These chewy ginger molasses cookies are my FAVORITE. If anyone remembers the Starbucks molasses cookies, these are a smaller version that’s just as delicious. Make them for your Christmas cookie table or just all year round.
I live for these ginger molasses cookies. Seriously, I probably ate like two dozen of them over a span of two weeks. Between testing them and also doing some treat boxes for Ronald McDonald House, they were a frequent cookie in our kitchen.
They are chewy with slightly crispy edges and make your whole house smell like The North Pole. If you remember the amazing molasses cookies from Starbucks that they rudely took away years ago, these are a smaller version that is an acceptable replacement. I GUESS.
Ingredients for Ginger Molasses Cookies
Okay, let’s talk ingredients. They are fairly straightforward cookie ingredients but you’ll need a few items you might not always have on hand.
- All Purpose Flour. I have not tested this with gluten free flour but if you try it out, let me know how it is!
- Baking Soda. The baking soda mixes with the molasses (acid) to give us that desired chewy and delightful texture in these ginger molasses cookies.
- Cinnamon, Cloves, Ginger. All the Christmas flavors! Seriously, I want a candle made of just these three spices.
- Butter. I always use unsalted butter so I can control the amount of salt that goes into recipes. These don’t call for any salt, so I’d stick to unsalted butter.
- White Sugar. Granulated white sugar is key for these cookies and has two uses. First is IN the dough, of course but the second is rolling the dough in sugar before placing in the oven for a nice little caramelized outside.
- Molasses. Well, you can’t make ginger molasses cookies without molasses! However, I’d like to nominate someone to create a squeezable molasses because it’s so dang hard to get out of those jars.
- Egg. The egg binds everything together so you have a perfectly delightful cookie.
This recipe makes roughly 2 dozen cookies but I guarantee they wouldn’t last long in your household. But, if you want to store or gift to folks, here are a few suggestions.
- After they’ve cooled, store in an air tight container with a piece of white bread. This keeps them from getting too crispy and is a good thing to know for storing all types of cookies. These will last at least 5-7 days when stored correctly.
- You can easily gift these to someone in cute sealed baggies like this or in festive Christmas tin boxes. Just be sure to store them appropriately until gifting.
- If you want to freeze these, it’s totally possible. Prepare the whole way, including rolling in sugar and then place on a baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer once they are more solid and either vacuum seal or gently place in a large freeze bag. Bake the same way.
If you are curious about the pretty Santa platter that we have in these pictures, it’s from a small company called Caskata that handmakes beautiful dinnerware in Massachusetts. They don’t have our exact piece on their website anymore but they do have this Sleigh Snack Set which is super cute.
While I could eat these cookies all day everyday, there are more Christmas cookies to love I suppose. Here are a few of our favorites to add to your holiday baking list this year.
- Oatmeal Coconut Cookies. I made these for the Ohio State Fair Culinary Competition and they are still some of my favorite cookies to make!
- Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies. These ones are perfect for a safe and socially distant Christmas.
- Gluten Free Chocolate Brownie Cookies. These chocolatey cookies are delightful. You use egg whites to stabilize them and a mix of powdered sugar and cocoa powder as the dry ingredients. You won’t be able to eat just one.
- Grocery Store Style Iced Oatmeal Cookies. I love the sh*tty $1 iced oatmeal cookies from stores so much. But, I will admit that this homemade version is a wee bit better.
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 stick
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark molasses
- 1 egg
- granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheets. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger and then whisk until combined.
- Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar with a paddle attachment until creamed, about 3-4 minutes. Then, add the molasses and mix for another minute. Scrap down the sides as needed.
- Add your egg to the mix and beat for another minute.
- Gently add in your dry ingredients and either mix with your mixer on low until just combined or do this part by hand with a rubber spatula. Do not overmix your dough.
- In a small bowl, add a little bit (about 1/4 cup) of sugar for rolling the cookies.
- Scoop and roll your dough into small balls, about 1.5 Tablespoons. Place dough balls on baking sheets and repeat until they are all rolled. Then, roll each dough ball in the sugar and set back on the baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
- Place in the oven and bake for 8-10 minutes until edges are slightly brown (only slightly because they will still cook a bit while cooling) and tops are cracking.
- Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack. Enjoy!
Dwaine
Just made these and they are delicious. I did use gluten free flour and substituted coconut sugar but you can’t tell the difference.
Melissa
These sound delicious! Definitely adding them to my cookie list this year!
pease.hannah@gmail.com
Yay! I hope you love them Melissa 🙂