Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
This Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies recipe is easy to make, with no need to chill the dough. The cookies are perfectly soft and chewy, with just the right amount of spices and molasses – the ultimate fall and holiday cookie!
I don’t recall ever really liking ginger cookies when I was growing up. And I believe the biggest reason why is that whenever I was offered one, it was always a very hard cookie. A dunking sort of cookie. It’s why they call those cookies gingersnaps, because they “snap” when you break them in half.
And hard cookies just aren’t my thing. Unless we’re talking about buttery shortbread cookies. In that case, I can definitely make an exception.
But in general, I like my cookies soft and chewy.
So when I was introduced to a super soft and chewy ginger cookie during my 30’s, my world was turned upside down. I questioned why it had taken so long for me to know this was actually a thing.
It’s taken me a number of years to get this recipe the way I want it. But I’m happy to say that this is now my favorite recipe for Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies. Our whole family is quite smitten with these, and I’m confident you’ll like them too!
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
There’s no hiding it. I’m pretty excited to finally put closure on my ginger cookies recipe pursuit. For many years, come fall and the holiday season, I’ve played around with this recipe.
Now…to get a chocolate chip cookie recipe perfected in the same way. An easy-to-make recipe that passes all of our family’s criteria for soft, chewy, buttery, and chocolatey. We’ll get there, I promise!
How to make ginger molasses cookies
One of the reasons I’m so thrilled about this recipe is that there’s no need to chill the dough.
Can I get an Amen?!
I get why certain recipes call for this step. I really do. But my goal for this recipe was for it to be easy and fairly quick. So I knew I wanted to eliminate any need for refrigerator chilling time.
Besides molasses and a few warm spices, all that’s required to make these soft ginger cookies are the typical cookie making ingredients.
Also: If you don’t own at least a couple different sizes of scoops, I highly recommend these handy kitchen tools. I use them all the time. Not only are they great for portioning cookie dough, but I also like to use them to fill muffin and cupcake papers, and to size meatballs. I used this scoop for these cookies, which holds about 1-1/2 tablespoons of dough.
I am 100% confident that if you have been looking for soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies, you’ll be 100% happy with this recipe!
Soft, chewy molasses cookies with the beautiful zing of ginger. Aren’t they so pretty, with those fun cracks zig-zagging across their tops?
EVERYONE deserves to know the happiness created from a batch of these cookies!
When it comes to the holidays and sweet treats, our family has quite a number of favorite recipes. Be sure to also check out these:
- Peppermint Bark, our girls LOVE this stuff!
- Chocolate Caramels, my Grandma Klein’s recipe, these are an annual tradition.
- Caramel Heavenlies, an easy recipe that’s both crispy-crunchy and ooey-gooey!
- Chocolate Mint Brownies, one of my mom’s favorite recipes EVER.
Like this ginger cookies recipe? Pin it!
Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2-1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda*
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. cloves
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¾ c. unsalted butter* softened to cool room temperature
- 1 c. light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ¼ c. mild molasses
- sugar for rolling dough balls in
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375° F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds, and then scrape down the bowl. Beat on medium-high for 3 minutes, scraping down the bowl halfway through, until mixture is somewhat light and fluffy.
- Add egg and molasses, and beat on medium-low until incorporated.
- Add combined dry ingredients and beat on medium speed until incorporated.
- With your hands, quickly roll dough into balls that are 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" in size. I like to use a medium scoop to evenly portion the dough. Take care to roll the dough as minimally as possible, to ensure the butter stays as cool as possible. Then roll dough balls in a small bowl of sugar. Place sugared dough balls on baking sheet about 2" apart. Bake for 8 minutes. Cracks should start forming on the tops of the cookies during the final minute or so of baking, and will continue to form as the cookies cool outside the oven. For the softest, chewiest cookies, take care to not over bake. Remove pan from oven and let cookies sit on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
This post was previously published in 2010. Since then, the recipe has been improved and revised. The recipe, photographs, and text were updated in 2018.
I will be making these and adding some cinnamon red hots to the dough. Hope it works out, and if it does, I’ll be dubbing these the Un-Gingerbread Men cookies.
This is a fabulous recipe! Crinkly, cracked, sparkly, festive and absolute delicious with a crisp exterior and a chewy middle – perfection. I made slight modifications – I used just 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 3/4 tsp. allspice because I didn’t have cloves, and increased the ginger to a tablespoon because I like them spicy – and they are! All the flavors come through beautifully. These are the holidays in cookie form. Thank you and Merry Christmas!
I would gladly eat these cookies with more ginger – LOVE that spiciness! Thanks Lisa – Merry Christmas!
Made these to recipe and all melted together. I call then gingerbread tack. Way greasy.
Hello Bill – please try this recipe again, double-check your ingredients and quantities. My daughter and I just made these cookies last week + I get LOTS of feedback from readers, family, and friends, how much they love this recipe. I KNOW it works!
These are perfect, just how I remember my grandma’s molasses cookies from when I was a kid. Thank you for this recipe!
I love to hear this, Katie. :)
Yum!
I did change the flour to Pillsbury Best Gluten-free All purpose flour blend and they turned out awesome!
My husband was well pleased with these, and he does Love cookies!
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you for sharing that, Vicki. So glad you liked the cookies!
These are my go-to cookies when ever I’m in the mood to bake something easy, and delicious. My family freaks out every time I make them! (Side note: I love to sprinkle some sugar on the top of the cookies right after they get out of the oven)
These cookies are so simple to make, and they turn out beautifully!! I also find that they last for quite a bit in the fridge, which is great because it yields so many cookies.
Delicious cookies. I make them all the time now. Â Perfect amount of spices. Â Wonderful with a cup of tea.Â
So happy to know you like these cookies!!!!
Hi, If I wanted to add fresh ginger, or use a combination of fresh and powdered ginger in the recipe, what quantity would you recommend?
Great Cookies!!Â
Nice and Chewy just like it says!
The cookie scoop makes the perfect size
Cookies,so I had to go out and purchaseÂ
One, money well spent! The only thing IÂ
Would adjust in the recipe is I would add
More ginger, as I like more bite in the
Cookie, otherwise they are awesome!!
This was my first time making molasses cookies and they did not disappoint!!! They were DELICIOUS and will be a cookie I will make every Christmas from now on! Thanks for the perfect, no chill dough recipe!!!
WONDERFUL!!! So glad you like the cookies!
Thank you! I couldn’t find my grandma’s recipe so this looked as close as I could recall. They are so yummy and my dad says they taste just like his mom’s.Â
My husband made these last week as a trial run for a Christmas party tonight. He followed the recipe *mostly* except he didn’t beat the sugar and butter and we are GF asp he used Namaste’s perfect flour blend and he’s a ginger fanatic so he added fresh ginger as well. They turned out delicious but all melted together in the oven. This time I did the same, except I beat the sugar and butter and chilled them overnight before cooking. Then I started preheating the oven to 350 without looking at the recipe while taking care of my babies and forgot to turn it up lol. Cooked for eight minutes and they were perfect! I think refrigerating with the GF flour is  key to a crackled top.
Perfect mix of spices and Molasses. Keeping this one!Â
First time making these cookies and they definitely melts in your mouth..will make more next time.
I’ve never left a review for a recipe before in my life. But I made these, and both my husband and I think these are the best cookies we’ve ever had in our life! Notice I didn’t say they were the best ginger molasses cookie? No, they were the best COOKIE we’ve ever had! Thanks for this awesome recipe.Â
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE. Thank you so much for letting me know!!
Is this dough not chilled before rolling into balls and baking?
Correct, Tom. No chilling of the dough.
I’ve made these several times and LOVE them. Do you know if the dough can be frozen to bake at a later time?Â
Hello Evelyn – I’m so glad you love these cookies! I have not tried freezing the dough – please let me know if you give that a shot!
These were the best!  I dressed them up for Christmas with a dip in white chocolate and red and green sugars.  Best soft molasses/ginger cookies I’ve ever made.
You just made me excited to make these again! So glad you liked the cookies. :)