Ginger-Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

By Alison Roman

Ginger-Molasses Cookies Recipe (1)

Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,684)
Notes
Read community notes

Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or slicing these cookies, this rich, soft dough is perfect for rolling into balls and coating in coarse sugar before baking. The dough can even be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or baked 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 dozen cookies

  • 3cups/435 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon ground allspice
  • cups/341 grams (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾cup/177 milliliters molasses
  • ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • About ¾ cup/165 grams pearl, Demerara or coarse sugar, for rolling
  • Do ahead: Cookie dough can be made 5 days ahead, refrigerated. Bring dough to room temperature before rolling. Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

249 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 105 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Ginger-Molasses Cookies Recipe (2)

Preparation

  1. Step

    1

    In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and allspice.

  2. Step

    2

    In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter, molasses and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined, again stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary.

  3. Add dry ingredients all at once, and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

  4. Step

    4

    Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm enough to roll.

  5. Step

    5

    Heat oven to 325 degrees.

  6. Step

    6

    Using your hands, roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll them in coarse sugar. (Sanding sugar is festive, but turbinado or coarse sugar will do the trick as well.) If dough becomes too soft to roll, put back in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Place balls on a parchment-lined baking tray 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are puffed, golden brown around the edges and baked through and the tops spring back slightly when touched, 12 to 15 minutes.

Ratings

4

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1,684

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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Becky

I have a similar recipe and it freezes fine in balls.
By the time the oven is hot, the balls are thawed enough to roll in sugar and bake.
I also press the dough into a 9 x 9 pan lined with plastic wrap and chill, then cut into 1" pieces and roll into balls, they are even and it is easier than scooping.

Chris M.

I made these slightly smaller than golf balls and wound up with 47 cookies. They stayed soft for a week. Flavors became more robust as the week went on. I will definitely make these again. People raved about them.

Shef

When you make and eat cookies, they should be delicious and rewarding. These cookies are just OK, the flavor is weighted too heavy on the molasses side, leaving the ginger to beg for attention. They are light enough (even with all that butter), but that's where the unrewarding part comes in, its a bland, dissolve in your mouth texture. I also found the rolling in sugar makes them too sweet.
I won't make these again. A Cara Cara orange for dessert is way better than these.

Patty

The Silver Palate original cookbook. Molasses cookies

Emily

Try the Chewy Molasses Cookies from Bon Appetit, December 2013. Along with cinnamon and ginger, they have cardamom.

Megan

I would make it again but add double the ginger and allspice. They lacked the bite I expected. Also, these are very soft cookies so if you're really looking for that ginger "snap" look elsewhere.

Katinka

These didn't turn out well for me. They were puffy and not chewy at all as has been the case with other molasses cookies I've made. What went wrong?

iniville

If you use candied ginger, increases the spices, and use pomegranate molasses these cookies have a rich, complex flavor I’ve never found in any other recipe. I will make these again.

Katie

Less molasses more brown sugar and use of baking soda instead of baking powder!

Rick

How about something with out 3/4 pound of butter?

Barbara

If you want a fantastic ginger/molasses cookie, try Alison Roman's Chocolate Molasses Cookie with fresh grated ginger. Quick and easy to make, you can't eat just one.

Mark

Makes a wonderful "cake" style cookie - soft and crumbley. I halved the recipe easily. I thought the spice was nice and subtle and crowd pleasing. Roll the dough into balls after being chilled, roll the balls all over in sugar, and bake the balls without flattening. These instructions felt odd but they turned out perfectly.

Mary

Country Raisin Gingersnaps: Yield: 24 3/4 Cup shortening 1 Cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 Cup molasses 2 1/4 Cups flour 2 Teaspoons baking soda 1 Teaspoon salt 1 Teaspoon ginger 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 Teaspoon cloves 1 1/2 Cups raisins or Zante currantsCream together shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices; add to creamed mixture. Mix in raisins. Chill dough 1/2 hr. Roll into 1” balls. Place 2” apart on greased pan. 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Mike

Ground ginger and powdered ginger are two different things. The recipe calls for ground ginger, which is available in stores. The video shows powdered ginger, which is much blander and less sharp. And I always wonder now when I read comments, are these people using fresh spices? Are they using 20 year old spices? Makes a big difference in a recipe like this one.

Mary Sayler

Would cloves help instead of allspice. Most recipes for this kind of cookie have cloves. I find that gives them some zap.

KM in NW

These were not chewy, but cake like, and they tasted bitter. I followed the recipe carefully as I was looking for the perfect ginger molasses cookie. I won't make this again.

Ruth

Not a lot of flavor and too cakey. I was expecting more of a chewy/crisp hybrid.

Making cookies and wondering…_

In the beat the butter/sugar step, how will this be “pale” if you are using molasses?

Amy

I added chopped candied ginger and they were a big hit!

Joyce, Highlands, NC

Great flavor. Definitely keep the dough cold. The balls spread so space them far apart.

Joyce

Happened to have candied ginger on hand, and based on comments, I chopped it fine and added it into the sugar roll. Nicely gingery and quite delicious.

Mona

I enjoy these cookies, but mine didn't get chewy. What did I do wrong? Did I beat the batter too long and hard? Thank you!

Natalie

These are very cakey, not chewy the way you might expect a ginger molasses cookie to be. Not terrible, but not what I was looking for.

krista

strange, cakey cookies that close to burnt on the bottom while remaining practically raw in the center despite only cooking for 12 minutes at 325. I’ve never had a ginger molasses cookie like this in my life, almost certainly wouldn’t make these again

sarah

I would not make these again. I make a lot of cookies and these were very lackluster. Molasses overpowers this recipe. Baking time should be longer and higher temp. Not enough spices.

llamakana

This is a cakey cookie, not my preference but fine as is.

atl mom

This one misses the mark. Followed the recipe exactly and the texture is just off. I bumped up the temperature to 375 and that helped but there are much better recipes for ginger cookies out there.

Sage

I have my go to recipe for perfect ginger molasses cookies. Tried this one. Followed the recipe and doubled the spices per reviews. They are a dry cake like cookie. No snap no crunch. They’re ok.

joyceann

It wasn’t until the dough was made that I remembered I told myself not to make these cookies again! Both times the cookies flattened like pancakes…I could not get the structure right…the 3/4lb of butter doesn’t help…but now I WILL remember….don’t bake these again !!!!

Fresh Ginger

I subbed a 1/4 cup fresh ginger loosely packed for the ground ginger

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Ginger-Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why didn t my ginger molasses cookies crack? ›

Why don't my molasses cookies crack? Molasses cookie dough won't have those signature cracks on top if the dough is too wet. The cracks happen when the surface of the dough dries up. Rolling in sugar really helps this because the sugar binds the moisture and dries out the dough.

Why are my ginger molasses cookies flat? ›

Why are my ginger molasses cookies flat? In my experience, this may happen if a high fat/butter cookie dough has not had enough time to chill before baking.

What happens if you add too much molasses to cookies? ›

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

What is the best molasses for baking cookies? ›

Medium Or Dark Molasses

“This is ultimately my first choice of molasses,” Bourdon said. “It adds enough bold flavor and sweet notes with a hint of bitterness to any recipe, which is exactly what you want for making gingerbread cookies.”

How do I get my cookies to crack? ›

The means that as the cookie expands, it starts to crack the dry surface. For this to happen, you need to dry the surface of the cookie by coating them in sugar, use sufficient leavening for the cookie to rise, and bake in a hot oven.

How do you fix cracked gingerbread dough? ›

Chilling it for at least two hours or overnight gives the ingredients a chance to absorb one another, making it a whole lot easier to roll out the dough without it cracking. Follow this tip: Let the dough chill in the refrigerator, well-wrapped, for at least two hours or overnight before rolling it out.

What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›

Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.

How to tell when molasses cookies are done? ›

Easy to Notice Signs:
  1. Golden Brown Edges – Check the edges of the cookies for a golden brown colour. This indicates that the cookies have caramelized and are likely done. ...
  2. Set Centres – Gently touch the centre of a cookie. ...
  3. Light Cracking – Look for light cracks on the surface of the cookies.
Oct 18, 2023

Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›

“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”

Can I skip molasses in cookies? ›

Molasses makes these cookies from Dorie Greenspan delightfully chewy, so you'll want to replace it with another liquid sweetener who could accomplish a similar feat. Try honey or sorghum, a combo of dark corn syrup and brown sugar, or a combo of dark corn syrup and maple syrup.

What makes cookies fluffy and not flat? ›

Flour adds fluff and texture to the cookies. Adding too little flour can cause cookies to be flat, greasy, and crispy. Most recipes assume you'll use all-purpose, but if you want a lighter, crumblier cookie texture, choose one with a lower protein content such as cake-and-pastry flour.

Why are my molasses cookies so hard? ›

Bake soft molasses cookies on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. It's very important to not over bake the cookies or they will be hard and dry instead of soft and chewy. To check for doneness, open oven and gently push the side of a cookie with your finger or utensil.

Which is better, sulphured or unsulphured molasses? ›

Molasses made from ripe sugar cane is called unsulfured molasses because it has no additives. If green, unripe sugarcane is used, it is treated with sulfur dioxide first to preserve it. It can leave a chemical taste in the mouth, so we recommend looking for unsulfured molasses whenever possible.

Why do my molasses cookies go flat? ›

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure. Therefore, as the butter spreads so does the whole liquidy cookie.

Why won't my molasses cookies crack? ›

First, if the dough is too wet, the cracks won't appear because the cracks occur as the surface of the dough dries out. Make sure to measure all the ingredients accurately. The other possible reason for no cracking is if the dough is too warm. You want the dough to be chilled when it goes into the oven to bake.

How to get cracks in ginger cookies? ›

A heavy amount of baking soda interacts with the molasses in this recipe to encourage spread. This allows cracks in the dough to develop where moisture escapes, creating that beautiful crackled appearance and crunchy texture. Ensure your baking soda is fresh and active – learn more about that here.

How to get cracks on ginger biscuits? ›

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  1. Don't overmix the dough otherwise gluten will. ...
  2. The oven should be hot enough. ...
  3. Use both baking powder and bicarbonate of soda. ...
  4. Avoid opening the oven before the biscuits are well. ...
  5. There has to be corn or golden syrup added to the. ...
  6. If you want the biscuits to be soft instead of.
Oct 29, 2021

What makes gingerbread cookies crack on top? ›

Why did my gingerbread cookies crack? Cracks usually occur when the flour has been over-scooped (resulting in a drier dough) or the dough was rolled too thickly. If the dough is too soft, you can get cracking. If you roll too thickly, you can get cracking.

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