Soft ginger molasses cookies that are chewy on the inside and crisp around the edges. Full of irresistible ginger flavor these warm spiced cookies are a holiday favorite.
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Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
If you’re looking for the perfect Christmas cookies for your next cookie exchange or holiday party, these soft molasses cookies are it! They come together in just 30 minutes and taste incredible. They’re everything you want in a holiday dessert!
As much as I love gingerbread man cookies and gingerbread bars, these cookies are a little more mild and less spicy. Their sweet and comforting taste pairs perfectly with a cup of hot chocolate.
This ginger molasses cookie recipe might remind you of a snickerdoodle with it’s soft and chewy inside and crisp edges. They are perfect to include on your next Christmas dessert board!
Recipe Ingredients
Chewy ginger molasses cookies recipe ingredients are made with mostly all pantry staple ingredients you may already have on hand!
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Butter: Soften your unsalted butter by leaving it on your counter top until it reaches room temperature.
- Brown sugar: Pack the light brown sugar into the measuring cup to get all the sweetness and softness added into your cookies.
- Egg: Large eggs are best but if you have small or medium you can use two. This will increase the softness of your cookies.
- Molasses: This is well worth the purchase! There are a few other molasses cookie recipes but you can even store molasses for a few years before it goes bad.
- Flour: All-purpose flour worked best for these cookies and helps with the texture when baking.
- Baking soda: Adds the fluff on the cookies and helps hold the shape while baking.
- Seasoning: Ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves are always a holiday season you know is going to taste amazing in dishes. Plan to have these seasonings on hand throughout this time of year.
- Sugar: Only need a little bit since this is for the end when you roll the cookie dough before placing on the cookie sheet.
Variations + Decorations for Molasses Cookies
There are lots of fun ways to decorate these ginger molasses cookies. I personally love the chocolate-dipped version and my kids loved the dipped version with sprinkles.
- Molasses cookies rolled in sugar: Before baking, you can roll the dough balls in granulated sugar. They taste like a mix between a snickerdoodle and gingerbread. Seriously the best combination!
- Chocolate-drizzled: Drizzling the gingerdoodles with white chocolate over the top really takes these cookies up a notch! The melted white chocolate chips adds the perfect touch of sweetness and looks amazing.
- Chocolate-dipped: I also love to dip them in white chocolate (and maybe drizzle on even more chocolate). It makes them look a little fancier! It would also be fun to use red or green chocolate candy melts to drizzle over the white dipped portion.
- Chocolate-dipped with holly berries: I absolutely love adding holly berries to the white chocolate. They make the gingerdoodles SO fun and festive…don’t they look like they came from a local bakery?! Your guests will go crazy over these!
- Chocolate-dipped with sprinkles: And of course, how could you forget sprinkles! Feel free to top the chocolate dipped portion with confetti sprinkles. This variation is a big hit with my kids and is so cute!
How to Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
These soft molasses cookies are always a family favorite during the Christmas season.
- Dry ingredients. Combine all the dry ingredients into a glass bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
- Dough. In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or hand mixer, combine the butter and sugar, then cream for one minute. Add in egg and beat until smooth. Then add in molasses and mix just until combined. Place remaining dry ingredients into a sifter (or whisk in a bowl), then add to wet mixture. Mix until combined.
- Roll. Using a medium cookie scoop, roll cookie dough into balls. Add granulated sugar to a shallow bowl then roll the balls into the sugar until coated. Place cookie dough balls on a lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake. Bake at 375°F for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the pan 5 minutes before moving to cooling wire racks.
Expert Tips
- If making these plain (without rolling them in sugar), you can put the dough in the refrigerator for 15 minutes before baking to make them bake a little fluffier.
- Avoid cookies spreading too much by only using softened butter, not melted.
- For more ginger taste add some chopped crystallized ginger. It also adds a nice crunch!
- For a crunchy cookie with the same flavor, try this gingersnap cookie recipe!
5 star review
“These are delicious! I made these for neighbors gifts this holiday season and got rave reviews. Seriously one of my favorite holiday cookies!”
– Lindsay
Recipe FAQs
More than anything molasses adds in flavor. It has a mild sweetness that blends well with the sugars as well as helps adds a beautiful brown coloring to the cookies.
Molasses cookies (also called as gingerdoodles, gingersnaps or ginger cookies) are known to be soft and chewy whereas gingerbread cookies are more hard and crispy. Both are great types of cookies just different texture.
Sulphur dioxide means it slightly alters the molasses taste. If you are wanting something richer in flavor without the preservatives you will want to purchase unsulphured molasses.
You will want to use blackstrap molasses with caution! This type of molasses can and will alter the taste and flavor of the cookies if not used properly. If you can avoid using blackstrap molasses in your baking, I would highly recommend it.
Wrap these ginger molasses cookies up in a clear bag with ribbon and pass out to friends and coworkers. To gift, bake as directed and cool completely. Dip in white chocolate, let harden then stack cookies in a clear plastic bag. Add a festive Christmas gift tag and gift to neighbors, friends and family.
Freezing Classic Molasses Cookies
These freeze wonderfully! You can either freeze the cookie dough balls or the baked cookies. Just follow these simple instructions:
- Freezing the dough: Prepare dough as directed, then scoop into balls (and roll in sugar if preferred). Place on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes, or until they have hardened. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. When ready to enjoy, let thaw on baking sheet while warming up the oven. Then bake as directed.
- Freezing baked cookies: I would recommend leaving off the chocolate (or dipping in chocolate the day you plate). Let them cool completely, then place in a freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours until no longer frozen.
Are you looking for more cookies with molasses in them?! Try these cute snowman cookies, homemade gingerbread houses, or these fun gingerbread whoopie pies.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes
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Ginger Molasses Cookies
Video
Equipment
- Cookie Sheet
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter , softened (I use unsalted)
- 1 cup light brown sugar , packed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar (for rolling the cookies)
Optional: dash of vanilla, white chocolate melting wafers (for dipping), sprinkles
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Combine the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Cream for one minute, or until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat until smooth. Next add in the molasses and a dash of vanilla if desired. Mix until combined.
- Place the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt into a sifter (if you don’t have a sifter, whisk in a bowl), and then add to the butter mixture. Mix with a spoon, just until combined. Be careful not to over mix. Refrigerate dough 10-15 minutes.
- Using a medium cookie scoop (or about 1.5 Tablespoons), roll the cookie dough into a ball. Place the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl and then roll the dough into the sugar. Place on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Lightly flatten the tops with the palm of your hand.
- Bake 8-10 minutes and let cool on the pan 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack. Tip: If your cookies aren't cracking as much as you'd like, bang the pan on the stove right after they come out of the oven to crack the cookies. They will settle as they cool.
- Once the cookies have cooled, dip half the cookies in melted white chocolate half way if desired and place on wax paper or parchment paper if desired. Allow to harden.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
They are seriously the best ginger cookies I’ve ever had. If there is one cookie you make this week, make these! Happy baking!
Could this be made with gluten free flour?
I haven’t tried it before so I’m not positive. Definitely let us know how it goes if you give it a try!!
These look great. Can you freeze them? I have to make a lot for a cookie exchange.
Yes, definitely! They freeze great!
These are amazing!!!! I made these so many times!!! Perfect each time.
I’m so glad to hear you love them! Thank you for your comment!
These were awesome! The cookies are delicious even without the chocolate. I tried dipping them in wilton candy melts but the candy melts were too thick and didn’t exactly give me the consistency I wanted (too thick of a coating on the cookies and not drizzleable). I will probably try again and add a little coconut oil to the candy melts and see if that helps.
I’m glad you enjoyed them! Sorry the candy melts didn’t work for you. Adding some kind of oil should work great!
Made these today for Christmas……..my husband and mom loves them :)
My all time favorite Christmas cookie are these chocolate dipped ginger cookies with the berries. So so cute and so so delicious.
Gonna do them tonite where does one find the holly candies.?
Target or Amazon!
Do they freeze ok? I make large cookie platters for christmas gifts for friends and I like to make some ahead and freeze since I make about 9-10 different kinds of cookies before I put the gifts together.
Yes, you can definitely freeze them! I would probably just recommend leaving the chocolate off or dipping in chocolate the day you plate. :)
Perfect Ginger Snap Cookie! Moist yet a little crunchy! Super big hit! This is definitely a saver!
I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
These are delicious! They’ve become a holiday favorite at our house!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for your comment!
How far in advance can these be baked and still be soft for Christmas?
I’m sorry this comment is too late for Christmas! I think these cookies are best eaten within a few days but can be frozen for much longer.
I made this but they were fluffy. More like cake. Not chewy.
Hi, these are so beautiful! What are the Holly leaves and red berries made from? Are they candy or made out of marzipan or something? Thank you.
They are Wilton holly sprinkles! :)
is the white chocolate just melted alone?
Yep! :)
Could you freeze these? Would you freeze the dough balls and thaw before baking, or freeze the already baked cookies?
Yes you can definitely freeze these! Either way would work. :)
Can you freeze these cookies
Definitely!
I made these at Christmas time complete with the decorations.Everyone loved them even the non cookie lovers. I am making the, again this week because they are too delicious not to
I’m so glad you loved them! Thanks for leaving a comment and review Maggie! :)
Fantastic cookie. They are not only delicious but they remain moist and chewy for days! I even got a thumbs up from my Mom, a professed molasses hater. They are really a gingerbread cookie. I highly recommend this recipe. Thanks, iheartnaptime!
So happy to hear this! Glad you enjoyed them :)