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Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

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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:

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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.

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1,410 comments on “Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies”

  1. These are not puffy cookies, they are flat, but the perfect amount of chewiness. Not “soft” and cake like, which I dislike, but chewy like a bakery cookie.. Plenty firm to hold their shape for packing or a cookie swap. I made the dough, refrigated for about 3 hours, took it out and rolled the balls, then refrigerated them overnight. Baked the next day, only taking out 12 at a time and rolling in sugar, put them on room-temp cookie sheets and baked for 9 minutes, then let cool on pan. Perfect. I tried 8 minutes, and they were slightly wet in middle. I think the white “chocolate” coating helps balance the spiciness of the cookie. Thanks for the recipe, taking them to a cookie exchange tomorrow night.

    • Thanks for sharing Diane! We’re happy you enjoyed them, and we bet the white chocolate made them so amazing – great idea! :)

    • Absolutely delicious! I like a little extra kick so I added a few dashes of black and cayenne pepper! Wow what a game changer it added just the right amount of heat!






  2. I’ve been searching for a chewy molasses cookie forever… ok the last 2 yrs!!! So in love with this cookie!!!!

  3. I’d send you a picture, but they’re already gone. These cookies are that good. I made them as part of a cookie exchange baking day with friends, and we all loved them. I was sorry I had to give some away! This recipe is definitely a keeper.

  4. Mmmm these have made it to my favorites list! I’ll have to take photos next time- such a great recipe. ps here’s the link back : https://www.hazelhaven.com/blog1/2015/12/23/last-minute-diy-gifts-holiday-playlist

    • Thanks so much Lindsey, we’re happy you enjoy these, and thanks for sharing via your lovely blog! :D

  5. Love Love Love these. I’ve been searching for a recipe that is similar to what my mom used to make and I found it here. Followed to the letter even the chilling ahead of time once the balls were formed. PERFECT!!  I didn’t do it this time but a candy redhot in the center when it comes out of the oven is so yummy on the last bite :-). I’ll save this recipe to use year after year. 

    • Thank you Jan, we’re so glad to hear that! And good call on adding the red hots, so yummy! :D

  6. Wow, this is the best recipe! The cookies came out perfectly and everyone loved them! Thanks so much. I like ginger cookies extra gingery, so I put in a tablespoon of minced fresh ginger and they turned out wonderfully.

  7. is it possible to make with margarine 

    • Hi Stella, we haven’t tried these with margarine, but we honestly wouldn’t recommend it. Margarine is comprised of only 35% fat and 65% water, so this means the cookies will spread like crazy, get really thin and will be prone to burning. We hope this helps and that you enjoy these!

  8. Made them and were amazing.  So many compliments at work. I had to press down on the balls to get the flattened look though. How did you achieve the flatter cookie just rolling them into balls? None the less so delicious–my go to molasses cookies. 

  9. I just checked my recipes, and this the very same recipe I have.  Our family has loved this cookie for 30+ years. It is a  delicious cookie.

  10. I made about 3 different cookies before this. They were all hits but once I made these no one could deny they were the best. Some people were able to count the total but one batch didn’t last more than five minutes out of the oven. Saw a lot of questions about baking soda so instead I used 3 tsp. Definitely keeping this recipe. My mom has requested this as her birthday cookie. 

  11. I’m glad that I read through the comments beforehand and halved this recipe because I’m 8 months pregnant and would have eaten them ALL with no regrets. My husband has declared these cookies the better ever. Thanks!!

    • Haha! Yay, we’re so happy you and your husband loved these Candace, thanks for sharing! :D

  12. Is the butter salted or unsalted?

    • We use unsalted butter, but you could always use salted butter and just not add any of the salt that the recipe calls for. We hope you enjoy these!

  13. Yum! Yum! Yum!
    Thank you Jessica for this amazing recipe!!
    So sweet, moist and love the spicy flavours.
    I made the batter on the weekend when I had time and made them during the week when my furnace stopped working on a cold Canadian January evening!
    Thanks again-definitely a repeat recipe!!!

    Debbie :)

  14. I mean Thank You Haley!!  Sorry!!

  15. Best cookies…..EVER. I made them for Christmas, and they didn’t last the day. I’m making these again tonight!

  16. Do you use full flavor molasses in these?

  17. Just made these with allspice instead of ginger. They were great and chewy but a little dry, and also my molasses was a little old. Do you think that could have made a difference in the cookie? If I had the right ingredients I would make these again! 

    • Hi Gigi, thanks for giving the recipe a try! We think if your molasses was old, that could explain why they were on the dry side. And while allspice is good, we think ginger is definitely preferable in this recipe.

  18. Any idea for a good substitution for molasses? Dont have any where I live but still eager to try this. Honey? Date Syrup? 

    • Hi there! Hmm, we think honey would be the closest substitute (texture-wise) – we hope that helps, and that you enjoy these! :)

  19. When you say Ground Ginger is it the powder type or can we grate ginger root?

  20. Sorry for asking so many questions but when you say Refrigerate you mean in the Refrigerator or can we put in the freezer?   Can I chill the dough before making the balls then when the balls are done and rolled in sugar do we flatten them a little bit or not? Then to the fridge again?

    • That’s okay! We mean refrigerate, though you can freeze the dough as well, if you like. We recommend chilling the dough before you portion out the cookies and after you portion the cookies as well. If you like a slightly thinner, crispier cookie, you can flatten the cookies a little before they go in the oven. Enjoy!

  21. OMG, I made these last night and brought them to the office. Last night husband could not stop eating them and today , people here in the office are going crazy with these  cookies.  The only thing that I did notice was that they flatten while cooking and they came out pretty dark, not like the ones you have in your pictures.  I refrigerated the dough around 1.5 hours before shaping it and then like 20 min after they were shaped into a ball and dipped in sugar.    When I saw the first batch come out flat I tried different things: instead of parchment paper, I tried the Calphalon Silicone Mat, still the cookies were flat.  Then I changed the position of the sheet in the oven more to the top , still flat.  Did notice though, that even though I set the oven to 375 I saw that the thermometer was not reaching the 375 but 350 and a little bit.  I have been thinking on why they are so flat.  So when I get home the next step is to test the Baking Soda to see if it still good.  Other than that, flavor wise they are to die for.

  22. YUMMY cookies! I used brown sugar instead of white sugar and added a splash of nutmeg too. I also cut the recipe in half and looks like I am going to be able to make 2 dozen cookies! I have turned some people onto your website too for this recipe through facebook. 

    • We’re happy you enjoyed them Leslie, and that’s good to know they turned out well with brown sugar instead of white sugar! Thanks for recommending the blog to your friends! :D Cheers!

  23. Can I freeze the cookies?

  24. OMG..never made cookies before but wanted to try these and thats all i can say..OMG..wonderful

  25. These cookies have become a staple for my boyfriend and I! A family friend made them during the holidays and I made sure I got the recipe. Have made them numerous times. I usually cut the recipe in half. I roll the cookies in turbinado sugar instead of regular granulated sugar. Adds a nice crunch and gives a better taste to the cookies. I’ll be using this recipe for the rest of my life! Thank you!

  26. From previous comments sounds like these are the best. Can’t wait to bake these for my hubby. Can the dough be made day before and left in the fridge overnight before baking?

    • Hi Chris! Yes, you can make the dough the day before and refrigerate. We hope you and your husband enjoy! :)

  27. So, my gf made these for me, as they are my favourite type of cookie, and as I chewed the first bite, I could have sworn they were exactly like my great grandmother made. DELICIOUS!!

  28. I’ve made this recipe 3 times now, and these cookies are not pillowy like your photos, they are a very flat cookie. However, they are absurdly good. My new favorite. Strangely good frozen. I’m going to try adding some flour to get a bit more height, as there is already so much baking soda I doubt that is the problem. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!

    • We’re so glad you enjoyed these Bri! We’re sorry however that they came out so flat. We wonder if your baking soda was old? If so, that could explain it.

  29. This recipe didn’t work for me. I chilled dough several hours, cookies still spread & were thin. Taste was good but not what l was looking for :-/

    • Hi Carolyn — we’re so sorry to hear these cookies didn’t turn out well for you! :( Could it be that maybe your baking soda was old? That might explain why they were thin and spread out.

  30. Made these today and sandwiched them with white chocolate buttercream. They were soooo good!

  31. I made these for the first time today. Even after I let the dough set in the fridge for 3 hours it was still super sticky. But I tried a couple cookie sheets full. They were super flat but tasted great. I read the some of the comments before even starting, so I made sure the baking soda was fresh. I ended up adding about 1/2 cup more flour to the chilled dough and they turned out awesome !!!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    • Hi Sarah! We’re really not sure what’s causing some cookies to come out flat — we’ve tested these a zillion times. :( We’re glad the extra flour helped though — thanks for sharing and for giving these a try!

  32. These cookies were delicious and soft! Perfect texture and great flavor. I did use half white sugar and half brown sugar. I only had black strap molasses at home so thats what i used. Will try them again following the recipe. Really yummy!

  33. This is the almost exact recipe I got from my Grandma in the 1960’a except for the amount flour. She had 21/4 cups flour for what was half of this recipe. So for this recipe I would increase by extra half cup flour (using her  proportions). I have NEVER had a cookie failure with this recipe in 40 plus years of making this cookie! It is a family favorite. Good frozen if you can get them to the freezer. Good raw. Good packed for lunches . Good keepers.  Good luck.

  34. I made these cookies and they turned out looking nothing like the pictures. They really flattened out, and they were crispy, not chewy (and I didn’t overbake them). Disappointed with this recipe

    • Hi Meg! Oh no, we’re so sorry to hear that! We’ve never had these come out flat, especially after refrigerating them. Could your baking soda possibly be old? That might explain why they didn’t rise any. Otherwise, we’re really not sure what went wrong.

  35. PS this is a different Meg :)

  36. Hey Meg! Oh man, thanks for sharing this with us! We are perplexed as to how some people are ending up with flat cookies. We’ve tested this recipe so, so many times and have yet to have that happen. Your point about the oven temp is really interesting though and we appreciate you sharing this with us!

  37. I made these last night and they are AMAZING! They turned out perfectly soft and chewy and pillowey and so so delicious! Me an my mom have eaten probably 5 each the past two days! Cannot wait to share these with friends and make them many more times! Especially when the holidays come around! Thanks for the recipe they are my new favorite cookie!!!

  38. can fresh ginger be used instead of powdered?

    • Hi Molly! Sure! We just haven’t tried it in this recipe ourselves. We would still recommend using powdered ginger, but if you want to use some freshly grated ginger as well, you can cut back the powdered amount just a bit. You can also use crystalized ginger (some recipes call for all three types of ginger). We hope this helps and that you enjoy the cookies!

  39. This is a fantastic recipe. I followed it to a T, and the cookies taste delicious. I did notice a couple odd things, though. When I cooled the dough for 30-40 minutes, it was barely cooled. The outside of the dough was a but chilly but that was it. The rest was room temp. I went ahead and made the cookies and they turned out beautifully. Nice cracked appearence, etc. It was getting late though so I decided to make the last couple batches the day after, and stuck the dough in the fridge. I figured that since the recipe specified for “thoroughly chilled” dough in the first place, it wouldn’t hurt them. When I made them the next day however, they flattened out into 1/4″ tall cookies with no cracked tops, just a rough top. They are crispy and delicious, however so no great loss for me.

  40. Made these recently and they were amazing!  I used a high quality spelt flour instead of all purpose flour.  They were such a hit I’ll be making them again soon!

    • Thanks for sharing, Amy — we’re so glad you enjoyed them and that you were able to make them with some spelt flour! :)

  41. I made these as instructed except I added an extra 1/2 cup of flour as some other comments suggested and they came out perfect. My sister and I can’t stop eating them. My new favorite cookie!

  42. These cookies turned out fabulous!!! The trick is to use a small cookie scoop because the dough is sticky. I made butter creme icing and piped it between 2 cookies. YUM!

    • We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed them, Tammy! The buttercream icing sounds wonderful too! :)

  43. Hey! Just finished baking these cookies and they tuned out perfectly as described. I only chilled them for 30-40 minutes and then after rolling them, popped em back I’m the fridgeneral for another 5-10 minutes before putting them in the oven. From the comments I’m wondering of ppl are chilling for Too long? Not sure if that’s a thing lol but mine were fabulous and I thank you and family family thanks you for this awesome 5 star recipe :) :)

  44. Hi! I love your recipes and I’m dying to make these, but I picked up some adorable leaf sprinkles at the store this week and I’m wondering if I can frost these (to have an excuse to use the sprinkles, of course). Do you recommend frosting them (perhaps cut out the rolling in sugar step, or cut down on sugar?), and if so, do you have a recipe I could reference? 

    If not I will make these regardless… they’re so lovely! 

    • Hi Chrissy! We think that sounds like a great idea! If you frost them, yeah, we would skip the rolling in sugar step. We’ve got a buttercream recipe you might be interested in here: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/favorite-vanilla-cupcakes/ We hope you enjoy!

  45. We’re so happy you enjoyed them, Cat! :)

  46. Have you guys or anyone ever tried to half this recipe?

    Just wondering! Thanks –

  47. Made these today and they were aahhmmaazziinnngg!! The only thing I did differently was not refrigerate them (can’t wait that long lol) they were easy to handle, not sticky and they cracked beautifully – perfectly puffy and chewy. Thank you so much for the recipe – it is definitely a keeper :)

  48. I added the extra half cup of flour, I didn’t want to chance the cookies falling completely flat. These things are the bomb! They are soft, and spicy, and sugary, and yesterday I ate 3. In a row. My kids, who are solid chocolate chip cookie advocates, love them. They will be my new Christmas cookie. It helps that this recipe makes quite a few. Thank you!

  49. May I make these cookies without sugar at all? 

    • Unfortunately we wouldn’t recommend that, but you can try cutting back on the sugar if you’d like.

  50. I am looking forward to trying these. I am making them for a crowd…can the recipe be doubled?