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.
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 (340g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
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.
Flour amount: Please note that different sites across the internet use a wide range of weights for 1 cup of flour. I use 142g for this recipe, so 4.5 cups = 639g.
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 yields a very large batch of cookies.)
I wondered that too. These cookies are on my To-Do list today. I guess I’ll use light? I hope her team eventually answers your question, because I’d like to know too.
Hello,
I went to make this recipe today and I was following the recipe exactly and after reading the comments, I think you may have a typo in the ingredient list. You state that 4 1/2 cups of flour equals 639 grams, but when replying to other comments, you confirm that it is 540 grams needed.
I am glad I read the comments before mixing everything together or I imagine the cookies could end up dry.
I have made this recipe so many times and I always get rav reviews. Thank you!
Michelle Nelson —
Help ! I just made a double batch of these cookies. But my first round is so thin. And yes I ensured I used the proper amount of baking soda. These cookies are so flat almost like a stroopwafel. I have no idea what went wrong but before I cook the other giant batch (only cooked a dozen so far) I want to know if I should do anything to this recipe before I bake more tomorrow. HELP PLEASE – Michelle
Amazing recipe
I make it with wheat flour as well as gluten free flour
Both taste delicious
Karen —
Any tips on making these gluten free? I had to go off gluten this year and but I have been making these for YEARS and don’t want to give these up for Christmas this year!
This is THE recipe for Molasses Cookies! I halved the recipe, let it chill for about 2 hours, and experimented rolling in regular and turbinador sugars. Definitely prefer turbinador. Thanks for yet another great recipe.
I have made these year after year but I can’t seem to avoid the puffed middle. They don’t seem to go flat and crackle as much as the photo. What am I doing wrong?
Okay, what did I do wrong? My cookies turned into little cakes. The only substitution I made was monkfruit brown sugar instead of normal brown sugar. Also, maybe I over-chilled them? Thanks for the help :)
Tried these for the first time and a) I love them because there’s so much dough, enough to make a large batch of cookies and b) omg! They are to die for! Definitely putting them into my Christmas baking list!
I’m looking to make these soon, before I do, how much crystallized ginger would you recommend adding to a x1 batch? I would love to add some but am unsure about quantity.
These cookies are MAGICAL!! Exactly what I was hoping for when I set out to make them. Thank you so much for sharing.
I ended up using half AP flower and half dark rye flour and I think the rye worked so well with the delightful texture of these cookies. So chewy and tender!
This was my first recipe for ginger molasses cookies, and I could not be more impressed! It is quick and easy and I’ve made the recipe three times since Thanksgiving with excellent results. This may be my favorite cookie ever. I kept all ingredients and measurements exact, I just chose not to chill the dough because my dough comes out relatively dry. Perfect results every time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
These are one of my tried & true recipes I love to make around the holidays every year!
Hoping to do some bulk baking as Xmas gifts & wondering if anyone has ever premade the dough? Is it okay to chill the dough overnight & bake the next day or are they more of a day off type of cookie?
Ginger molasses cookies are my all time favourite cookie. I’m not fond of chocolate, or peanuts, which eliminates a lot of options. I followed this recipe to a tee, and it turned out awesome. My husband was disappointed I brought most of the cookies to work, but my coworkers were thrilled. Everyone raved about how good they were! If you REALLY love ginger (like me) then I would suggest adding a little extra, otherwise the spice ratio is pretty spot on. I also kept the dough in our fridge, so I could bake smaller batches each evening after work, rather than baking them all at once. My new favourite recipe!
These are absolutely FANTASTIC! This is my second year to make them, and they will always be on my Christmas baking list. Kids and adults, alike, love them. Bonus, the recipe makes exactly 5 dozen (for me) so I can give some away as gifts, as well as have some in the freezer if company stops in. Thank you, Ali!
Ultimate fail. I chilled dough for 3 hrs. They spread like crazy and were super thin with zero crinkles. In the garbage they went. Such a waste of butter – I think that was the problem too much butter. They were super greasy. Won’t be attempting again.
Hey I made this recipe using your measurements in cups and it worked great. Then I made the recipe with my scale using grams and they didn’t even flatten in the oven and it was extremely dry. I strongly suggest editing the recipe so others don’t waste their time and ingredients on cookies that have way too much flour. They didn’t flatten, and I couldn’t taste the spices or molasses. Very disappointing.
My daughter and I made these yesterday- and they tasted AMAZING!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
We added candied ginger as you suggested and they were bakery quality! Buttery and gingery , and deliciously sweet.
We rolled into balls before refrigerating so we could bake in an assembly line- we made all our Christmas cookies in one day. Turned out great!!
These were AMAZING!!! I have tried 3-4 recipes; a new one each year and this is IT! They look so pretty and perfect as well and the taste is phenomenal. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
After all the raving reviews, I was disappointed by the outcome of my batches. A couple of consistent issues I faced:
1. The cookies never truly spread on their own; even with pressing them flatter first, they never quite “cracked” like they were supposed to. Instead, they stayed fairly thick and rounded.
2. The cookies had a fairly distinctive taste of baking soda.
3. They were a little dry for my liking, though I’m not quite an expert enough baker to know what I need to have changed for this.
Overall, they were all right, but not necessarily life-altering. Would be happy to receive any feedback as to how I ought to switch things up though!
These turned out PERFECTLY! I’ve always had issues getting chewy cookies to really turn out that way, and these are exactly what I wanted. The only issue is I can’t stop eating them. It did make way more cookies than I expected but I don’t think that will be a problem :)
This recipe is a good start but has double the amount of baking soda needed. I can taste the baking soda in the original recipe which was very disappointing after all that work!
Oh and to add to my last post they are thin and really buttery. I weighed everything I used. I have no clue what’s up with these cookies. Taste good and buttery but there is no height to them
On your recipe, it says 350 deg F. But I just read your comment confirming it’s 375 to Mariam on Nov. 8, 2015? Can you please clarify? Glad I checked the comments before baking this. Ingredients are not cheap nowadays.
I do not usually rate recipes. I hate baking cookies. This recipe took a while (recommend a stand mixer but even then took almost an hour to measure everything and mix well plus another hour at least to bake in batches)……..BUT TOTALLY WORTH EVERY MINUTE.
I followed exact recipe but refrigerated dough overnight which I think helped a lot.
I was able to get about 10 dozen using slightly smaller than 1 inch balls. Yet, you still get a good size cookie similar to a store-bought snap in size.
Taste is superb.
Highly recommend!!!
Do you use light or dark brown sugar?
I wondered that too. These cookies are on my To-Do list today. I guess I’ll use light? I hope her team eventually answers your question, because I’d like to know too.
How do you make your cookies so thin? Mine are so yummy but kinda puffy
Hello,
I went to make this recipe today and I was following the recipe exactly and after reading the comments, I think you may have a typo in the ingredient list. You state that 4 1/2 cups of flour equals 639 grams, but when replying to other comments, you confirm that it is 540 grams needed.
I am glad I read the comments before mixing everything together or I imagine the cookies could end up dry.
Do I roll in sugar before freezing?
I have made this recipe so many times and I always get rav reviews. Thank you!
Help ! I just made a double batch of these cookies. But my first round is so thin. And yes I ensured I used the proper amount of baking soda. These cookies are so flat almost like a stroopwafel. I have no idea what went wrong but before I cook the other giant batch (only cooked a dozen so far) I want to know if I should do anything to this recipe before I bake more tomorrow. HELP PLEASE – Michelle
Has anyone tried this with flax eggs and different sugars?
I used diabetic sugar (so Splenda for baking and swerve brown sugar) and did a half batch to check (sometimes those sugars get funky) worked perfect!
Amazing recipe
I make it with wheat flour as well as gluten free flour
Both taste delicious
Any tips on making these gluten free? I had to go off gluten this year and but I have been making these for YEARS and don’t want to give these up for Christmas this year!
This is THE recipe for Molasses Cookies! I halved the recipe, let it chill for about 2 hours, and experimented rolling in regular and turbinador sugars. Definitely prefer turbinador. Thanks for yet another great recipe.
Can this recipe be prepared the day before and kept in the refrigerator to bake the following day?
I make these for many different holiday events and they are always a hit! Love the receip, thank you for sharing!
Can I make big cookies? 1/4 cup dough size? My husband loves big chewy cookies.
I have made these year after year but I can’t seem to avoid the puffed middle. They don’t seem to go flat and crackle as much as the photo. What am I doing wrong?
Okay, what did I do wrong? My cookies turned into little cakes. The only substitution I made was monkfruit brown sugar instead of normal brown sugar. Also, maybe I over-chilled them? Thanks for the help :)
Tried these for the first time and a) I love them because there’s so much dough, enough to make a large batch of cookies and b) omg! They are to die for! Definitely putting them into my Christmas baking list!
I’m looking to make these soon, before I do, how much crystallized ginger would you recommend adding to a x1 batch? I would love to add some but am unsure about quantity.
Roll them in Sugar in the Raw instead of regular sugar. The added crunch is lovely! These are my favorite cookies ever!
These cookies are amazing. I made some for Christmas but have already been eaten. A second batch coming up today!
Can you freeze the dough for a few weeks before cooking them? Thanks!
Here to also ask if dough can be frozen and baked later?
These cookies are MAGICAL!! Exactly what I was hoping for when I set out to make them. Thank you so much for sharing.
I ended up using half AP flower and half dark rye flour and I think the rye worked so well with the delightful texture of these cookies. So chewy and tender!
This was my first recipe for ginger molasses cookies, and I could not be more impressed! It is quick and easy and I’ve made the recipe three times since Thanksgiving with excellent results. This may be my favorite cookie ever. I kept all ingredients and measurements exact, I just chose not to chill the dough because my dough comes out relatively dry. Perfect results every time. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
How long does the batter last in the fridge before backing?
I have made these several times and everyone loves them. Amazing cookies!! Can the dough be frozen for a couple days before baking?
These are one of my tried & true recipes I love to make around the holidays every year!
Hoping to do some bulk baking as Xmas gifts & wondering if anyone has ever premade the dough? Is it okay to chill the dough overnight & bake the next day or are they more of a day off type of cookie?
Ginger molasses cookies are my all time favourite cookie. I’m not fond of chocolate, or peanuts, which eliminates a lot of options. I followed this recipe to a tee, and it turned out awesome. My husband was disappointed I brought most of the cookies to work, but my coworkers were thrilled. Everyone raved about how good they were! If you REALLY love ginger (like me) then I would suggest adding a little extra, otherwise the spice ratio is pretty spot on. I also kept the dough in our fridge, so I could bake smaller batches each evening after work, rather than baking them all at once. My new favourite recipe!
These are absolutely FANTASTIC! This is my second year to make them, and they will always be on my Christmas baking list. Kids and adults, alike, love them. Bonus, the recipe makes exactly 5 dozen (for me) so I can give some away as gifts, as well as have some in the freezer if company stops in. Thank you, Ali!
I’ve made these fresh and they are delicious! Can I freeze the dough? Has anyone tried? I wanted to do some pre-christmas prep! :)
Are they supposed to be super soft/gooey when they come out of the oven? Not sure if they harden once cooled. Potentially, have a bad oven too.
These are great! If you like this type of cookie for the rich flavor, use dark brown sugar and add extra spices (whatever you like most).
Ultimate fail. I chilled dough for 3 hrs. They spread like crazy and were super thin with zero crinkles. In the garbage they went. Such a waste of butter – I think that was the problem too much butter. They were super greasy. Won’t be attempting again.
Hey I made this recipe using your measurements in cups and it worked great. Then I made the recipe with my scale using grams and they didn’t even flatten in the oven and it was extremely dry. I strongly suggest editing the recipe so others don’t waste their time and ingredients on cookies that have way too much flour. They didn’t flatten, and I couldn’t taste the spices or molasses. Very disappointing.
Love this recipe. This is my third year in a row making them for friends and family.
My slight tweaks:
I use organic blackstrap molasses, and dark muscovado sugar (for me it adds a nice depth).
My daughter and I made these yesterday- and they tasted AMAZING!! Thanks for a great recipe!!
We added candied ginger as you suggested and they were bakery quality! Buttery and gingery , and deliciously sweet.
We rolled into balls before refrigerating so we could bake in an assembly line- we made all our Christmas cookies in one day. Turned out great!!
Can prep the dough ahead of time and instead of chilling for two hours, chill for a day or two?
This is my go-to recipe every Christmas! Thank you for sharing :).
Also – yes, use the 4 teaspoons of baking soda. It’s the correct amount. (I accidentally used 4 tablespoons one year, so don’t make that mistake!)
This makes the most delightful cookie ever! So soft and chewy and flavorful!!
These were AMAZING!!! I have tried 3-4 recipes; a new one each year and this is IT! They look so pretty and perfect as well and the taste is phenomenal. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
My first time baking ginger anything. Came out perfect. Saving this recipe… +++++++
After all the raving reviews, I was disappointed by the outcome of my batches. A couple of consistent issues I faced:
1. The cookies never truly spread on their own; even with pressing them flatter first, they never quite “cracked” like they were supposed to. Instead, they stayed fairly thick and rounded.
2. The cookies had a fairly distinctive taste of baking soda.
3. They were a little dry for my liking, though I’m not quite an expert enough baker to know what I need to have changed for this.
Overall, they were all right, but not necessarily life-altering. Would be happy to receive any feedback as to how I ought to switch things up though!
These turned out PERFECTLY! I’ve always had issues getting chewy cookies to really turn out that way, and these are exactly what I wanted. The only issue is I can’t stop eating them. It did make way more cookies than I expected but I don’t think that will be a problem :)
I use this recipe all the time. This is one our favorite cookie recipes!
This is my go-to cookie and people ask for them specifically when I go to parties. THANK YOU!
Can this dough be frozen to have cookies on hand? If so, how do you bake them after freezing? Thank you!
Big hit with my family! Thanks for sharing a great recipe with us!
This recipe is a good start but has double the amount of baking soda needed. I can taste the baking soda in the original recipe which was very disappointing after all that work!
Oh and to add to my last post they are thin and really buttery. I weighed everything I used. I have no clue what’s up with these cookies. Taste good and buttery but there is no height to them
Hi there! Was wondering if I can keep extra dough chilling in the fridge over night? TIA!
I’ve been making.these for a few years now. Best recipe hands down.
On your recipe, it says 350 deg F. But I just read your comment confirming it’s 375 to Mariam on Nov. 8, 2015? Can you please clarify? Glad I checked the comments before baking this. Ingredients are not cheap nowadays.
I do not usually rate recipes. I hate baking cookies. This recipe took a while (recommend a stand mixer but even then took almost an hour to measure everything and mix well plus another hour at least to bake in batches)……..BUT TOTALLY WORTH EVERY MINUTE.
I followed exact recipe but refrigerated dough overnight which I think helped a lot.
I was able to get about 10 dozen using slightly smaller than 1 inch balls. Yet, you still get a good size cookie similar to a store-bought snap in size.
Taste is superb.
Highly recommend!!!
Just baked a batch! And I loved them! They came out just like the picture, I was out of clove and still they tasted SO GOOD! Thanks for this recipe! 🤎