These Spiced Molasses Cookies bake up soft and chewy with just the right amount of warm spice, and the sweet, rich flavor of molasses makes them truly irresistible. The best part is the way they make your whole house smell like cinnamon, ginger, and holiday cheer rolled into one!
These chewy molasses cookies are on heavy rotation throughout December in our home. Whip up a batch on a chilly day, pair them with coffee, and you've hit the jackpot!
If you think these cookies are great, you will LOVE our Soft and Chewy Chai Cookies and our Cookies and Cream Cookies.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients, measurements, and detailed printable recipe instructions can be found in the recipe card located at the bottom of this post.
You will need the following ingredients to make these spiced molasses cookies:
Important Ingredient Notes
- Flour. Measure properly for the best texture.
- Spices. Feel free to adjust the amounts for the ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice according to what you like. Try our cookie butter pie next for a similar flavor profile!
- Butter. This recipe calls for unsalted butter. If using salted butter, be sure to omit the additional salt.
- Brown sugar. You may use either light or dark brown sugar to give these cookies a rich, caramel-like sweetness. Light brown sugar has a lighter, more vanilla-like flavor (see how I use it in my maple pecan blondies), while dark brown sugar has a deeper, more robust flavor.
- Molasses. I recommend a dark molasses such as Grandma's. Do not use blackstrap molasses for these cookies - the flavor is way too intense. And don't miss our apple butter molasses snickerdoodles!
- Vanilla extract. Use good-quality pure vanilla extract for the best flavor.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices in a medium mixing bowl and set aside.
Step 2. Cream the butter and sugars in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 5 to 7 minutes until light and fluffy.
Step 3. Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla to the butter and sugar and mix on medium until combined.
Step 4. Add the flour mixture in two batches and mix until no more streaks of dry flour are visible, scraping down the bowl as needed. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour up to overnight.
Step 5. Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl.
Step 6. Scoop out 1.5 tablespoons of dough for each cookie, roll into balls, and coat in spiced sugar. Place the cookies on a lined baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 9 to 12 minutes.
Hint: Sprinkle little mounds of spiced sugar on top of each cookie ball before they go in the oven for pretty, crackly sugared tops!
Variations
Mix things up with various spices to give these cookies a whole new flavor. Experiment with these cozy spices for your next batch:
- Cardamom - for a complex flavor with herbal, spicy, and floral notes. It adds so much flavor to these cardamom butter cookies!
- Nutmeg - one of my favorite spices! I use it in my southern sweet potato pie, skillet peach cobbler, and several other recipes.
- Black pepper - a small amount gives these cookies a flavor profile similar to that of chai.
Storage
Prepare the molasses cookie dough ahead of time and store it, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The dough can also be frozen for up to six months. Shape the dough into a log or individual cookie balls before freezing.
Leftover spiced molasses cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze leftover cookies and store them for up to 3 months.
Pro Tips for the Best Molasses Cookies
- Measure your flour properly by fluffing the flour with a fork, using a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup, and leveling it off with a knife. You can also use a kitchen scale for precise baking.
- Prevent cookies from spreading too much by chilling dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before baking.
- Do not sit your baking sheet on top of the oven while it is preheating. This can cause it to become too warm and will cause the cookies to spread.
- Do not substitute different-sized eggs. This can affect the moisture ratio in the batter and will affect the texture of your cookies.
Recipe FAQs
Molasses is a byproduct of making sugar from sugarcane or sugar beets. The process goes through three boiling cycles and with each cycle, a different type of molasses is created. The lighter the molasses, the sweeter the flavor.
Dark molasses such as Grandma's or Brer Rabbit work best for these molasses cookies. You can also use light molasses if you prefer a less intense molasses flavor. Blackstrap is too intense for this recipe.
The main difference between these spiced molasses cookies and gingerbread cookies is the texture. Gingerbread cookies, also known as gingersnap cookies, have a crispier and snappier (hence the name) texture than chewy molasses cookies. Also, molasses cookies typically contain less ginger than gingerbread cookies.
More Cookies You Will Love!
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📖 Recipe
Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 1 cup unsalted butter - softened (two sticks)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar - or dark brown, packed
- 1 large egg - room temperature
- ⅓ cup molasses - such as Grandma's
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour - (375g) spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Spiced Sugar (for rolling cookies)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper and set it aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice and set aside.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high (a speed of 6-8 on a stand mixer) for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the butter and sugars are light and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl down a few times to ensure everything gets incorporated.
- Add the egg, molasses, and vanilla to the bowl with the butter and sugar. Beat on low, gradually increasing speed to medium, and mix until all of the ingredients are fully combined.
- Add the flour mixture to the bowl with the butter mixture in two batches and mix until no more steaks of dry flour are visible. Start on low speed and gradually increase to medium-high, scraping down the bowl as needed.
- Wrap the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour up to overnight. If chilling overnight, set the dough on the counter for about 15 minutes before scooping.
- Whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and ginger in a small bowl. Scoop out balls of dough into your palm using a 1.5 tablespoon-sized cookie scoop, and use both hands to form them into neat round balls. A larger cookie scoop will yield fewer cookies. Roll each dough ball into the spiced sugar, coating all sides, then transfer the cookies to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them an inch or more apart.
- Bake cookies for 9 to 12 minutes, or until the edges are set. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.
Notes
- Measure your flour properly by fluffing the flour with a fork, using a spoon to scoop it into the measuring cup, and leveling it off with a knife. You can also use a kitchen scale for precise baking.
- Prevent cookies from spreading too much by chilling dough in the refrigerator for at least an hour before baking.
- Do not sit your baking sheet on top of the oven while it is preheating. This can cause it to become too warm and will cause the cookies to spread.
- Do not substitute different-sized eggs. This can affect the moisture ratio in the batter and will affect the texture of your cookies.
- Leftover spiced molasses cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze leftover cookies and store them for up to 3 months.
Marilyn Wilcox
I would love to know how to do a similar cookie with GF flour. I am celiac and miss my grandma's molasses cookies. You said the cookie needs more protein (I'm assuming the wheat protein). Can you suggest alterations? I love Red's cup for cup GF flour. Thank you.
Ashley Boyd
Hi Marilyn,
I have not tried a gluten-free version of this recipe but I have baked other goods with Bob's Red Mill all-purpose gluten-free baking flour and they turned out delicious! Just note that you do have to add xanthan gum when baking with this flour. Instructions for how much to add are included on the package. Please let me know how your cookies turn out!
Sophie
Hi Marilyn,
This is my second time making these cookies. The first time was with regular all purpose wheat flour. This time I used Bob's Red Mill All Purpose gluten free flour 1:1 and added Xantham gum as indicated in the package and these turned out pretty similar as those made with wheat flour. It's just day one but I would say just as good.
Ashley Boyd
I am happy to know that the gluten-free flour worked out. Thank you for trying the recipe!