Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

These soft ginger molasses cookies are delicious and easy to make.  No mixer needed! They are moist and slightly chewy.

If you love my soft cinnamon cookies and soft pumpkin spice cookies, I am sure you’ll enjoy this soft molasses cookie recipe too. These cookies are as easy as to make my popular chocolate cookies with cocoa powder.

This recipe is great for holiday baking.   The spices I use in these cookies are perfect for Fall and Winter season. Your house will smell so nice with these warm spices; ginger, cinnamon and cloves. 

The Ingredients for  Molasses Cookies

• All-purpose Flour
• Butter-I use melted butter to give moisture
• Granulated Sugar
• Egg-creates structure
• Ginger, ground cinnamon, cloves– you can use allspice if you don’t have cloves
• Molasses-I use unsulphured full flavor molasses
• Baking powder, baking soda-leaveners

You don’t need to chill the dough before baking as long as you are not working in a very hot environment.   If your kitchen is extremely hot, the cookie dough may spread when you make the balls, and then the cookies will spread as well after baked. 

If your cookie dough balls spread, you should chill the dough for some time around 10 to 30 minutes depending on the environment you are working.  Our aim is to make thick cookies in this recipe which will give us moist and slightly chewy cookies.

How to Store These Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

You can store these cooled cookies in an airtight container up to a week, and freeze up to 3 months.

If you want to make these cookies ahead, you can keep the well-wrapped cookie dough in the fridge up to 3 days. If you want to freeze these cookies, it is better if you roll them into balls before placing them into the freezer.  When you want to bake, you can let them come to room temperature and bake as the recipe states.

Which Molasses Do I Use to Make Ginger Molasses Cookies?

I use unsulphured full flavor molasses.  “Full flavor” or also known as “dark” is the second stage of the boiling process of sugarcane juice where more sugar is extracted from the juice. 

In the first stage, less sugar is extracted whereas in the last stage too much sugar is extracted from the juice which makes it less sweet.  I prefer the second stage.

If you want to read more about molasses, you can read my How to Make Brown Sugar at Home & Different Types of Molasses post.

Now let’s see how I make these easy molasses cookies with step by step pictures.  

How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies

First, I melt the butter halfway over medium heat.  Then I take the butter from the heat and stir.  This way the butter cools quickly. I pour the melted butter in a large bowl and set aside.

Later, I mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl.  I set aside the bowl.

Then, I mix sugar with melted butter. After that I mix in the egg and then I add the molasses and mix.

Finally, I mix in the flour in 2-3 batches.  I start to mix with my whisk and then I use a spoon or spatula to mix it easily.  The dough is not too sticky, easy to work with.  I don’t chill the dough and start to make balls out of the dough. If you work in a very hot environment you may need to chill the dough.

I roll the dough into 40 grams(2 tablespoons) balls.  It makes 17 cookies.  If you want, you can make a little bit smaller balls, 35 grams and make 20 cookies.

I place the balls onto the baking sheet, leaving enough space-almost 2 inches (5cm)-between the balls. (If you work in a very hot place, when you put the balls on to the baking sheet, the balls may spread, this means you need to chill the dough for some time.)

Then I bake for 8-9 minutes until the cookies are slightly set.  These cookies look puffy when I remove them from the oven.  I wait for almost 1-2 minutes to let the puffiness go away a little bit.  Then I use the back of my spoon and gently press to the sides that stay puffy.  I keep the cookies on the baking sheet for almost 15 minutes until they are firm enough.

That’s all! Enjoy your deliciously spiced cookies!

More Recipes with Fall Spices

• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
• Caramel Apple Bundt Cake
• Lemon Curd Thumbprint Cookies
• Caramel Apple Bars
• Apple Pie Bars Recipe

Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

These soft ginger molasses cookies are delicious and easy to make. No mixer needed! No chilling required! These cookies are soft in the middle and crispy at the edges!

5 from 10 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Cookies, Dessert

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 9 minutes

Total Time: 19 minutes

Servings: 17 cookies

Calories: 172kcal

Author: Meymi

Ingredients

• ▢ 280 g  (2 cups) all-purpose flour (dip and sweep)*
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• ▢ 1 and ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cloves**
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ 150 g (⅔ cup) unsalted butter
• ▢ 150 g (¾ cup) granulated sugar
• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 60 g (¼ cup) unsulphured molasses

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 325°F(165C°). Line baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat. Set aside.
• Melt the butter halfway over medium heat. Take the butter from the heat and stir. This way the butter cools quickly.  Pour the melted butter in a large bowl and set aside to cool.
• Mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and baking powder in a medium bowl. Set aside the bowl.
• Pour the sugar over melted butter and stir with a whisk until combined. 
• Add the egg and whisk until combined. Add the molasses and mix until combined. 
• Mix in the flour in 2-3 batches. The dough will not be too sticky, it will be easy to work with.  Roll the dough into 40 grams(2 tablespoons) balls.  It makes 17 cookies. If you are not working in a very hot environment there is no need to chill the dough.*** If you want, you can make a little bit smaller balls, 35 grams and make 20 cookies. Place the balls onto the baking sheet, leave enough space-almost 2 inches (5cm)-between the balls.
• Bake for 8-9 minutes or until the cookies are just slightly set. The cookies will be too soft to handle. Remove the cookies from the oven.  Wait for almost 1-2 minutes to let the puffiness go away a little bit. Using a spoon, press the cookies to give their shape. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 15 minutes or until the cookies are firm enough.  Keep in an airtight container to keep their softness.

Notes

*You can click here for dip and sweep method if you use cup measurements.

** These cookies are so yummy with allspice too.  If you don't have cloves, you can use the same amount of allspice. 

**You don’t need to chill the dough before baking as long as you are not working in a very hot environment.   If your kitchen is extremely hot, the cookie dough may spread when you make the balls and then the cookies will spread as well when baked.  So if your cookie dough balls spread, this means you should chill the dough for some time around 10 to 30 minutes depending on the environment you are working.

How to Store These Soft Cookies: You can store these cooled cookies in an airtight container up to a week, and freeze up to 3 months. 

If you want to make these cookies ahead, you can keep the well-wrapped cookie dough in the fridge up to 3 days. If you want to freeze these cookies, it is better if you roll them into balls before placing them into the freezer.  When you want to bake, you can let the balls come to room temperature and bake as the recipe states.

The calorie information above is an estimate that is provided by an online nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal

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Update Notes:  I originally shared this recipe on Oct 31, 2018.  Today I republish it with extra information and one extra new picture.   I keep the recipe same.