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These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are nice & crispy on the outside and soft & chewy on the inside! These cookies are easy to make and perfect for the holidays!
Chewy Ginger Cookies
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you after testing out 4 different batches to get that perfect crispy & crackly top, while still having a soft chewy center. And let me tell you, this recipe is THE ONE <3
These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are packed with ginger flavour and are perfect to enjoy for the holidays. You can even make a batch of the dough ahead of time to keep in your fridge or freezer and bake these cookies as you need!
What’s difference between gingerbread cookies and molasses cookies?
Traditional gingerbread cookies, also called gingersnap cookies are often thinner and have a crispier texture. (If you’re looking for this type of ginger cookie make sure to check out my Healthier Easy Gingerbread Cookies.) Molasses cookies have a chewier texture.
Why you’ll love these cookies
- Crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside. In my opinion, the exact way a cookie should be.
- Less fuss than making iced gingerbread cookies. While they are pretty and fun to make, if you need a quick and easy gingerbread cookie then these will be your go-to!
- Festive cheer in every bite! These cookies are seriously what the holidays are all about!
Ginger Molasses Cookies ingredients
- Butter
- Brown Sugar
- White Sugar
- Egg
- Molasses
- Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground ginger
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
*The full recipe ingredients and instructions are below in the recipe card.
How to make a perfect Ginger Molasses Cookie
Step 1
Cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar
Step 2
Next, add egg and molasses and cream together until light and fluffy.
Step 3
Add the flour, baking soda, salt and spices to the wet ingredients and slowly mix just until combined. Then place the cookie dough in the fridge for 30-60 minutes.
Step 4
Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll into a plate of granulated sugar. Then bake at 350 degrees F for 10-13 minutes.
Step 5
Let the cookies cool on the countertop then ejoy!
The secret to getting that nice crackle on top is actually to use enough sugar in the recipe. I tested out these cookies with less sugar, but wasn’t able to achieve the same spread and crackled look on top. So if you’re looking for a low-sugar version of a Ginger Molasses Cookie, this isn’t it. (But hey, indulge a little!)
How to store
Store: store cookies in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 10 days. You can store unbaked cookie dough in the fridge for up to 5 days before baking.
Freezing ginger molasses cookie dough
One thing I love about these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies is that you can freeze the cookie dough in the freezer for up to 2 months and bake fresh cookies whenever you like!
To freeze the cookie dough, use your hands to form the dough into a circle or square shape, cover tightly with plastic wrap then place in a freezer-safe bag in the freezer.
When you’re ready to bake cookies remove the dough from the freezer and let thaw on the counter until defrosted, but still a little firm. (You don’t want the dough to be completely defrosted where it’s hard to roll the dough into balls.)
Why didn’t my molasses cookies crack on top?
There are a few reasons why you may end up with cookies that didn’t crack on top. Let’s review a few reasons why you’re cooked may not have crackled on top:
- You put the cookies in the oven before preheating. A hot preheated oven is important for getting a crackle top on your cookies.
- You didn’t whip the butter and sugar long enough. Whipping these ingredients together will incoporate more air into the butter, which will help the cookies crack when bakin in the oven.
- Your baking soda is stale. Baking soda is important in this recipe to help the cookies rise and spread. If your baking soda is old, it may be the culprit.
- You didn’t coat with sugar. The additional sugar coating on the outside of the cookies will help them crackle.
Tips for making this recipe perfectly
- These Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies can be made gluten-free by using a 1-1 gluten-free flour blend like this one. This type of flour blend can be used in equal ratio as a replacement to regular flour.
- Chill the dough. It’s important to chill the cookie dough for this recipe so they don’t spread too much while baking.
- This cookie dough stores really well in the freezer. You can double up the recipe and store extra cookie dough in your freezer to bake up a batch of cookies on the fly!
Make these cookies next
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies
- Vegan Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Chunk Tahini Oatmeal Cookies
If you tried these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies or any other recipe on the blog let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment/rating below! Be sure to follow along on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook for even more deliciousness!
Enjoy friends and happy weekend! xo
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookeis
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minute
- Yield: 16 cookies
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Get the best of both worlds with these ginger molasses cookies that are crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 2 cups flour (can sub 1-1 gluten-free flour)
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- extra sugar for coating
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking pan with parchment paper
- Cream the butter, brown sugar and white sugar together in a stand mixer until creamy.
- Then add the egg and molasses and mix until well combined.
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl then slowly pour the dry ingredients into the stand mixer while mixing on low speed.
- Mix until everything is well combined.
- Place the cookie dough mixture in the fridge for 30-60 minutes until the dough is easy to handle.
- Roll the dough into small 1-inch balls, then roll each ball to coat in sugar.
- Place on the cookie sheet and bake for 10-13 minutes, until the cookies begin to crack on top.
- Remove and let cool before eating.
Notes
Store leftovers in an air-tight container on the counter for up to 10 days.
If you like your cookies on the chewier side, cook them only about 10 minutes
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 115
- Sugar: 11g
- Fat: 3g
- Saturated Fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 18g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 1g
Great ginger taste! I left the dough in the fridge to chill until quite cold. I’ve made this recipe before but the cookies have never cracked for me until today! So excited!
Happy you enjoyed them!
Delicious!! Thank you for sharing this recipe!!
You’re welcome Sarah! Happy you enjoyed!
Oh dear, they are soooo good. Hard to leave alone.
So happy you love them 🙂
This is my FAVE ginger molasses cookie and honestly the end result of the recipe kicks butt for a lot of ginger cookies I eat when I have my coffee outside. This recipe is a hit with anyone who tries it when I bake a batch. I do have a question – can I prep the dough the night before I bake it? Or is the refrigeration time too much?
Thank you!!!!
Hi Alexandria, I’m so happy yu love the recipe! You can prep the dough in advance and store it in the fridge or freezer! Then let it thaw slightly before baking!
So happy you enjoyed them!!
So happy you love them!!
Sis wanted to try molasses cookies and this recipe popped up. Granted, I did skip the chilling part and ended up with flat, wafer-like discs that were still chewy. Funny thing was that she preferred them this way. Also, since I don’t have the individual spices, I used the pumpkin spice mix, and added extra ginger to give it more kick. I would have used fresh ginger juice but was afraid it would add too much liquid. Think I’ll chill them next time and see if they’ll puff up…
Happy you enjoyed the recipe! The dough definitely needs to be chilled so the cookies don’t spread 🙂
These are so tasty and they came out with the perfect crinkle. A definite winner – thank you for this recipe!!
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Kailee!
Should I flatten the dough balls to bake or keep them completely rounded?
Hi Jen, you don’t flatten the balls. Just place them onto the baking sheet rounded 🙂
I had to make a second batch because the original got eaten before Christmas. These cookies are the best! I used cold ground ginger powder for extra ginger goodness, and the recipe works great with vegan butter and flax egg (I used finely ground flax seeds, NOT the whole ones). It works okay with ground chia seeds “eggs” too but the flax is better. I also used bob’s red mill gluten free 1 for 1 flour. Amazing!!! Thank you so much! <3
So happy you enjoyed the recipe Laura 🙂
There’s a reason this recipe has 5 stars. These cookies are simply delicious! They’re crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and not overly sweet. The only problem is that they got eaten up too quickly.
My cookies taste delicious but they spread out and are flat. I preheated my oven to 350 and measured everything to the tee. But I only let them chill for 30 minutes. Could that be the culprit?
Hi Kathryn, did you leave the cookies as balls on the baking sheet or flatten them out at all? You can try chilling the dough for 60 minutes next time, Perhaps your fridge isn’t cold enough to firm up the cookies in 30 minutes