The best recipe for soft ginger molasses cookies featuring molasses along with warm and cozy spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves! A homemade cookie perfect for the holidays and heartfelt gifts.
Gingersnap cookies were a childhood favorite of mine, and my grandma always had them ready and waiting when we would come to visit. They were out of the ordinary and a far cry from the chocolate chip cookies we were accustomed to at home. Crunchy and spicy, warm and cozy -- the gingersnap cookie was indeed a nostalgic favorite of my childhood, and they were the inspiration for these bestselling Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies.
GINGER SNAPS VS. CHEWY GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES
Gingersnap cookies and ginger molasses cookies are not the same. Gingersnaps, living up to their name, snap when you bite into them...or at least give off a decent crunch. Ginger molasses cookies, on the other hand, are soft and chewy cookies. Though the texture is different, the flavor profile is very similar, and they both have a pronounced ginger spice to them, as well as undertones of molasses, cloves, and cinnamon.
You can count on this Molasses Cookie Recipe to result in the "warm and cozies." The kind of cookie that fills the heart and reminds you of family. Reminiscent of the nostalgic gingersnap, only there is no snap to be heard. Instead, an incredibly soft and chewy cookie with great big molasses flavor.
HOW TO MAKE CHEWY GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES
Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies are easy to make, with a drop cookie dough, and no chilling or rolling required. Just a simple mix of ingredients and a trip to the oven is all you need for perfectly chewy Ginger Molasses cookies.
The spices used in Soft Molasses Cookies, in combination with the deeply flavored, sweet molasses is what makes them so very perfect for the holidays. The sticky molasses and brown sugar within the cookie is partially what makes them so chewy in texture, and the canola oil keeps them incredibly soft and moist.
MOLASSES COOKIE RECIPE QUICKVIEW
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, and spices.
- Mix brown sugar, molasses, oil, and egg.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
- Scoop and bake.
For another holiday favorite, be sure to try our pumpkin chocolate chip cookies!
FREEZING GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES
You can store your baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature, and they will stay fresh for up to 3-4 days. To preserve them longer, you can also freeze the cookies after baking. Actually, both ginger molasses cookies and ginger molasses cookie dough can be frozen.
Once your cookies have baked and cooled, simply place them in a freezer-safe zip top bag, taking care to press out any excess air. You can store them baked in the freezer for up to 2 months. You could also freeze them in a freezer-safe, airtight storage container, just be sure the container fits the cookies snugly, and there is not a ton of room for air to circulate around them.
HOW TO FREEZE THE DOUGH
You can freeze Soft Ginger Molasses Cookie dough balls, and pull off a batch of freshly baked ginger cookies any day of the week, completely on a whim!
To freeze the cookie dough, transfer the dough balls to a snug, airtight, freezer-safe container, separate each layer of cookie dough with double-folded sheets of wax paper or parchment paper, and seal. Ginger molasses cookie dough is slightly sticky so the paper between each layer is necessary. Bake within 2 months for best results.
5 MORE HOLIDAY COOKIE RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE
- Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with a fudgy, melty interior and loaded with chocolate chips are the perfect holiday cookie for any and all chocolate lovers!
- Snickerdoodle Cookies are the perfect cookie for sinking your teeth into come the holidays! Featuring a thick, super soft Snickerdoodle cookie with big cinnamon flavor.
- Mexican Wedding Cookies are a buttery, melt in your mouth cookie rolled in powdered sugar and full of finely chopped pecans!
- Thumbprint Hershey Kiss Cookies are bite-sized peanut butter blossoms made for gifting (and snacking) come the holidays! They're soft and chewy, and loads of fun for baking with kids!
- Christmas Sugar Cookies with Sugar Cookie Icing feature a homemade sugar cookie dough and an easy buttercream frosting. A truly beautiful holiday recipe that can be adapted for any celebration!
Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons canola oil
- ⅓ cup dark molasses
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup coarse sugar crystals if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325° and have ready a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a Silpat.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Set aside until ready to use.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the sugar, oil, molasses and egg. Mix on medium speed until well-combined. If you do not have a stand mixer, use a large mixing bowl and a handheld mixer.
- With the mixer on low, begin adding in the dry ingredients a little at a time until all has been incorporated. Take a moment to scoop up any dough from the bottom of the bowl, and bring it up and over the top. Resume mixing on low speed for about 30 seconds to a minute more. This step ensures all ingredients are thoroughly combined.
- Have sugar crystals ready in a small bowl. Scoop out a tablespoon of dough and form into a ball. Roll the top half in the sugar and place at least 1 inch apart on parchment paper.
- Bake 14 minutes, remove from the oven and set atop a cooling rack. Allow to cool 5-10 minutes, serve and enjoy.
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Shashi at SavorySpin says
I could do some serious damage to a batch of these! So sinfully scrumptious!
Caitlyn Erhardt says
These look so delicious! I will be adding these to my Christmas cookie make list!
Danielle says
oh those cookies look perfect! Great for some Christmas baking.
Lauren Vavala @ DeliciousLittleBites says
I always make the same cookies during the holidays, but I've already decided I'm going to add a few new ones. These will be a huge hit with my family!
Sonia says
What a gorgeous bake!! They are simply looking outstanding... loved the recipe it's so easy .. can't wait to try it!
Liz Durham says
I made these today and they are tastey, fragrant and full of flavor. Great Christmas cookies .
Kelly Anthony says
Liz! That just makes my day 🙂 Thank you so much for telling me!!! XOXOX
Jan says
I can't use the canola oil. Would I be able to substitute corn oil, or shortening?
Kelly Anthony says
Hi Jan! You could use vegetable oil! Really, any flavorless oil should be ok 😉
Erin Porter says
Just made these for the third or fourth year now and they are, hands down, my favorite cookie! And impossible to mess up, because I’m not a baker and they’re perfect every time. The recipe also doubles easily in a stand mixer, which is pure gold during Christmas.
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you so much, Erin! 🙂
Barbara says
These are a Pinterest-win!! Made them the other day. Took them out after 14 minutes, but were still underdone, so I put them back in for another 15 minutes and they were perfect!! Also, just thought I’d let you and others know that they turn out differently on a Silpat vs. parchment paper. Thanks again for this great recipe!!
Kelly Anthony says
Thank you, Barbara!
Leann Teckenbrock says
I just baked these cookies, I used olive oil instead of the canola oil. I added the 1/2 cup sugar in the dough.
I rolled the 1 tsp or so off dough in colored sugar crystals. This cookie is amazing! Thank you for the recipe.
Leann
Kelly Anthony says
hank you, Leann!
Alicia J Hoffman says
I made these scrumptious cookies tonight, and I wish I could give more than a 5 star rating! These are so deliciously spiced and came out of the oven at 14 minutes looking perfectly plump and cracked. They do lose their plumpness after cooling, but retain the beautiful cracks and are very soft! My husband HATES hard cookies, and he gave these a rave review! Thanks for a great recipe I plan to make every christmas from now on!
Kamie Moore says
I am glad yall loved them! Thank you, Alicia! 🙂
Joel says
I love baking. For the first times I love seeing the video as I lie to follow to the letter and want to follow your specific technique.
The cookies come out perfect and delicious.
Thank you
Kamie Moore says
Thank you, Joel!
Mundeli says
I'm an infrequent sweets baker, so I made the recipe exactly as described.
My one suggestion to make this recipe even better:
DOUBLE ALL INGREDIENTS!
These are so good they didn't last long at all.
Dead simple, fast, eating fresh, delicious cookies in under 45minutes?
I say, "Yeah, bring--it--on!"