Ginger Molasses Cookies

Looking for the best ginger molasses cookies? These soft and chewy cookies are the perfect size and full of warm holiday flavor. The dough comes together quickly, the cookies bake up beautifully puffy, and the classic molasses spice makes them a must-bake Christmas cookie recipe.

These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies are everything I love about classic Christmas baking. They’re buttery, full of warm holiday spices, and rolled in sugar before baking to create those beautiful crackled tops.

And the texture is so good! Soft in the center, slightly chewy around the edges, and covered in a little sparkle from the sugar coating.

I love adding these to Christmas cookie platters because they’re a nice change from frosted sugar cookies and decorated gingerbread men. They’re simple, classic, and don’t require any decorating once they come out of the oven.

If you’re looking for a homemade molasses cookie recipe to add to your holiday baking list, this is such a delicious one!

Why you’ll Love This Recipe

When I first started making chewy ginger molasses cookies, I knew I needed to get them just right to satisfy that holiday craving. I pulled together my favorite parts of each trial recipe, and this one stuck.

Here’s what makes this the recipe I come back to year after year:

What Are Ginger Molasses Cookies?

Ginger molasses cookies are classic spiced cookies made with molasses, ground ginger, cinnamon, and other warm baking spices.

They have a rich, slightly caramel-like flavor from the molasses and brown sugar, with just enough ginger to give them that familiar holiday spice.

Unlike gingerbread cutout cookies, which are rolled and cut into shapes, ginger molasses cookies are typically scooped into balls, rolled in sugar, and baked until the tops crack.

The result is a soft, chewy cookie with a beautiful sugar-coated exterior.

If you love gingerbread but prefer a softer cookie, you’ll love these!

Ingredients for Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

You probably have most of these ingredients in your pantry already, especially if you’ve been doing any Christmas baking.

Butter

Softened butter gives these cookies their rich flavor and tender texture.

Make sure your butter is softened to room temperature so it creams smoothly with the sugars.

Granulated Sugar and Brown Sugar

This recipe uses both sugars.

Granulated sugar adds sweetness, while brown sugar brings a deeper flavor and helps create that soft, chewy texture.

You’ll also need a little additional granulated sugar for rolling the dough before baking.

Molasses

Molasses is the ingredient that gives these cookies their signature flavor and beautiful deep color.

I recommend using regular unsulphured molasses. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which has a much stronger, more bitter flavor.

Egg

The egg helps bind the dough together and contributes to the soft texture.

All-Purpose Flour

Regular all-purpose flour gives the cookies structure.

Be careful not to add too much flour, which can make them dry.

Baking Soda

Baking soda helps the cookies rise and spread as they bake, creating those classic crackled tops.

Ginger, Cinnamon, and Cloves

These three spices are what make ginger molasses cookies taste like Christmas!

Ground ginger gives them their signature warmth, cinnamon adds sweetness, and cloves bring a deeper spice flavor.

Salt

A little salt balances the sweetness and brings out the flavors of the molasses and spices.

How to Make Ginger Molasses Cookies

These cookies are easy to make, but don’t skip the chilling time! Giving the dough time in the refrigerator makes it easier to handle and helps control spreading.

Step 1: Cream the Butter and Sugars

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar.

Beat for approximately 4–5 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the Molasses and Egg

Add the molasses and egg to the butter mixture.

Mix for approximately 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Step 3: Mix the Dry Ingredients

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.

This helps distribute the spices evenly throughout the cookie dough.

Step 4: Combine the Wet and Dry Ingredients

Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture.

Mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms.

Avoid overmixing.

Step 5: Chill the Dough

Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

This is an important step! Chilled dough is easier to roll and helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Step 6: Roll in Sugar

Preheat your oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper.

Scoop the chilled dough and roll it into approximately 1-inch balls.

Roll each ball in granulated sugar until completely coated.

Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.

Step 7: Bake

Bake for approximately 8–10 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops begin to crack.

The centers should still look slightly soft.

Don’t overbake! The cookies will continue to firm up as they cool.

Step 8: Cool and Enjoy

Allow the cookies to rest on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack.

Once cooled, they’re ready to enjoy!

An Easy Molasses Cookie Recipe

Everything about this easy molasses cookie recipe fits real life. You can make them while your favorite holiday movie is playing, while your coffee is brewing, or in that 20-minute window when you’re trying to feel festive but also slightly overwhelmed by the holidays. You’ll be happy you made them.

My favorite thing about this soft molasses cookie recipe is that the flavor gets better with time. The spices deepen, the ginger warms up a little more, and the molasses becomes richer. These cookies are somehow even better on day two… if they last that long.

They’re the type of cookie that feels nostalgic even if you didn’t grow up with them. That’s the magic of a good ginger cookie recipe… it can instantly become a tradition!

my baking essentials:

Tips for the Best Ginger Molasses Cookies

1. Roll them in sugar
That sparkly sugar coating gives them their classic crinkled top and just a tiny extra crunch.

2. Don’t overbake
They should look slightly underdone when you pull them out. Trust me, they finish setting on the pan.

3. Use fresh spices
Ginger + cinnamon lose flavor over time. If they’re older than a year, it’s worth grabbing a fresh jar.

4. Chill halfway through
If your dough feels too soft or you want a thicker cookie, chill it for 20–30 minutes after they are on the pan. Not required, just helpful.

5. Let them rest
These cookies become richer and softer as they cool. The molasses flavor deepens, and they get that irresistible chew.

How to Serve Them

You can put them on the cutest cake plate, or these are amazing too:

Fun Variations

These ginger molasses cookies are everything I want this time of year! They’re cozy, soft, a little nostalgic and incredibly forgiving. They’re the kind of cookie that makes your kitchen feel warm and lived-in and imperfect in the best way.

I hope this becomes the molasses cookie recipe you come back to every winter!

Let me know if you try this recipe!

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