Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
These Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies feature a perfect balance of warming spices and rich molasses in a tender, chewy cookie with a crackled sugar coating. They’re holiday comfort in bite-sized form—easy to make but impossible to forget.
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened (room temperature is key for proper creaming)
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- ¼ cup molasses unsulphured molasses recommended for best flavor
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare your oven and ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Make sure your butter and egg are at room temperature for the best results.
- Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until well combined. This ensures the spices will be evenly distributed throughout your cookies.
- Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Don’t rush this step—proper creaming creates the perfect cookie texture.
- Add the wet ingredients. Beat in the egg until fully incorporated, then add the molasses and vanilla extract. The mixture might look slightly curdled, but that’s completely normal.
- Combine wet and dry mixtures gradually. Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients in three batches, mixing on low speed just until combined after each addition. Avoid overmixing, which can make your cookies tough.
- Chill the dough if needed. If the dough feels too sticky to handle, refrigerate it for 30 minutes. A slightly chilled dough is easier to work with and helps prevent excessive spreading.
- Shape and coat the cookies. Place about ¼ cup of granulated sugar in a small bowl. Roll the dough into 1½-inch balls, then roll each ball in the sugar until completely coated.
- Arrange and bake properly. Place the coated dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look soft and slightly underdone.
- Allow for proper cooling. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes (they’ll continue cooking slightly from residual heat), then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- For extra flavor dimension, try adding ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper to the dry ingredients.
- The cookies will appear puffy when first removed from the oven but will settle and create those characteristic crackles as they cool.
- Store in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain softness for up to 5 days.
- The dough can be frozen for up to 3 months—roll into balls, freeze on a baking sheet, then transfer to a freezer bag. Bake directly from frozen, adding 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
- For a more pronounced molasses flavor, use dark molasses instead of light (but avoid blackstrap, which can be too bitter).