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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.
I had to use butter flavoured Crisco as I had no butter. These are amazing! I chilled dough for about 10 min and they turned out like picture. Texture and taste is amazing Thank You.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing, Sue — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
I’ve made these quite a few times and have had some varying results – the first time, i made the cookies too small and they weren’t chewy at all. The second, I made them too big and had to cook them longer because they were still so raw in the middle. I think our oven doesn’t run hot enough… Tonight I made them and I had to cook them longer and I waited and waited for the tops to crack and they never did, but I had to take them out before they started burning. I’ve never had a problem with them flattening out, they’ve always been beautifully rounded cookies. It’s the cooking time that I have to fiddle with based on the size I make them – I try, but can never gauge an inch diameter ;) In any case they’re delicious every time I make them.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Kendra! Baking can be so finicky sometimes…
We’re glad you enjoy these though!
Anyone have an issue with the batter being very wet? Followed recipe but not sure what went wrong.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re sorry to hear that, Erin! Could one of your measurements be off? Chilling the dough is definitely an important step. Did you still find the dough sticky after chilling?
I have been making these every November since I found them. Everyone loves them!! They are absolutely delicious to dunk in tea too, and for some reason my batch always yields about 50 cookies..way more than the expected but I’m not complaining at all. They only last around 3 days in my house and I also give some to neighbours and friends. Thank you so much for these little delights!!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Kaetlyn — we’re so glad these were a hit with folks! :)
I loved the taste of these cookies–all of my favorite spices came together in them. I had a problem with them baking flat.
I chilled the dough as you recommended and then I also tried chilling the dough after rolling but it didn’t help…any suggestions?
In regard to some of the cookies going flat, did anyone use margarine sticks versus butter? Margarine contains water and I’ve found cookies, as well as other baked goods, come out very different.
These are the BEST molasses cookies ever. I love making them this time of year. I always get multiple requests for the recipe anytime I bring them to an activity. Thank you!
I absolutely love these cookies!! I have made this recipie so many times and I recommend baking them at 325° instead of 375°.
Also clear your entire day when you plan to make these, it actually takes me like 6-7 hours. Completely worth it though.
Delicious! Used sorghum as this was all I had on hand. Also used a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of water in place of each egg. Chilled the dough one hour and baked at 350. They spread a lil more than what they look like in the photos of the recipe but we love them. So tasty! Makes a large batch as I’m sure most noticed with the amount of flour ?. Thanks for the great recipe!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Nicole! We’re happy you enjoyed these! :)
Hi! I absolutely adore these cookies- they are so moist and delicious! Do you know how long the dough will keep in the freezer? Do you recommend freezing the dough or portioned out dough balls? Thanks!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks, Julia, we’re glad to hear that! And the cookie dough should keep in the freezer for about 4-6 months (just make sure it’s wrapped/sealed very well so you avoid freezer burn). We’d recommend portioning out cookie dough balls and then freezing.
I made these cookies for the first time today as well. They were simply delicious. I also ran into a little trouble with them turning out flat as well with my first pan. So I added about another half cup of flour or so and voila ! They rose perfectly.
Soooo I made these cookies today and they somehow turned out delicious… I say somehow because as I was making them I thought to myself…this dough seems crumbly..and since I only seldomly bake and am not so familiar with texture, I carried on. I then put the first batch in the over and questioned if the little balls would flatten..my boyfriend even said “isn’t it supposed to be flattened before you stick it in the over” but I had faith. Until 2 minutes later as I was re-reading the recipe and discovered what I thought was that I only used 1 cup of butter instead of 1 and a half…then to go on and noticed that one small stick of butter is actually only half a cup of butter!! So I missed a whole cup of butter….hence the crumbly batter (also I wasn’t too gradual when adding in the flour). They are a little on the sweet side probably due to lack of fat, so on my second batch in the oven I only coated the top half with sugar; but these little guys turned out absolutely delicious and nice and puffy like the pictures to boot!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Chelsea! We’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
Just made these cookies. Reduced sugar to 1.5 and added chopped up crystallized ginger. Truly the best cookies I’ve ever made. Despite this being the first time I’ve made ginger cookies. Thank you for a great recipe, one which I will continue to make.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, PJ — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
I LOVE this recipe! Everything about it is perfect! Have you ever tried altering it? I want to make red velvet cookies – Do you think changing out the molasses for white corn syrup and adding coco rather than the spices would work?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad to hear that, Shanna! :) We’re not sure about those alterations though, as we’ve never tried that ourselves. We wouldn’t really suggest using corn syrup instead of molasses though. We think you might be best off just using a red velvet cookie recipe that looks good to you. We hope that helps!
These are the best cookies. I made them the past 2 years and they have become a staple Christmas cookie in my family. Thank you so much for this recipe. I bake so many of these because they disappear very quickly :) I got this recipe down, I’ll soon have it memorized.
I just made these and no cracks :(. Is there a trick? They look so perfect here. I did have to use a truvia baking blend instead of sugar so I’m curious if that could be it? Any ideas? I think I want to give it one more try. Thanks!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re sorry, Lacey! Hmmm, we haven’t tried these with Truvia, so we’re not sure, but that could have been it. You can also take these out of the oven midway through baking and slam the tray down (it will help them crack).
I love this recipe. I have made it several times over the past few years for gifts and they are always a big hit. Can the dough be made ahead and frozen? I would like to freeze it and then thaw and bake later.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks, Lydia — we’re glad you enjoy it! Yes, you can definitely make the dough ahead of time and freeze it. :)
Thanks theses turned out great but I got 7 dozen out of this recipe not sure how when recipe says 28-32 cookies. They turned out perfectly and in abundance.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of cookies! We’re not sure how we messed up the yield, but we just re-tested these yesterday and got 42, so we edited the recipe — we’re sorry it made so many extra, but we’re glad you enjoyed them!
Is it possible to mix by hand (rather than with a mixer)?
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We wouldn’t advise that, Caitlin. Unfortunately you really need a mixer for best results. It doesn’t have to be a stand mixer though, just a simple hand mixer will do! :)
Thank you for sharing this! I made these last year and they were a hit. This year I’d like to substitute the sugar for coconut sugar and flour for coconut flour. Will that work okay?
Thanks
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad these were a hit, Jaimie! We’ve never experimented with coconut sugar or flour in this recipe, so we really can’t say, though you’re welcome to give it a try and let us know how they turn out! We would be a little concerned the coconut flour might make these too dense and dry, so if you do experiment with it, we definitely wouldn’t recommend using all coconut flour.
I just made these. They are way way too salty. My guess is that the butter is supposed to be unsalted? normally I just use salted butter but these really taste too salty to eat :(
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Yes, the butter is supposed to be unsalted. :( We’re sorry!
Thank you for this detailed recipe! I tried another similar recipe that was very simple and my cookies turned out dry and crumbly. The tips you included made all the difference! Mine turned out chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Perfection! They did end up a bit flatter than yours despite being refrigerated for almost an hour but I didn’t mind! I even splurged on the raw/turbinado sugar and I loved the little crunch it gives.
One question for you: When I make these again, I’d love to add a teaspoon of orange juice or orange liqueur (I read that it enhances the flavor) – do you have any recommendations on how to accommodate this extra liquid? Should I just up the flour?
Thanks and well done!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
You’re very welcome, Arielle! We’re so glad you guys enjoyed these! Also, yes, we think if you added a teaspoon of orange juice or orange liqueur (we would do the liqueur or orange extract, as you won’t be able to notice just a teaspoon of orange juice), we would just add another teaspoon of flour if that’s all the liqueur/extract you add. We hope this helps — we bet that orange flavoring will be a lovely addition to these!
We’re sorry to hear that, Charlotte! :( Was your butter definitely at room temp? That’s crucial for this recipe. Also, was your baking soda pretty fresh?
I made these the other day and they were AWESOME! I sprinkled the top with a little “sugar in the raw” and it was lovely. My friend who typically hates ginger cookies loved them and ate 6!
I made these cookies exactly as the recipe is written, and the cookies tasted great but were super flat. I took some of the other comments and tried half vegetable shortening and half butter, added a 1/4 cup of flour and the cookies were nice and puffy! I didn’t even need to refrigerate the dough using the alterations described. I’m not sure if it’s my altitude (or lack thereof) or what, but my cookies were not as beautiful and puffy as the photos on this page until I edited the recipe. I’m in California near SF, so basically at sea level. My baking soda was fresh, and I used brand new flour. The recipe does not specifically state salted or unsalted butter so I tried it both ways, no luck. If you are having trouble with flat cookies, maybe my feedback will help you.
Ah, yes the shortening would definitely help them stay a little bit fluffier. Not quite sure why the initial ones were so flat though. We’ve had multiple people report this, but I just made them multiple times again this December and they turned out great. Maybe cream the butter and sugars together a bit longer?
I made these (half batch – halved perfectly) for my Christmas cookie platter and they were AWESOME! Everyone loved them! They are my new favorite cookie, and not just for Christmas. They freeze beautifully too. I pulled more out of the freezer as needed. Just finished the last coveted one from the freezer and had to leave a comment. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s perfect! Happy New Year!
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing with us, Stacy — we’re so happy they were a hit! :)
Has anyone tried skipping the step of rolling them in sugar? Most baked goods are to sweet for us, since we have cut back on our sugar intake,
Thanks,
Gina
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Gina! These cookies would still be awesome even if you skipped that step (they’re still sweet enough without the extra sugar). :) We hope you enjoy!
I’m not one to test out recipes before an event, so I put a lot of trust into this! I’m currently baking these for a work luncheon tomorrow, and the first batch turned out amazing! Just enough spice and wonderfully chewy. I will admit that I just used a lot of elbow grease with the creaming, and used about 1/4 cup less of sugar, but they turned out great. They look like real ginger snaps! :)
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Thanks for sharing, Christina — we’re so glad they turned out well for you!
I tried these last night and wow, I made 83 cookies with dough to spare (ran out of pans, probably enough for at least a dozen more).
Definitely didn’t follow it exactly (butter was de-thawed, but not melted, in the microwave…because I forgot to put it out….and I didn’t chill the dough very long because it got too late in the evening, also I don’t own an electric or stand mixer, so I just did it by hand)….so they did turn out pretty flat and all ran together so I had to cut them apart, but still fairly tasty.
Will probably try again next holiday season.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re glad you enjoyed these, Sarah — and WOW, that’s a lot of cookies! Did you just make them really small? We definitely get 42-46 out of a batch. And we’re sorry they came out kind of flat. Using room temp butter really does help prevent this, so does refrigerating the dough, and also making sure your baking soda isn’t old. We hope this helps for next time!
I made these and they turned out perfectly, cracks and all, but it made 5 dozen ( so 60 cookies) and I used a 1 inch cookie scoop and it was so exact I had no dough left at the 60th cookie and they were the perfect size. You must be making some fairly big cookies to only get about 40 out of the batch.
Oh well I’ll just send 30 of them to work with my fiancé to share with his development team.
(It’s not always a bad thing that it makes so many, just more to share I guess )
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Mary! We definitely get around 42-46 every time we’ve made them, so we’re not sure how you got 60, but we’re glad you’re able to share! :)
I just made these, and they are very yummy. I do wish you had specified unsalted butter in the recipe. I used salted, and the cookies turned out just on the edge of way too salty. Not inedible by any means, but it stinks having four dozen cookies that I feel like I have to warn people about.
Hayley @ Gimme Some Oven —
Hi Jennifer! We always use unsalted butter for baking, (unless specified otherwise), which is why there is salt included in the recipe. We’re sorry for the confusion and we hope you are still able to enjoy these!
I had to use butter flavoured Crisco as I had no butter. These are amazing! I chilled dough for about 10 min and they turned out like picture. Texture and taste is amazing Thank You.
Thanks for sharing, Sue — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
This recipe is my grandmas award winning recipe….hmmmmm
My boyfriend and I are making ….right now . He says they are soft and chewy too !
Woohoo! We hope you guys enjoy them! :)
I’ve made these quite a few times and have had some varying results – the first time, i made the cookies too small and they weren’t chewy at all. The second, I made them too big and had to cook them longer because they were still so raw in the middle. I think our oven doesn’t run hot enough… Tonight I made them and I had to cook them longer and I waited and waited for the tops to crack and they never did, but I had to take them out before they started burning. I’ve never had a problem with them flattening out, they’ve always been beautifully rounded cookies. It’s the cooking time that I have to fiddle with based on the size I make them – I try, but can never gauge an inch diameter ;) In any case they’re delicious every time I make them.
Thanks for sharing with us, Kendra! Baking can be so finicky sometimes…
We’re glad you enjoy these though!
Anyone have an issue with the batter being very wet? Followed recipe but not sure what went wrong.
We’re sorry to hear that, Erin! Could one of your measurements be off? Chilling the dough is definitely an important step. Did you still find the dough sticky after chilling?
Do you just use regular molasses in these cookies?
Hi Karen! Yes, we use regular, unsulphured molasses. We hope you enjoy these!
Can these be frozen after they are baked?
Yes, you can freeze these after they’ve been baked. We hope you enjoy!
I have been making these every November since I found them. Everyone loves them!! They are absolutely delicious to dunk in tea too, and for some reason my batch always yields about 50 cookies..way more than the expected but I’m not complaining at all. They only last around 3 days in my house and I also give some to neighbours and friends. Thank you so much for these little delights!!
Thanks for sharing with us, Kaetlyn — we’re so glad these were a hit with folks! :)
I loved the taste of these cookies–all of my favorite spices came together in them. I had a problem with them baking flat.
I chilled the dough as you recommended and then I also tried chilling the dough after rolling but it didn’t help…any suggestions?
Thanks for a delicious recipe!
In regard to some of the cookies going flat, did anyone use margarine sticks versus butter? Margarine contains water and I’ve found cookies, as well as other baked goods, come out very different.
These are the BEST molasses cookies ever. I love making them this time of year. I always get multiple requests for the recipe anytime I bring them to an activity. Thank you!
We’re so happy you love them, Alexis! :)
I absolutely love these cookies!! I have made this recipie so many times and I recommend baking them at 325° instead of 375°.
Also clear your entire day when you plan to make these, it actually takes me like 6-7 hours. Completely worth it though.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Savannah!
Delicious! Used sorghum as this was all I had on hand. Also used a teaspoon of baking soda mixed with a tablespoon of vinegar and a tablespoon of water in place of each egg. Chilled the dough one hour and baked at 350. They spread a lil more than what they look like in the photos of the recipe but we love them. So tasty! Makes a large batch as I’m sure most noticed with the amount of flour ?. Thanks for the great recipe!
Thanks for sharing with us, Nicole! We’re happy you enjoyed these! :)
Hi! I absolutely adore these cookies- they are so moist and delicious! Do you know how long the dough will keep in the freezer? Do you recommend freezing the dough or portioned out dough balls? Thanks!
Thanks, Julia, we’re glad to hear that! And the cookie dough should keep in the freezer for about 4-6 months (just make sure it’s wrapped/sealed very well so you avoid freezer burn). We’d recommend portioning out cookie dough balls and then freezing.
Delicious! I made them for my dad and he said they are better than the ones my grandma used to make!
We’re so happy to hear that, Heidi! :D
I made these cookies for the first time today as well. They were simply delicious. I also ran into a little trouble with them turning out flat as well with my first pan. So I added about another half cup of flour or so and voila ! They rose perfectly.
We’re glad you enjoyed them, Steven!
Soooo I made these cookies today and they somehow turned out delicious… I say somehow because as I was making them I thought to myself…this dough seems crumbly..and since I only seldomly bake and am not so familiar with texture, I carried on. I then put the first batch in the over and questioned if the little balls would flatten..my boyfriend even said “isn’t it supposed to be flattened before you stick it in the over” but I had faith. Until 2 minutes later as I was re-reading the recipe and discovered what I thought was that I only used 1 cup of butter instead of 1 and a half…then to go on and noticed that one small stick of butter is actually only half a cup of butter!! So I missed a whole cup of butter….hence the crumbly batter (also I wasn’t too gradual when adding in the flour). They are a little on the sweet side probably due to lack of fat, so on my second batch in the oven I only coated the top half with sugar; but these little guys turned out absolutely delicious and nice and puffy like the pictures to boot!
Thanks for sharing with us, Chelsea! We’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
Do you think these would be to soft to make into gingerbread men?
We think they would be. We’ve never tried them as gingerbread though, so you could experiment just to see. Either way we hope you enjoy them! :)
Quick question.. approximately how many cookies does this recipe make? Sounds yummy!!!
Thank you, Lori
Hi Lori! This recipe makes about 28-32 cookies (it’s written right above the recipe title in the recipe box). We hope you enjoy!
I’m going to try this.. I hope mine turn out flat!! the last couple times I tried my Fool Proof recipe they come out puffy and I just hate it!.?
We hope you enjoy these, Leona!
Have you ever tried making these as bar cookies and sprinkling turbinado sugar over the top?
We haven’t, but we think that sounds like a delicious idea! :)
Just made these cookies. Reduced sugar to 1.5 and added chopped up crystallized ginger. Truly the best cookies I’ve ever made. Despite this being the first time I’ve made ginger cookies. Thank you for a great recipe, one which I will continue to make.
Thanks for sharing with us, PJ — we’re so glad you enjoyed them! :)
I LOVE this recipe! Everything about it is perfect! Have you ever tried altering it? I want to make red velvet cookies – Do you think changing out the molasses for white corn syrup and adding coco rather than the spices would work?
We’re so glad to hear that, Shanna! :) We’re not sure about those alterations though, as we’ve never tried that ourselves. We wouldn’t really suggest using corn syrup instead of molasses though. We think you might be best off just using a red velvet cookie recipe that looks good to you. We hope that helps!
These are the best cookies. I made them the past 2 years and they have become a staple Christmas cookie in my family. Thank you so much for this recipe. I bake so many of these because they disappear very quickly :) I got this recipe down, I’ll soon have it memorized.
We’re so happy you enjoy these, Amanda! :D
I just made these and no cracks :(. Is there a trick? They look so perfect here. I did have to use a truvia baking blend instead of sugar so I’m curious if that could be it? Any ideas? I think I want to give it one more try. Thanks!
We’re sorry, Lacey! Hmmm, we haven’t tried these with Truvia, so we’re not sure, but that could have been it. You can also take these out of the oven midway through baking and slam the tray down (it will help them crack).
Any modifications for high altitude needed?
Hi Jane! It depends on where you live. We love King Arthur Flour’s guide on high-altitude baking: We hope this helps and that you enjoy the cookies!
They were amazing!! Making more now for a Christmas party? thanks!
These are the BEST molasses cookies I have ever made and tasted!!!!! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe:) Happy Holidays
Thank you, Rica — we’re so happy you love them! And happy holidays to you as well!
I love these cookies!
We’re so glad to hear that! :)
I love this recipe. I have made it several times over the past few years for gifts and they are always a big hit. Can the dough be made ahead and frozen? I would like to freeze it and then thaw and bake later.
Thanks, Lydia — we’re glad you enjoy it! Yes, you can definitely make the dough ahead of time and freeze it. :)
Thanks theses turned out great but I got 7 dozen out of this recipe not sure how when recipe says 28-32 cookies. They turned out perfectly and in abundance.
Oh my goodness, that’s a lot of cookies! We’re not sure how we messed up the yield, but we just re-tested these yesterday and got 42, so we edited the recipe — we’re sorry it made so many extra, but we’re glad you enjoyed them!
Not sure what happened when I made these. They are FLAT and far too buttery. I chilled for over an hour. May try again with a little less butter.
We’re so sorry to hear that, Cathi — we’re not sure what could have gone wrong. Could your baking soda be old?
Is it possible to mix by hand (rather than with a mixer)?
We wouldn’t advise that, Caitlin. Unfortunately you really need a mixer for best results. It doesn’t have to be a stand mixer though, just a simple hand mixer will do! :)
What type of molasses should be used? There’s so many available and I’m sure the taste would be affected if using one that was stronger than intended.
Thanks.
mb
Hi Maria! We use Grandma’s original or Brer Rabbit (the unsulphured molasses for both brands). We hope you enjoy these!
LOVE this recipe!! Made for family and coworkers and they were a total hit! Thanks for sharing! :)
Thank you, Morgan — we’re so glad to hear that!
Thank you for sharing this! I made these last year and they were a hit. This year I’d like to substitute the sugar for coconut sugar and flour for coconut flour. Will that work okay?
Thanks
We’re so glad these were a hit, Jaimie! We’ve never experimented with coconut sugar or flour in this recipe, so we really can’t say, though you’re welcome to give it a try and let us know how they turn out! We would be a little concerned the coconut flour might make these too dense and dry, so if you do experiment with it, we definitely wouldn’t recommend using all coconut flour.
I just made these. They are way way too salty. My guess is that the butter is supposed to be unsalted? normally I just use salted butter but these really taste too salty to eat :(
Yes, the butter is supposed to be unsalted. :( We’re sorry!
Thank you for this detailed recipe! I tried another similar recipe that was very simple and my cookies turned out dry and crumbly. The tips you included made all the difference! Mine turned out chewy on the inside and crunchy on the outside. Perfection! They did end up a bit flatter than yours despite being refrigerated for almost an hour but I didn’t mind! I even splurged on the raw/turbinado sugar and I loved the little crunch it gives.
One question for you: When I make these again, I’d love to add a teaspoon of orange juice or orange liqueur (I read that it enhances the flavor) – do you have any recommendations on how to accommodate this extra liquid? Should I just up the flour?
Thanks and well done!
You’re very welcome, Arielle! We’re so glad you guys enjoyed these! Also, yes, we think if you added a teaspoon of orange juice or orange liqueur (we would do the liqueur or orange extract, as you won’t be able to notice just a teaspoon of orange juice), we would just add another teaspoon of flour if that’s all the liqueur/extract you add. We hope this helps — we bet that orange flavoring will be a lovely addition to these!
My favorites,can just taste them now!!!!
Thank you, we hope you can try this recipe soon! :)
We’re sorry to hear this, Jennifer! Was your butter softened enough (at room temp, and not the microwave)?
We’re sorry to hear that, Charlotte! :( Was your butter definitely at room temp? That’s crucial for this recipe. Also, was your baking soda pretty fresh?
I made these the other day and they were AWESOME! I sprinkled the top with a little “sugar in the raw” and it was lovely. My friend who typically hates ginger cookies loved them and ate 6!
I made these cookies exactly as the recipe is written, and the cookies tasted great but were super flat. I took some of the other comments and tried half vegetable shortening and half butter, added a 1/4 cup of flour and the cookies were nice and puffy! I didn’t even need to refrigerate the dough using the alterations described. I’m not sure if it’s my altitude (or lack thereof) or what, but my cookies were not as beautiful and puffy as the photos on this page until I edited the recipe. I’m in California near SF, so basically at sea level. My baking soda was fresh, and I used brand new flour. The recipe does not specifically state salted or unsalted butter so I tried it both ways, no luck. If you are having trouble with flat cookies, maybe my feedback will help you.
Ah, yes the shortening would definitely help them stay a little bit fluffier. Not quite sure why the initial ones were so flat though. We’ve had multiple people report this, but I just made them multiple times again this December and they turned out great. Maybe cream the butter and sugars together a bit longer?
I made these (half batch – halved perfectly) for my Christmas cookie platter and they were AWESOME! Everyone loved them! They are my new favorite cookie, and not just for Christmas. They freeze beautifully too. I pulled more out of the freezer as needed. Just finished the last coveted one from the freezer and had to leave a comment. Thank you so much for this recipe, it’s perfect! Happy New Year!
Thanks for sharing with us, Stacy — we’re so happy they were a hit! :)
Has anyone tried skipping the step of rolling them in sugar? Most baked goods are to sweet for us, since we have cut back on our sugar intake,
Thanks,
Gina
Hi Gina! These cookies would still be awesome even if you skipped that step (they’re still sweet enough without the extra sugar). :) We hope you enjoy!
I’m not one to test out recipes before an event, so I put a lot of trust into this! I’m currently baking these for a work luncheon tomorrow, and the first batch turned out amazing! Just enough spice and wonderfully chewy. I will admit that I just used a lot of elbow grease with the creaming, and used about 1/4 cup less of sugar, but they turned out great. They look like real ginger snaps! :)
Thanks for sharing, Christina — we’re so glad they turned out well for you!
I tried these last night and wow, I made 83 cookies with dough to spare (ran out of pans, probably enough for at least a dozen more).
Definitely didn’t follow it exactly (butter was de-thawed, but not melted, in the microwave…because I forgot to put it out….and I didn’t chill the dough very long because it got too late in the evening, also I don’t own an electric or stand mixer, so I just did it by hand)….so they did turn out pretty flat and all ran together so I had to cut them apart, but still fairly tasty.
Will probably try again next holiday season.
We’re glad you enjoyed these, Sarah — and WOW, that’s a lot of cookies! Did you just make them really small? We definitely get 42-46 out of a batch. And we’re sorry they came out kind of flat. Using room temp butter really does help prevent this, so does refrigerating the dough, and also making sure your baking soda isn’t old. We hope this helps for next time!
I made these for Christmas and they were *exactly* what I wanted! Perfectly chewy and delicious! I’m adding them into the yearly rotation! Thank you!!
Thank you for sharing, we’re so happy they were a hit!
I made these and they turned out perfectly, cracks and all, but it made 5 dozen ( so 60 cookies) and I used a 1 inch cookie scoop and it was so exact I had no dough left at the 60th cookie and they were the perfect size. You must be making some fairly big cookies to only get about 40 out of the batch.
Oh well I’ll just send 30 of them to work with my fiancé to share with his development team.
(It’s not always a bad thing that it makes so many, just more to share I guess )
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Mary! We definitely get around 42-46 every time we’ve made them, so we’re not sure how you got 60, but we’re glad you’re able to share! :)
I just made these, and they are very yummy. I do wish you had specified unsalted butter in the recipe. I used salted, and the cookies turned out just on the edge of way too salty. Not inedible by any means, but it stinks having four dozen cookies that I feel like I have to warn people about.
Hi Jennifer! We always use unsalted butter for baking, (unless specified otherwise), which is why there is salt included in the recipe. We’re sorry for the confusion and we hope you are still able to enjoy these!