I love making Christmas cookies, and these soft molasses cookies are some of my favorite. These cookies, sometimes known as soft ginger cookies or old fashioned molasses cookies, are incredibly tender and perfectly spiced, making them loved by many.
Chewy Molasses Cookies to Love
Whenever I set out to try a new cookie recipe, I try to approach it with enthusiasm. Most of the time, there’s also a bit of apprehension.
Everybody claims they have the best cookie recipe, but I’ve tried out some of those “best” cookie recipes before, and they weren’t always a hit in my opinion.
I know how tempting it is to label a cookie such; I’ve done it myself too.
For example, I tried a bunch of chocolate chip cookie recipes, tweaking and playing around with them before I created, what I consider, the perfect batch.
Making a new cookie, even something as simple as these soft and chewy molasses cookies, can induce a bit of nervous anticipation.
I’m here to tell you, however, that these cookies are an absolute dream.
You really can’t mess up these soft molasses cookies. I’ve baked these with little ones and I’ve baked these with people who never really bake; they always turn out great.
I know it sounds hypocritical to say, but these old-fashioned chewy molasses cookies are some of the best molasses cookies I’ve ever had.
Spice Cookies
One of the reasons these soft molasses cookies are the perfect holiday treat is because of the spiced quality and the inclusion of, well, molasses.
Ironically, I’m not usually the type of person who enjoys spice cookies. Aside from my soft gingerbread cookies, I tend to avoid buying a box of ginger cookies, aka ginger snap cookies, at the store.
I just find that commercially-made, ginger-based treats have far too much ginger for my liking.
That’s also why I was apprehensive to try ginger cookies at home.
When I found a recipe for these soft molasses cookies, however, my faith was restored. I realized I could recreate that great chewy texture and holiday flavor of ginger cookies without the overpowering ginger flavor.
Soft Molasses Cookie Recipe
The best way to describe the flavor of these soft ginger molasses cookies is to tell you that they’re a cross between a gingerbread cookie and a teddy graham.
They’ve got the holiday spice of gingerbread, but it’s slightly muted thanks to the buttery flavor of a teddy graham.
These soft molasses cookies are ultra chewy and soft in the center and slightly crisp on the outside. And they’ll all be eaten before you know it.
I haven’t met a person who didn’t love these cookies.
Plus, these cookies are so easy to make. You don’t have to roll out the dough or use any cookie cutters, which means there’s also no decorating involved.
To make these easy molasses cookies, you simply need less than half an hour of your time, and that includes the bake time!
When they come out of the oven, they’re ready to be eaten and shared.
For an extra special touch, you can always make these soft molasses cookies with icing as well.
If I’m taking these cookies for a cookie exchange, I’ll often follow the recipe exactly as it’s written here, but add one additional step of making royal icing.
Royal icing, which can be found in my gingerbread cookie recipe, is basically just whipped egg whites with powdered sugar. I’ll dip about 1/3 of each cookie into royal icing for a fancy finish.
Here are a few tips for making these soft molasses cookies:
- Make sure your butter is simply softened, not melted. To soften butter, either leave it out on the counter overnight or several hours ahead of time. If you want to be a pastry rebel (who doesn’t?!), you can pop the butter into the microwave for 5 second intervals until softened. Check on the butter every 5 seconds to make sure the butter doesn’t actually melt but rather just softens.
- While the amount of molasses in this recipe isn’t as much as a gingerbread cookie, don’t be fooled into thinking you can omit the molasses. These are molasses cookies, after all, and the molasses is still an integral part!
- If you live in a really warm environment and you’re worried about flat cookies, you can use a famous cookie baking trick of chilling your dough before baking. To get that extra puffy appearance, pop your pan of rolled cookie dough balls into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill before baking.
- If you decide to add royal icing to your soft molasses cookies, make sure you let them completely cool before doing so.
Looking for more great Christmas cookies? Try my linzer cookies, chocolate peppermint macarons, or French Christmas cookies!
Soft Molasses Cookies
Yield: 30
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 9 minutes
Total Time: 24 minutes
Ultra soft and chewy ginger cookies rolled in sugar.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 2 tbsp molasses
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp salt
- white sugar for rolling cookies in
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cream the butter and brown sugar together for about 1 minute using a stand mixer, electric mixer, or simply a rubber spatula.
- Add in the egg, molasses and honey; mix well until combined.
- Pour in the dry ingredients; stir until incorporated.
- Roll the cookie dough into balls, then roll the balls in a shallow bowl filled with some white granulated sugar.
- Bake on a cookie sheet fitted with a piece of parchment paper or a silicone mat for 9 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies rest on the baking sheet for another 3 to 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 30Serving Size: 30 Servings
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 113
