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!
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.
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.
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!
Old Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Packed Brown Sugar
- 1 Cup Butter, Softened
- 1/4 Cup Dark Molasses
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar, For Rolling
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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made these tonight and OMG are they delicious!!! I can’t stop eating them. I will be making these for a Christmas Bake Sale for sure. Not too sweet, soft, and eliminating cloves a wise choice. Thank you for the recipe, Nichole!
These are very delicious, thank you! They remind me more of a gingerbread cookie. Love the recipe!
Mine also turned out very flat using 1 cup of butter. From my 50+ years of baking, I can only get the loft shown in those photos by using shortening or a combo of butter and shortening. Flavor is good, though.
I think I just found my favorite recipe! Best molasse cookies ever!
You know, I have never in my life had molasses cookies. I love to experiment and try new things so I thought…why not?! I know this type of recipe is an old school and old school cant go wrong right?! So anyway, I knocked the ginger back because I’m not a big ginger lover and I used what flavoring I had on hand which was caramel extract. These cookies were EXCELLENT. I texted my mom and told her (I was assuming maybe in some way, she would be like “I never heard of those either”) she told me she LOVES molasses cookies. I had to fuss at her because she never EVEERRRRR made us these cookies or mentioned these cookies in my childhood. I literally had NO CLUE they exist until just recently. Anyway, thank you for a GREAT COOKIE recipe. I also love your other recipes. I can tell you really test them out and give us recipes that work. I appreciate it!!! Thank you again!!!
Do these cookies freeze well ?
I honestly haven’t tried freezing these. I’d say maybe make the dough and then freeze in an airtight container until you are ready to make cookies.
Me an my moms favorite cookie! First time making these an my dough was sticky as well but worked with it..first batch in oven now so we shall see how the outcome is.
I made these today for my Husband and he loved them.He said that these were better than my recipe So Thank You. The only thing I did was added a little more molasses .
These are very good, but mine flattened out a lot during baking. Tried refrigerating dough but still happened. Any suggestions
Thx
These taste okay… I’m not a reader so I missed the part where you said you omit cloves. My suggestion would be to make that optional in the recipe itself rather than omitting it. Like I said- I don’t read an entire page. I skip straight to the recipe. When I tasted these and realized they taste like straight sugar I couldn’t understand what I did wrong- and then I read that you omit the cloves. So while it is my fault for not reading I think I’d prefer the flavor of a traditional molasses cookie with cloves. I do love how soft they are! Thankfully I doubled the batch so I added cloves to the last 1 1/2 pans of cookies.
Hi, Katie! Thank you for your comment, I always appreciate great feedback! I’m glad you liked the cookies and I do think your suggestions of making the cloves optional in the recipe is a great idea. Just goes to show that tastes are different, and some people may really enjoy the addition of that flavor. 🙂