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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.
Can you make the dough ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for a few days before baking the cookies? Rather then the freezer
Ashley —
I leave mine for 24 hours in the fridge and they are always fine. Make the dough the night before and bake the next night. I have never done longer then that but I can imagine the dough would be fine in the fridge for a couple days!
Cristal —
I saved dough in the fridge up to 4 days with no problem, but I would say 2-3 days max for best quality.
If I could give it more stars I would. One of the BEST cookies EVER! Let them sit in the refrigerator over night and couldn’t wait to bake them. I must admit they were a delicious breakfast appetizer. A must make.
I used a small cookie scoop and actually made 66 cookies!!
Lynn —
I got about 35 when I made them
Lily —
I made a half recipe and got 24 decent-sized (and delicious) cookies, so yes.
Dawn —
Yes it’s a huge batch, no need to double
Mackenzie Vander Eyken —
Definitely need to cook much longer than 10 minutes, cooked all my cookies for 10 minutes until it started to crinkle and they are all still raw in the middle.. now I have to try to rebake them after already being out of the oven for an hour.. taste good tho, needs a bit more spice but otherwise good
Joan —
I made into 1 inch balls and this recipe made easily 7 or 8 dozen cookies
I added more ginger, and some nutmeg to the flour. I topped them off with a sugar-lime glaze to give them a limy taste!
Lauren t. —
The doh is sticky molasses and really grabs the sugar coating well. The cookies are so fragrant. They are delicious chewy inside with a pop of spice sweet and a hint of salt.
I make these every year and have never had a problem. certainly not greasy. I do double the spices though but that’s just my preference.
Ashley —
Something must have gone wrong! I have made these many many times since finding the recipe and have never had them go greasy. I double the finger and add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon to make them more spicy to our taste, but the base recipe itself is delicious as well.
These cookies are absolutely delicious! They became an instant Christmas tradition for our family. This is the 3rd year straight and they are everyone’s favorite. They make so many we decided to just bake half of the dough now and half right before Christmas to spread out the joy.
Excellent recipe!
Makes a lot more than it stated. I got double the amount…more like 80 cookies!
I substituted ginger powder with 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger. I also used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice for the spices. The molasses smell is not appealing, but after baking the smell and taste is incredible! I also opted to finish with a small sprinkle of white sugar on top while cooling. Ended up freezing the second half of the dough as the first half made 40 cookies!
Have a question….. I accidentally used SALTED butter instead of unsalted just finished batter have put it in refrigerator for overnight plan on baking in morning but am afraid they may taste salty?????? Recipe calls for 1 teaspoon salt which I also put in !!!!!! Soooo upset with myself making to take to cookie exchange at church tomorrow Any suggestions ?????
H —
I thought about the same thing. I looked at the sodium content on a single stick of butter. Which is one quarter of the package, 1 lb package that is. Using salted butter basically equals the same as using unsalted and then adding the salt. 😉
These are delicious!! Problem is you have 350 for oven in written, then in your video you say 375??? Big difference. I tried both ways to see. Should correct it. So which is it?
Maddie —
I would love to know the same thing! I followed the recipe instructions and the cookies came out fluffier and less spread than I prefer aesthetically. Would you suggest less chill time/bigger cookies? I also wonder about if the temperature would make a big difference.
These cookies are to die for. I forgot to roll them in sugar and the were still so good! I also used kosher salt instead of table salt. Can you freeze the dough instead of refrigerating??? Maybe roll into balls after chilling and then freeze? HELP
kristin royal —
I have frozen half the dough before and cooked at a later date. No problem.
I’ve tried a number of ginger molasses cookie recipes and this one turned out the best for me. I left them in the fridge for 4 days because I didn’t have time to bake them sooner and they were great. I rolled the dough into 1.5 – 2 in. balls, did not roll them in sugar (I don’t like it), pressed them down slightly with a fork (like peanut butter cookies) and baked for 10.5 minutes at 375 degrees (I think my oven runs a little cold). I banged them on the countertop when I took them out and let them cool on the pan for 5 – 10 min. They were crackly on top and so perfectly soft and chewy. Good flavor too. When I rolled them in 1 in. balls, they didn’t have the crackle on top. They were just round and puffy. I did one batch without pressing down on the top and those turned out fine too but were a little more rounded and I left them in the oven for a minute or two longer because the insides were still raw. These cookies stay soft for days and we can’t stop eating them!
Love these cookies! For the last several years, this recipe has been one of my go to recipes for holiday baking. My son always requests a second batch, so usually I will make the dough, skipping the sugar roll, and freeze so my family can have warm fresh baked cookies when they want them. Just thaw, roll in sugar and bake as directed. Thank you! It truly is one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.
Just had to tell you that I have been making this recipe for years and absolutely love it! Even last year when I was a couple weeks postpartum, I still made them. They are the perfect cookie! This year I’m going to try adding crystallized ginger.
Came out wonderfully, surprisingly the 4tsp of baking soda didn’t leave a bitter after taste to the cookies. I added nutmeg and extra ginger because I found the original measurements didn’t add enough flavour for me. I’ve been making these cookies almost every Christmas for a few years now and they turn out perfect every time .
I absolutely love this recipe and have been making it for years. However, there is one big discrepancy that always gets me and yields varying results for the cookies, so I’m wondering if I could get clarification on it.
The flour is listed at 4 1/2 C but the metric is listed at 639g
I just don’t understand this. The standard weight of 1 C of flour is 120g. However, when I use the volume measurement but weigh it out using this standard ( for a total of 540g, almost 100g less than listed) they are way too thin. However, when I use the listed metric measurement of 639g, the cookies are way too cakey.
I love this recipe and keep coming back to it, but please can I get some insight. I have never heard of anyone consider 1 C of flour to weigh 140g
I make these every single year and always have people asking me to make them some. They are seriously THEE best. I had a batch prepared right before I went into labor so I snacked on them throughout our hospital stay haha. Thank you!
Definitely does not turn out like the pic. Smaller and more golden brown. Followed the recipe to a tee. Still good but looking for a flatter cookie with chew
Molly —
She changed the recipe. The old recipe uses only 4 cups of flour and two cups of granulated sugar instead of one cup each of granulated and brown. She also tripled the amount of ginger with the original recipe only calling for 1tsp. The old recipe had you baking the cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Those cookies looked like the picture and were better, in my opinion.
I printed this recipe in 2016. It called for 4 cups of flour and to bake at 375. I’ve never had trouble with the recipe until this year, and boy did it flop! So I came back to this site and see that now the recipe calls for 4-1/2 cups flour and to bake at 350. I threw away the first batch because I thought I had messed it up but had the same results the second time. I will try again next year with the changes made to the recipe.
The cookies are really good but there is a slight after taste of baking soda. Also it so hard to tell if they are done because they are already brown. There is a fine balance between over cooking and under cooking.
All in all a great flavor and chewy!
I make these cookies every year, for years. They are my favorite, and my family loves them so much I have to make 2 batches every Christmas.
Questions tho. They are very consistent, airways perfectly uniform, but they never look as dark as yours, and they don’t Crack as much as yours. Why could this be?
Also in your directions and in your video there is no brown sugar, but in the recipe there is. You say to cream to a light yellow which means it would need to be without the brown sugar but it’s never Mentioned later, at Wray point so you add the brown sugar? I’ve been adding in the creaming process and they rotten out great but I’m still curious.
These are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie of all time! I have made these every year for the past 5 years. They are always a hit and yield such a large batch which is great.
Love this recipe! I dont roll the cookies in sugar. I use a #40 scoop for these and one batch came out to 54 cookies. I typically make the dough the day before and scoop them. Then its easy enough to just pop them in the oven. Tastes like Christmas!
These are SPECTACULAR! My favorite holiday cookie to make and eat. The recipe may seem a bit intimidating, but they are really not that complicated to make. The ingredients come together so well. Chill for a couple of hours and use a cookie scoop and BAM you have perfect soft baked molasses cookies. I rolled some in sugar this year but the sugar got lost, so the rest I sprinkled sugar on top as soon as I pulled them from the oven. They all taste equally perfect (of course you have to taste test every batch, right?) and this is a staple in my holiday baking retinue.
Sandra —
Hi Brandi
Did u use both white and brown sugar on your dough? If yes when you add the brown sugar? Thanks.
I made these yesterday..They are so tasty and bring back memories of gingerbread men as a child..They were so easy, but so good..I’ll be making these more often..A great change from the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies i usually make..love the spices and added 1/2 teas nutmeg as well..
These are fabulous! I coated mine in powered sugar and even though it melted into them somewhat, they were delicious. All gone in one day. I’m making more right now for Christmas weekend. Thank you for this recipe. It is now officially a new holiday staple.
Hello! I discovered this recipe last year (or maybe the year before) and have received RAVE reviews! This year, however… I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, but my cookies have come out flat. They taste good, but look terrible. I thought maybe I forgot that 1/2 cup flour and dumped the first dough and started over, making sure I used 4.5 cups of flour. Got the 4 tsp of baking soda as well. Still on the flat side. What could I be doing wrong?? Thank you!!
rox —
Test your baking powder. If you Baking Powder is too old it does not puff up in your recipe
put 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a small bowl
Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water on it.
Watch. If it does not foam and bubble up your Baking Powder is shot, buy a new can.
I ran my test right before mixing the ingredients and my baking powder was shot and i had ot send my husband to the store for new Baking Powder.
Mine did not come out at all like the picture. Mine had a high dome and were almost like cake inside. I am guessing to much good fresh baking powder is why. Aldo I question baking at 350, I read in comments she has in the video 375. Mine did not spread much and instead rose like a loaf of bread, they also were not dark brown, but golden brown. They are still good I will eat them. I froze the leftover dough in balls. Wen I bake these I will bring to room temperature and smash the balls down a bit with a fork and see if that helps them spread instead of rising like a cake.
I feel like I have to leave a comment based on how many times I’ve made this cookie. I think I have been making them for the past 3 years. I always get compliments when I make them and they are the only cookie I know will turn out great every time. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I wish I knew how everyone else had such great results. They came out paper thin and chewy, which made them taste stale. Lots of grease on the parchment paper. I ended up intentionally baking them to melt into the pan so I could just cut them and hope for some depth. I followed directions to a T, and also chilled overnight. I’m a pretty great baker. I was disappointed, since this was one of two cookie recipes I selected to make for Christmas.
I’m a big fan of grams to weigh flour but the amount suggested it too high. 1 cup of AP flour is 120 gram which means that for 4.5 cups of AP flour that amount should be 540 grams – not 639 grams as listed above. My first batch came out way too dense. Just that minor change and you’re good to go – great cookies!
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! The mix of spices was perfect, exactly the flavour I was hoping for. Like some other commenters, I found the cookies to be a tiny bit underdone after 10 min at 350, so I ended up doing 12-13 min. I also found lightly pressing the balls down with the back of a spoon got them to crack more when baking!
HOLY GUACAMOLY!! GET THESE COOKIES AWAY FROM ME!! almost ate them all in one night. To my surprise these were easier to whip up than i thought and thankfully this recipe makes a lot of cookies. One thing i’ll say is not to freeze the extra dough just keep it in the fridge. #yummyinmytummy
I made the dough it was dry I’m not sure what I did wrong but I have never made these before so I’m going to try again but if you could give me some advice that would be great
These cookies are my favorite and always a hit with our whole family during the holidays. I had never made molasses cookies before. The recipe is super easy to follow and turned out perfect my very first time. The only change I made after following the recipe for awhile, is I roll the dough into balls before chilling. My cookies seem to be more uniform if they’re baked while chilled. They tend to warm in my hands the further along I go and don’t turn out all the same. Anyway, this is a fantastic recipe! I highly recommend it to anyone!
Great cookies! I made half a batch and it made 45 for me – I could have gotten more if I’d made all about 1 inch balls. I made some about 1.5 inches, based on some comments that the larger cookies turned out better. FWIW, I skimped just a little on the baking soda (some commenters had a metallic taste with the entire amount) but not much. I also increased the spices some. The dough does get very heavy, I ended up having to use our immersion blender to get it all mixed (I only have a hand mixer that’s not very heavy duty). I baked them about halfway between 350 and 375 for 13 minutes and that worked just fine. They’re a little thinner than I’d like but still chewy. Next time I’ll up the spices even more and maybe try some crystallized ginger. I tried flattening the first tray I baked but they didn’t crack at all, so the rest I just rolled and put on the sheet, and even the smaller ones cracked at least some. And the flavor is wonderful!
Best cookies I have ever had! Was looking for a good ginger and molasses recipe and this one was better than any I have ever had. Crispy on the outside and chewy inside and stay that way next day.
Full of flavor thar melts in your mouth. The whole family loves them and easy enough for my 6 yr old to make with me!
These cookies didn’t spread and I could hardly taste the ginger (just a lot of sugar). And they were not chewy—they cooled into hard balls. I’m sure I followed the instructions precisely. I can’t imagine what I did so wrong to yield such unpleasant results.
Can you make the dough ahead of time and leave it in the fridge for a few days before baking the cookies? Rather then the freezer
I leave mine for 24 hours in the fridge and they are always fine. Make the dough the night before and bake the next night. I have never done longer then that but I can imagine the dough would be fine in the fridge for a couple days!
I saved dough in the fridge up to 4 days with no problem, but I would say 2-3 days max for best quality.
Delicious and easy to make. I love their taste. Just spicy enough.
If I could give it more stars I would. One of the BEST cookies EVER! Let them sit in the refrigerator over night and couldn’t wait to bake them. I must admit they were a delicious breakfast appetizer. A must make.
5 stars amazing perfect cookie every time
Hello! Does this really yield 42-46 cookies?
Easily double, maybe triple that!
I used a small cookie scoop and actually made 66 cookies!!
I got about 35 when I made them
I made a half recipe and got 24 decent-sized (and delicious) cookies, so yes.
Yes it’s a huge batch, no need to double
Definitely need to cook much longer than 10 minutes, cooked all my cookies for 10 minutes until it started to crinkle and they are all still raw in the middle.. now I have to try to rebake them after already being out of the oven for an hour.. taste good tho, needs a bit more spice but otherwise good
I made into 1 inch balls and this recipe made easily 7 or 8 dozen cookies
Amazing cookies!
I added more ginger, and some nutmeg to the flour. I topped them off with a sugar-lime glaze to give them a limy taste!
The doh is sticky molasses and really grabs the sugar coating well. The cookies are so fragrant. They are delicious chewy inside with a pop of spice sweet and a hint of salt.
How do you make the frosting ?
Zero taste. Just greasy. Very disappointed.
I am sorry but you must have made them wrong.
I make these every year and have never had a problem. certainly not greasy. I do double the spices though but that’s just my preference.
Something must have gone wrong! I have made these many many times since finding the recipe and have never had them go greasy. I double the finger and add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon to make them more spicy to our taste, but the base recipe itself is delicious as well.
Sandra R Did you read the reviews
Good flavor, but really greasy.
Can these be made with gluten free flour?
These cookies are absolutely delicious! They became an instant Christmas tradition for our family. This is the 3rd year straight and they are everyone’s favorite. They make so many we decided to just bake half of the dough now and half right before Christmas to spread out the joy.
Excellent recipe!
Makes a lot more than it stated. I got double the amount…more like 80 cookies!
I substituted ginger powder with 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger. I also used Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Pie Spice for the spices. The molasses smell is not appealing, but after baking the smell and taste is incredible! I also opted to finish with a small sprinkle of white sugar on top while cooling. Ended up freezing the second half of the dough as the first half made 40 cookies!
Have a question….. I accidentally used SALTED butter instead of unsalted just finished batter have put it in refrigerator for overnight plan on baking in morning but am afraid they may taste salty?????? Recipe calls for 1 teaspoon salt which I also put in !!!!!! Soooo upset with myself making to take to cookie exchange at church tomorrow Any suggestions ?????
I thought about the same thing. I looked at the sodium content on a single stick of butter. Which is one quarter of the package, 1 lb package that is. Using salted butter basically equals the same as using unsalted and then adding the salt. 😉
These are delicious!! Problem is you have 350 for oven in written, then in your video you say 375??? Big difference. I tried both ways to see. Should correct it. So which is it?
I would love to know the same thing! I followed the recipe instructions and the cookies came out fluffier and less spread than I prefer aesthetically. Would you suggest less chill time/bigger cookies? I also wonder about if the temperature would make a big difference.
These cookies are to die for. I forgot to roll them in sugar and the were still so good! I also used kosher salt instead of table salt. Can you freeze the dough instead of refrigerating??? Maybe roll into balls after chilling and then freeze? HELP
I have frozen half the dough before and cooked at a later date. No problem.
I’ve tried a number of ginger molasses cookie recipes and this one turned out the best for me. I left them in the fridge for 4 days because I didn’t have time to bake them sooner and they were great. I rolled the dough into 1.5 – 2 in. balls, did not roll them in sugar (I don’t like it), pressed them down slightly with a fork (like peanut butter cookies) and baked for 10.5 minutes at 375 degrees (I think my oven runs a little cold). I banged them on the countertop when I took them out and let them cool on the pan for 5 – 10 min. They were crackly on top and so perfectly soft and chewy. Good flavor too. When I rolled them in 1 in. balls, they didn’t have the crackle on top. They were just round and puffy. I did one batch without pressing down on the top and those turned out fine too but were a little more rounded and I left them in the oven for a minute or two longer because the insides were still raw. These cookies stay soft for days and we can’t stop eating them!
Love these cookies! For the last several years, this recipe has been one of my go to recipes for holiday baking. My son always requests a second batch, so usually I will make the dough, skipping the sugar roll, and freeze so my family can have warm fresh baked cookies when they want them. Just thaw, roll in sugar and bake as directed. Thank you! It truly is one of the best cookies I’ve ever had.
Just had to tell you that I have been making this recipe for years and absolutely love it! Even last year when I was a couple weeks postpartum, I still made them. They are the perfect cookie! This year I’m going to try adding crystallized ginger.
Came out wonderfully, surprisingly the 4tsp of baking soda didn’t leave a bitter after taste to the cookies. I added nutmeg and extra ginger because I found the original measurements didn’t add enough flavour for me. I’ve been making these cookies almost every Christmas for a few years now and they turn out perfect every time .
Everyone loves this cookie. If you don’t want the hassle of a typical gingerbread cookie, this is the recipe.
I absolutely love this recipe and have been making it for years. However, there is one big discrepancy that always gets me and yields varying results for the cookies, so I’m wondering if I could get clarification on it.
The flour is listed at 4 1/2 C but the metric is listed at 639g
I just don’t understand this. The standard weight of 1 C of flour is 120g. However, when I use the volume measurement but weigh it out using this standard ( for a total of 540g, almost 100g less than listed) they are way too thin. However, when I use the listed metric measurement of 639g, the cookies are way too cakey.
I love this recipe and keep coming back to it, but please can I get some insight. I have never heard of anyone consider 1 C of flour to weigh 140g
I make these every single year and always have people asking me to make them some. They are seriously THEE best. I had a batch prepared right before I went into labor so I snacked on them throughout our hospital stay haha. Thank you!
Definitely does not turn out like the pic. Smaller and more golden brown. Followed the recipe to a tee. Still good but looking for a flatter cookie with chew
She changed the recipe. The old recipe uses only 4 cups of flour and two cups of granulated sugar instead of one cup each of granulated and brown. She also tripled the amount of ginger with the original recipe only calling for 1tsp. The old recipe had you baking the cookies at 375 for 8-10 minutes. Those cookies looked like the picture and were better, in my opinion.
These cookies are amazing! My mom and I have made them a number of times and they’re always the favorite.
I printed this recipe in 2016. It called for 4 cups of flour and to bake at 375. I’ve never had trouble with the recipe until this year, and boy did it flop! So I came back to this site and see that now the recipe calls for 4-1/2 cups flour and to bake at 350. I threw away the first batch because I thought I had messed it up but had the same results the second time. I will try again next year with the changes made to the recipe.
The cookies are really good but there is a slight after taste of baking soda. Also it so hard to tell if they are done because they are already brown. There is a fine balance between over cooking and under cooking.
All in all a great flavor and chewy!
Add fresh ginger and you’ll never go back!!
I make these cookies every year, for years. They are my favorite, and my family loves them so much I have to make 2 batches every Christmas.
Questions tho. They are very consistent, airways perfectly uniform, but they never look as dark as yours, and they don’t Crack as much as yours. Why could this be?
Also in your directions and in your video there is no brown sugar, but in the recipe there is. You say to cream to a light yellow which means it would need to be without the brown sugar but it’s never Mentioned later, at Wray point so you add the brown sugar? I’ve been adding in the creaming process and they rotten out great but I’m still curious.
Your instructions say bake at 350, but the video says 375, can you confirm which it is? Thanks
These are my absolute favorite Christmas cookie of all time! I have made these every year for the past 5 years. They are always a hit and yield such a large batch which is great.
These cookies are both easy and amazing. So chewy and delicious. Will be adding to the holiday lineup from now on!
Love this recipe! I dont roll the cookies in sugar. I use a #40 scoop for these and one batch came out to 54 cookies. I typically make the dough the day before and scoop them. Then its easy enough to just pop them in the oven. Tastes like Christmas!
Can you add chocolate chips to these cookies?
I’m terrible at baking cookies but these are a fool proof for me. always a hit. they’re the only consistently fantastic cookie i can bake! haha
These are SPECTACULAR! My favorite holiday cookie to make and eat. The recipe may seem a bit intimidating, but they are really not that complicated to make. The ingredients come together so well. Chill for a couple of hours and use a cookie scoop and BAM you have perfect soft baked molasses cookies. I rolled some in sugar this year but the sugar got lost, so the rest I sprinkled sugar on top as soon as I pulled them from the oven. They all taste equally perfect (of course you have to taste test every batch, right?) and this is a staple in my holiday baking retinue.
Hi Brandi
Did u use both white and brown sugar on your dough? If yes when you add the brown sugar? Thanks.
This recipe is absolutely wonderful!
How should we adjust the recipe if we want to double the size of each cookie?
I made these yesterday..They are so tasty and bring back memories of gingerbread men as a child..They were so easy, but so good..I’ll be making these more often..A great change from the peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies i usually make..love the spices and added 1/2 teas nutmeg as well..
These are fabulous! I coated mine in powered sugar and even though it melted into them somewhat, they were delicious. All gone in one day. I’m making more right now for Christmas weekend. Thank you for this recipe. It is now officially a new holiday staple.
Hello! I discovered this recipe last year (or maybe the year before) and have received RAVE reviews! This year, however… I don’t know what I’ve done wrong, but my cookies have come out flat. They taste good, but look terrible. I thought maybe I forgot that 1/2 cup flour and dumped the first dough and started over, making sure I used 4.5 cups of flour. Got the 4 tsp of baking soda as well. Still on the flat side. What could I be doing wrong?? Thank you!!
Test your baking powder. If you Baking Powder is too old it does not puff up in your recipe
put 1/2 teaspoon baking powder in a small bowl
Pour 1/4 cup of boiling water on it.
Watch. If it does not foam and bubble up your Baking Powder is shot, buy a new can.
I ran my test right before mixing the ingredients and my baking powder was shot and i had ot send my husband to the store for new Baking Powder.
Mine did not come out at all like the picture. Mine had a high dome and were almost like cake inside. I am guessing to much good fresh baking powder is why. Aldo I question baking at 350, I read in comments she has in the video 375. Mine did not spread much and instead rose like a loaf of bread, they also were not dark brown, but golden brown. They are still good I will eat them. I froze the leftover dough in balls. Wen I bake these I will bring to room temperature and smash the balls down a bit with a fork and see if that helps them spread instead of rising like a cake.
I feel like I have to leave a comment based on how many times I’ve made this cookie. I think I have been making them for the past 3 years. I always get compliments when I make them and they are the only cookie I know will turn out great every time. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
I wish I knew how everyone else had such great results. They came out paper thin and chewy, which made them taste stale. Lots of grease on the parchment paper. I ended up intentionally baking them to melt into the pan so I could just cut them and hope for some depth. I followed directions to a T, and also chilled overnight. I’m a pretty great baker. I was disappointed, since this was one of two cookie recipes I selected to make for Christmas.
I’m a big fan of grams to weigh flour but the amount suggested it too high. 1 cup of AP flour is 120 gram which means that for 4.5 cups of AP flour that amount should be 540 grams – not 639 grams as listed above. My first batch came out way too dense. Just that minor change and you’re good to go – great cookies!
This cookie is my favorite. So delicious and has lots of flavor. Everyone I’ve ever made these for loves them.
Excellent! Very much like my favorite cookie at Standard Baking in Portland, Maine.
Thank you for a wonderful recipe! The mix of spices was perfect, exactly the flavour I was hoping for. Like some other commenters, I found the cookies to be a tiny bit underdone after 10 min at 350, so I ended up doing 12-13 min. I also found lightly pressing the balls down with the back of a spoon got them to crack more when baking!
HOLY GUACAMOLY!! GET THESE COOKIES AWAY FROM ME!! almost ate them all in one night. To my surprise these were easier to whip up than i thought and thankfully this recipe makes a lot of cookies. One thing i’ll say is not to freeze the extra dough just keep it in the fridge. #yummyinmytummy
I subbed the clove for black pepper and rolled them in powdered sugar like pfeffernusse, and they are amazing. I swear I could eat them by the pan.
I made the dough it was dry I’m not sure what I did wrong but I have never made these before so I’m going to try again but if you could give me some advice that would be great
These cookies are my favorite and always a hit with our whole family during the holidays. I had never made molasses cookies before. The recipe is super easy to follow and turned out perfect my very first time. The only change I made after following the recipe for awhile, is I roll the dough into balls before chilling. My cookies seem to be more uniform if they’re baked while chilled. They tend to warm in my hands the further along I go and don’t turn out all the same. Anyway, this is a fantastic recipe! I highly recommend it to anyone!
Great cookies! I made half a batch and it made 45 for me – I could have gotten more if I’d made all about 1 inch balls. I made some about 1.5 inches, based on some comments that the larger cookies turned out better. FWIW, I skimped just a little on the baking soda (some commenters had a metallic taste with the entire amount) but not much. I also increased the spices some. The dough does get very heavy, I ended up having to use our immersion blender to get it all mixed (I only have a hand mixer that’s not very heavy duty). I baked them about halfway between 350 and 375 for 13 minutes and that worked just fine. They’re a little thinner than I’d like but still chewy. Next time I’ll up the spices even more and maybe try some crystallized ginger. I tried flattening the first tray I baked but they didn’t crack at all, so the rest I just rolled and put on the sheet, and even the smaller ones cracked at least some. And the flavor is wonderful!
Best cookies I have ever had! Was looking for a good ginger and molasses recipe and this one was better than any I have ever had. Crispy on the outside and chewy inside and stay that way next day.
Full of flavor thar melts in your mouth. The whole family loves them and easy enough for my 6 yr old to make with me!
These cookies didn’t spread and I could hardly taste the ginger (just a lot of sugar). And they were not chewy—they cooled into hard balls. I’m sure I followed the instructions precisely. I can’t imagine what I did so wrong to yield such unpleasant results.