Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies – These molasses cookies are an old-fashioned holiday favorite!  Super soft and packed with the amazing, rich flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Just like Grandma used to make!

Soft Molasses Cookies

This recipe was originally posted on November 8, 2017!  The recipe stays the same and most people have had great success with it.  The reason I am revamping and republishing this is that I have written a more thorough post to answer readers questions!

What do Molasses Cookies Taste Like?

Molasses cookies have a very distinct spice flavor.  This comes from the use of ground cinnamon and ginger, as well as the rich flavor of dark molasses. They taste somewhat like a gingersnap cookie, however, they are more subtle and soft instead of crisp.

How to Make Molasses Cookies:

  • Start by preheating your oven to 325 degrees.  You will want to line a large baking sheet with parchment paper for best results.  If you don’t have parchment paper, you can use non-stick cooking spray.
  • You can use a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for this recipe.
  • Start by beating together your butter, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, and molasses until well combined.  This will take about 2-3 minutes.
  • Next, you can add your flour, baking soda, salt, and spices right into the mixer and mix just for about 1 minute until the dough comes together.
  • Shape your dough into balls that are about 1 1/2 inches.  You can do this with your hands, a Tablespoon measure, or a cookie scoop.  Whatever is easier for you!
  • Roll the dough balls in granulated sugar and then place on the baking sheet 2 inches apart.
  • These cookies will bake for 13-15 minutes.  As soon as they come out of the oven you will want to scoop them up with a spatula and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

Molasses Cookies

There aren’t a ton of tips for making these cookies because they are so very simple, but let’s talk about a few things I do to make them their very best!

Tips and Tricks for Making Molasses Cookies:

  • Make sure you are using DARK MOLASSES for this recipe.  Light molasses won’t be flavorful enough, while blackstrap molasses is too bitter.
  • Use butter instead of shortening.  The old version of this recipe uses shortening.  I’m personally not a fan and much prefer the taste of butter, and I also think the cookies come out even softer this way.
  • I omit ground cloves because the flavor always seems to overpower the cookies and it’s just my preference.  If you love that clove flavor, feel free to add a pinch right in!
  • Don’t let these overbake.  These always take exactly 13 minutes in my oven.  Since oven times vary I suggest checking them at 13 minutes in and then baking for another minute or two if necessary.  They should look slightly wet when you take them out of the oven.

Molasses Cookies

These molasses cookies come out perfect!  Slightly crisp around the edges with a super soft, melt in your mouth, center!  You’re going to love them!

Enjoy!

~Nichole

If you’re looking for other great cookie recipes definitely try my Soft Batch Sprinkle Cookies and my Cranberry Orange Oatmeal Cookies!

Don’t forget to follow along with me on my Facebook Page!  We are always sharing yummy food!

4.92 from 199 votes

Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies

Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies - These molasses cookies are an old fashioned holiday favorite!  Super soft and packed with the amazing, rich flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon. Just like Grandma used to make!
Prep 10 minutes
Cook 13 minutes
Total 23 minutes
Servings 24 Cookies

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper or non stick cooking spray, set aside.
  • In a large bowl using a hand mixer, or in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat together the brown sugar, butter, molasses, egg, and vanilla until well combined.
  • Mix in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.
  • Shape the dough by rounded tablespoon fulls into 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip the cookies into the granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
  • Bake in preheated oven for 13-15 minutes just until set. Remove cookies to a wire rack to cool immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 172kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Cholesterol: 27mg, Sodium: 213mg, Potassium: 82mg, Sugar: 13g, Vitamin A: 245IU, Calcium: 22mg, Iron: 0.9mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
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Hey! Nice to meet you! I'm Nichole!

Welcome to The Salty Marshmallow! I'm a mom, animal lover, photographer, & kitchen mess-maker. Here you will find the result of my decades-long passion for chasing the best flavors in the kitchen, all meant to be cooked by regular people with busy lives just like you and me.

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177 Comments

  1. There are absolutly delicious and so easy to make. My daughter, who went to culinary school, just texed me asking for the recipe. I’ve made them for the last couple of Christmases and everyone raves about them. My grandmother always made me molasses cookies when I went to visit her, I don’t have her recipe, but these are just as good if not better.

  2. 5 stars
    Simply the best molasses cookie my wife and I have ever had! Easy to make (we even experimented and used our bread machine to mix the dough!), easier to eat! They you!

  3. 5 stars
    Hubby put me on a quest to find a soft molasses cookie recipe like what his mother made. This was the third and FINAL recipe I made. Final, because it met with his approval. He specifically asked for no cloves for exactly the reason Nichole mentioned. They are delicious! Five Stars!

  4. 5 stars
    It’s Christmas, and if there’s one thing my family demands…it’s *my special molasses cookies*. Well, I went to baking…the did not come out as usual. WHY? It wasn’t THIS RECIPE. This is THE ONE. I’m glad I remembered the site name in time because these are by far superior to any others!