. Amazing! Topped each one with a piece of candied ginger and they sure didn’t last long. Will absolutely be making again!

  38. These cookies are good, I decided to try the recipe for a bake exchange. They are good but I find them too crispy on top. I like a little less crispy. I only baked them for 6.5 minutes and they are good. I know what you mean by falling Angela, but the cookies are supposed to fall once they crack and come out of the oven.

  39. I love it!

    Thanks!

  40. I made this cookie for thanksgiving and my children loved it. It did taste good but I felt like there was something missing. It just needed a little more kick.   Not sure if it’s vanilla or more molasses but something was missing.

    • We’re sorry you didn’t care for these as much Alun. If you’re feeling like something’s missing, definitely feel free to add more spices. We wouldn’t recommend adding more molasses though, as there is already a good amount in the recipe, and adding more might make the dough way too sticky and hard to work with. We hope this helps. You could also use brown sugar instead of white sugar, to give the cookies more of a richer, golden, molasses flavor. We hope all of this helps!

  41. I will also add that my dough turned out extremely sticky as well. I’ve made Ginger Molasses cookies for decades and have never encountered this before. I refrained from adding more flour and am trying chilling the dough instead, I’m *hoping* that will do the trick… I’m a little nervous about how they will turn out. I compared your recipe to several others I have and my current favourite recipe does have 1/2 cup more flour.

    • Hi Simone – this is definitely a stickier dough, but chilling the dough totally helps make it more workable. How did these turn out for you?

  42. Definitely an amazing recipe! The portion of dough makes 4 dozen+.. So next time I will cut the recipe in half 

  43. Hi Susan, we apologize for this – there was some miscommunication on correcting this typo. It has been edited now to reflect the right amount. Thanks for the head’s up, and we hope you enjoy these if you get the chance to make them!

  44. Hi,

    thanks for sharing! Just a question, if I wanted to cut the sugar to half (from one cup instead of two), how badly would those cookies come out? I always cut things out from recipes and then no one ever wants to eat my stuff .. lol Or any suggestions on what I can sub it for (but not splenda stuff-no artificial stuff).. thanks!!

    • Hi Michelle! Hmmmm, we haven’t tried that, and while we definitely think you could add less sugar, we think scaling back that much would be too iffy. It would likely have a huge impact on the texture and the taste. Instead, you might try 1 cup of light brown or dark brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of muscovado sugar, which is unrefined. We hope this helps!

  45. I am a bit confused as to how these proportions equal only 28-32 cookies. I haven’t baked them yet, so it’s entirely possible they end up too small, but I just rolled 70 dough balls (larger than the suggested inch, too) in sugar to freeze until later baking.

    The dough is delicious, though! Exactly the taste I was looking forward to. I can’t wait to bake these up for company!

  46. Do these freeze well? I can’t wait to make them!

  47. Cookies look great.  Can they be frozen?

  48. What a great recipe! I just made these and the first batch came out flat but as I continued to make them they came out puffy and perfect! I made quarter-sized balls and put them in the oven for 9 minutes. This recipe made about 72 cookies! Also, I substituted nutmeg for cloves and they tasted just fine. Love these cookies and so does my family. Thanks!!! 

    • Thanks Maite, we’re so glad you and your family enjoyed these – thanks for sharing! :D

  49. Thank you so much for this recipe!! We had family stay with us this weekend, and they were a huge hit with everyone! My 8 year old cousin snuck in 5 cookies before my aunt had to cut him off! This will definitely be a new family favorite for the Christmas season :)

  50. I followed the recipe but added crystallized ginger that I cut up into it. I love ginger and the chewy bits added something extra special…I also rolled them in a coarser natural sugar. Perfect recipe. ..thank you so much for sharing!