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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.
Awesome!!! We made these for our snow day. I did use a chia egg (1 T ground chia in 3 T water) in place of the water/baking soda mix. I added 3/4 tsp baking soda to the dry. Otherwise, all as written. Loved the addition of fresh ginger– hadn’t done that before with m-g cookies. Vegans and non-vegans loved these. Thank you!
If I’m tech-savvy enough after I make these cookies I will snap a picture and send it to the hashtag. But before I start I have one question. Can this recipe be cut in half? And, sorry I do have a second question. Do you think this recipe will work if I use inekorn flour.
The only change I ever make is to double (or triple) the spices, but that’s personal preference. This is the best ginger cookie recipe I’ve found either way.
I made these cookies and looked exactly like your picture. I just made them again and the didn’t spread out at all. What do think went wrong. I’m so sad with this batch.
I’m not a sweet-eater and don’t usually bother with cookies, but I made this recipe for a group event, tasted them and liked them so much I decided to make some for home. Great recipe!
Just the best molasses ginger cookie ever! I add a lot of chopped candied ginger (>1 cup) which gives the cookies an extra added surprise / crunch. I never bother to refrigerate after mixing, nor do I roll the balls in sugar. The last batch was gone in <48 hours, and this is a large batch.
Thank you for a delightful recipe. It is a keeper. Why bother with any other cookie? Well, a nice anise cookie provides some balance in the cookie diet.
Susan
Perfect cookies. Damn.
I froze most of the dough in ready-to-bake balls with sugar and all. I found the flavors were even more melded together after a few days… plus I love throwing just a few in the oven for fresh cookies every day… screw you, diet!!
Next time I might try adding a touch of cayenne pepper to heat up that ginger.
I discovered this recipe and now it’s the hard time I’ve made it, it really is good, soft texture for old teeth and a little less sugar, lots of ginger and it’s close to healthy.
I used the recipe exactly as described. These are literally the best cookies I’ve ever made. A cookie scoop was key for me because it helped keep the cookies the same size.
Made these today and the dough is in the fridge. I measured the flour out but I’m wondering if anyone else’s dough was really soft? Perhaps the cooling period will set it up.
I also used ginger powder, grated ginger and sugared dried ginger! Crossing my fingers!
These cookies were amazing – soft and chewy! My dough set up nicely after it cooled. I used 3 kinds of ginger – powdered, fresh ginger grated and dried sugared ginger cut up fine. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hubby likes ginger anything — and he loved these! I chilled the dough for an hour. It was stiff but still easy to scoop out and roll into balls. I added 1/3 c. each minced candied ginger and chopped pecans. I will up the pecans to 1/2 c. next time. I had never used parchment for baking, and it made this so easy. I did find these had to bake a few minutes longer before they cracked, but guess that’s just due to oven differences. These are chewy and super gingery!
The best cookie recipe I’ve come across, hands down. I make a half recipe typically, because the whole recipe yields a lot and I end up baking all day long… but the half recipe turns out perfect every time.
I also recently goofed and accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda, and the resulting cookies were still really yummy. They just ended up being a rounder, thicker cookie, but still nice and golden brown on top and chewy in the middle.
It’s rare for me to make a recipe without “tweaking” it (I’m one of those people…but this one is perfect AS-IS. They taste AMAZING. This recipe is a keeper.
Delicious! I boiled up some of our maple syrup to make maple sugar. Than used it instead of the white granulated sugar. Also used the maple sugar to roll them in before baking and added a sprinkle after they were done baking too! Yum!!!!
Kate —
I also used our maple syrup instead of molasses! OMG so yummy!!
The spice combination makes these an exceptionally good tasting cookies. I’ve tried many different ginger cookies and this has become my go to recipe. Once again I was just asked to make a batch. Thank you for your recipe.
Yay Team Molasses! Super stoked to give these cookies a go (recipe looks flawless!). Molasses is truly an unsung hero in this era! It provides a depth of flavor impossible to synthesize (*cough* poser brown sugar not actually made with molasses!) or replicate. Molasses can go savory or sweet and even sports a few vitamins and minerals. I’d be lost without this scrumptious substance, thanks for sharing the recipe and your love affair for molasses!
Great recipe!! Turn out beautiful and chewy. I added a little cayenne pepper just to add a slight touch of heat. Not the same texture as a tea biscuit but reminds me of Fortnum & Mason’s Lucifer biscuit.
Mambette —
Easy and so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, even refrigerating in an airtight container for 2 hours. Perfect cookies.
I loved these and my chocolate obsessed family said these now trump all other cookies. I added some organic maple extract because I love the combo of ginger and maple and I think it added a great bonus to an already amazing recipe.
I made these cookies probably 5 times last Christmas for the family and they went CRAZY over them. However I just tried to make these this morning and they spread even after chilling the dough overnight. I am not sure if it has to do with altitude or where I live (Just moved from CA to Alaska) or if I missed a measurement (I think I might have added 1 too many TSP of baking soda) but I am going to try again…. maybe I should half the recipe this time. They also look a LOT lighter than the ones I made over Christmas – Any ideas where I went wrong?
Kayla —
i had the same thing happen to me, i think its because she changed the recipe, its written on the bottom
Delicious. I added chopped crystallized ginger as suggested in the discussion. I do think that the prep-time was about 25 minutes with all the add one egg and beat, add another egg and beat, add the molasses and beat, add the dry ingredients gradually etc. Just saying. The time was worth it.
I thought I had a great recipe for molasses ginger cookies. Boy, was I wrong. This recipe is undoubtedly the best in my 60 plus years of baking cookies! Thank you so much!
LOVE these!!!!! Didn’t change a thing about the recipe and my hubby says they taste just like Starbucks!!! Thank you so much for this lovely cookie recipe!!
Do you have a preference of baking soda? I bought a new container but I still taste acid. Folks tell me they taste fine, so it could be me. Can I use a little less?
Steph T —
I use baking powder. I know many people say it has to be baking soda to spread properly but to be honest, I cant stand the baking soda taste and my husband doesn’t like it either. I just put a little water on my fingers and press a little on the top of the cookie balls right before baking and they turn out great.
First time making any sort of ginger molasses cookies! I absolutely loved them and can’t stop eating them! Perfectly soft and chewy and I bake them slightly longer for it to have a bit of a crispy edge but still chewy in the middle.
Super wildly delicious. The flattened balls spread quite a bit while baking. I left much more space between the cookies with batch 2 and 3 and they’re perfect. Can’t wait to give these cookies out to friends as gifts once the holidays are here!
Love! Just wondering how long i can keep the batter in the fridge before it turns. Made the dough at about 5, made a dozen plus at 7ish and left the dough in the sealed container. Planning to make more tomorrow and then freeze the remaining dough.
I’ve always been a ginger fan but I was desperate for something to help my morning/all day sickness. These are perfect. My husband, who usually hates any ginger based cookie or bread, has been grabbing them all day. They are so soft and chewy. Holding on to this recipe!
I made these to bring into the office a couple weeks ago and everyone went nuts over them. We live in a wildfire affected area of Northern California and everyone has been super stressed and on edge – most of my coworkers have lost power and many had to be evacuated from their homes. (Everyone is fine and back and home now!) I felt like everyone needed some cookies, and what’s more comforting than molasses cookies? I’m back looking at the page because a coworker just asked me for the recipe so he can recreate them at Thanksgiving and Christmas and thought I would leave the note. Thank you. :)
These cookies were seriously SO GOOD!!! I made a batch and couldn’t believe how amazing they were. They lasted well in a container, I would bake off 12 at a time and just kept the dough in the fridge for a few days. I’m going to make these for a cookie exchange this holiday season.
Really good! Made the dough yesterday and baked a few this afternoon. Lovely! Perfectly spiced and a great soft holiday cookie for my molasses fans. ?
Used dark brown sugar to up the molasses flavour and added the crystallized ginger (glad you mentioned that).
Will be freezing the dough balls and bake off during the holidays. Can’t wait to share these babies!!! ?
Seems silly to preheat the oven at step one when you have to refrigerate the dough. But GREAT COOKIES!
I added fresh grated ginger for some added oomph.
Yum! These are delish for ice cream sammies too-lemon custard or ‘ nilla are my go-to
Awesome!!! We made these for our snow day. I did use a chia egg (1 T ground chia in 3 T water) in place of the water/baking soda mix. I added 3/4 tsp baking soda to the dry. Otherwise, all as written. Loved the addition of fresh ginger– hadn’t done that before with m-g cookies. Vegans and non-vegans loved these. Thank you!
If I’m tech-savvy enough after I make these cookies I will snap a picture and send it to the hashtag. But before I start I have one question. Can this recipe be cut in half? And, sorry I do have a second question. Do you think this recipe will work if I use inekorn flour.
Can i reduce the amount of sugar. What’s the least amount I can use?
The only change I ever make is to double (or triple) the spices, but that’s personal preference. This is the best ginger cookie recipe I’ve found either way.
The smell in our house after these are baked is absolutely divine! ?
I made these cookies and looked exactly like your picture. I just made them again and the didn’t spread out at all. What do think went wrong. I’m so sad with this batch.
I’m not a sweet-eater and don’t usually bother with cookies, but I made this recipe for a group event, tasted them and liked them so much I decided to make some for home. Great recipe!
Just the best molasses ginger cookie ever! I add a lot of chopped candied ginger (>1 cup) which gives the cookies an extra added surprise / crunch. I never bother to refrigerate after mixing, nor do I roll the balls in sugar. The last batch was gone in <48 hours, and this is a large batch.
Thank you for a delightful recipe. It is a keeper. Why bother with any other cookie? Well, a nice anise cookie provides some balance in the cookie diet.
Susan
Perfect cookies. Damn.
I froze most of the dough in ready-to-bake balls with sugar and all. I found the flavors were even more melded together after a few days… plus I love throwing just a few in the oven for fresh cookies every day… screw you, diet!!
Next time I might try adding a touch of cayenne pepper to heat up that ginger.
I discovered this recipe and now it’s the hard time I’ve made it, it really is good, soft texture for old teeth and a little less sugar, lots of ginger and it’s close to healthy.
I used the recipe exactly as described. These are literally the best cookies I’ve ever made. A cookie scoop was key for me because it helped keep the cookies the same size.
These turned out seriously amazing. Everyone that tried them commented how soft and delicious they were.
It’s the fourth time I make this recipe, each time different, each time delicious.
These cookies are SCRUMPTIOUS!!!!
Made these today and the dough is in the fridge. I measured the flour out but I’m wondering if anyone else’s dough was really soft? Perhaps the cooling period will set it up.
I also used ginger powder, grated ginger and sugared dried ginger! Crossing my fingers!
These cookies were amazing – soft and chewy! My dough set up nicely after it cooled. I used 3 kinds of ginger – powdered, fresh ginger grated and dried sugared ginger cut up fine. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hubby likes ginger anything — and he loved these! I chilled the dough for an hour. It was stiff but still easy to scoop out and roll into balls. I added 1/3 c. each minced candied ginger and chopped pecans. I will up the pecans to 1/2 c. next time. I had never used parchment for baking, and it made this so easy. I did find these had to bake a few minutes longer before they cracked, but guess that’s just due to oven differences. These are chewy and super gingery!
The best cookie recipe I’ve come across, hands down. I make a half recipe typically, because the whole recipe yields a lot and I end up baking all day long… but the half recipe turns out perfect every time.
I also recently goofed and accidentally used baking powder instead of baking soda, and the resulting cookies were still really yummy. They just ended up being a rounder, thicker cookie, but still nice and golden brown on top and chewy in the middle.
It’s rare for me to make a recipe without “tweaking” it (I’m one of those people…but this one is perfect AS-IS. They taste AMAZING. This recipe is a keeper.
Delicious! I boiled up some of our maple syrup to make maple sugar. Than used it instead of the white granulated sugar. Also used the maple sugar to roll them in before baking and added a sprinkle after they were done baking too! Yum!!!!
I also used our maple syrup instead of molasses! OMG so yummy!!
These cookies are absolutely delicious…
They are gift worthy at Christmas…And throughout the year..
The best!!!
The spice combination makes these an exceptionally good tasting cookies. I’ve tried many different ginger cookies and this has become my go to recipe. Once again I was just asked to make a batch. Thank you for your recipe.
Yay Team Molasses! Super stoked to give these cookies a go (recipe looks flawless!). Molasses is truly an unsung hero in this era! It provides a depth of flavor impossible to synthesize (*cough* poser brown sugar not actually made with molasses!) or replicate. Molasses can go savory or sweet and even sports a few vitamins and minerals. I’d be lost without this scrumptious substance, thanks for sharing the recipe and your love affair for molasses!
#I<3blackstrapmolasses
Great recipe!! Turn out beautiful and chewy. I added a little cayenne pepper just to add a slight touch of heat. Not the same texture as a tea biscuit but reminds me of Fortnum & Mason’s Lucifer biscuit.
Easy and so delicious. I followed the recipe exactly, even refrigerating in an airtight container for 2 hours. Perfect cookies.
I loved these and my chocolate obsessed family said these now trump all other cookies. I added some organic maple extract because I love the combo of ginger and maple and I think it added a great bonus to an already amazing recipe.
I made these cookies probably 5 times last Christmas for the family and they went CRAZY over them. However I just tried to make these this morning and they spread even after chilling the dough overnight. I am not sure if it has to do with altitude or where I live (Just moved from CA to Alaska) or if I missed a measurement (I think I might have added 1 too many TSP of baking soda) but I am going to try again…. maybe I should half the recipe this time. They also look a LOT lighter than the ones I made over Christmas – Any ideas where I went wrong?
i had the same thing happen to me, i think its because she changed the recipe, its written on the bottom
Delicious. I added chopped crystallized ginger as suggested in the discussion. I do think that the prep-time was about 25 minutes with all the add one egg and beat, add another egg and beat, add the molasses and beat, add the dry ingredients gradually etc. Just saying. The time was worth it.
These cookies are amazing!!! I can’t stop eating them. Lol. Thank-you for perfecting this recipe??
For 50 years I’ve been making ginger cookies. I thought I had the best recipe. I was wrong. These are beyond awesome!
Irene in Redmond
I thought I had a great recipe for molasses ginger cookies. Boy, was I wrong. This recipe is undoubtedly the best in my 60 plus years of baking cookies! Thank you so much!
These were great- except next time I’m going to add another 1/2 cup of molasses and more ginger. My family likes a stronger flavoured cookie.
LOVE these!!!!! Didn’t change a thing about the recipe and my hubby says they taste just like Starbucks!!! Thank you so much for this lovely cookie recipe!!
Beautiful cookie excellent flavor!
Perfect! I used the 4 cups of flour, but still at the 375 and the cookies were amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Do you have a preference of baking soda? I bought a new container but I still taste acid. Folks tell me they taste fine, so it could be me. Can I use a little less?
I use baking powder. I know many people say it has to be baking soda to spread properly but to be honest, I cant stand the baking soda taste and my husband doesn’t like it either. I just put a little water on my fingers and press a little on the top of the cookie balls right before baking and they turn out great.
This was a huge hit at work – Thank you they are delicious! I halved the recipe and it still made ~30 cookies in case anyone is wondering.
didn’t have any cloves, so i subbed cardamom. these turned out PERFECTLY and i am an extremely not proficient baker. thank you!!!
These cookies are off the chart good! Thank you for the recipe!
Personally, I’d wait until AFTER the dough has chilled for two hours before pre-heating the oven. But, maybe that’s just me…???
First time making any sort of ginger molasses cookies! I absolutely loved them and can’t stop eating them! Perfectly soft and chewy and I bake them slightly longer for it to have a bit of a crispy edge but still chewy in the middle.
Super wildly delicious. The flattened balls spread quite a bit while baking. I left much more space between the cookies with batch 2 and 3 and they’re perfect. Can’t wait to give these cookies out to friends as gifts once the holidays are here!
Love! Just wondering how long i can keep the batter in the fridge before it turns. Made the dough at about 5, made a dozen plus at 7ish and left the dough in the sealed container. Planning to make more tomorrow and then freeze the remaining dough.
I’ve always been a ginger fan but I was desperate for something to help my morning/all day sickness. These are perfect. My husband, who usually hates any ginger based cookie or bread, has been grabbing them all day. They are so soft and chewy. Holding on to this recipe!
I made these to bring into the office a couple weeks ago and everyone went nuts over them. We live in a wildfire affected area of Northern California and everyone has been super stressed and on edge – most of my coworkers have lost power and many had to be evacuated from their homes. (Everyone is fine and back and home now!) I felt like everyone needed some cookies, and what’s more comforting than molasses cookies? I’m back looking at the page because a coworker just asked me for the recipe so he can recreate them at Thanksgiving and Christmas and thought I would leave the note. Thank you. :)
Incredible recipe!! Question: do you have the bake the cookies and then freeze them? Or can you just freeze the dough?
These cookies were seriously SO GOOD!!! I made a batch and couldn’t believe how amazing they were. They lasted well in a container, I would bake off 12 at a time and just kept the dough in the fridge for a few days. I’m going to make these for a cookie exchange this holiday season.
Really good! Made the dough yesterday and baked a few this afternoon. Lovely! Perfectly spiced and a great soft holiday cookie for my molasses fans. ?
Used dark brown sugar to up the molasses flavour and added the crystallized ginger (glad you mentioned that).
Will be freezing the dough balls and bake off during the holidays. Can’t wait to share these babies!!! ?
Delicious cookie!
Seems silly to preheat the oven at step one when you have to refrigerate the dough. But GREAT COOKIES!
I added fresh grated ginger for some added oomph.