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Nothing beats a soft, chewy molasses cookie with the perfect combination of spices, deep dark molasses flavor, and a sweet little snap of crunchy white sugar on the outside. These classic molasses cookies are crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle, and absolutely delicious! The recipe is a classic Christmastime cookie that Grandma used to make!
These molasses cookies are super thick and chewy – if you want a thinner one try my ginger cookies, those are chewy and flat!
Fantastically Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
Nothing says Christmas like the taste of a molasses cookie loaded up with cinnamon and spice! As you well know, the key to these cookies is going to be under baking them, if you over bake them they’re going to turn into hockey puck’s- that’s why I need to put this at the very beginning of the recipe and will remind you later again, not to over bake them!!!
Some Molasses Facts
Molasses itself is an offshoot from the process of sugar production and rum making. It is basically the black,like substance leftover when all the proper sugars are refined out of cane sugar juice. If you went back a few centuries, molasses would actually be something that you would see almost everywhere.
While it used to be simply thrown away as useless bi-product, you can actually use molasses to get a really sticky, intensely sweet flavor in your food, from molasses short ribs to cookies. In fact, you probably use molasses more than you realize – if you have ever used brown sugar, then you will have used this sugary black goo. Brown sugar is, after all, nothing more than white sugar mixed with varying levels of molasses!
How to Make Molasses Cookies
These molasses cookies are a really simple recipe to make and the ingredients are simple as well. Most of them you already have in your pantry except for maybe the dark cooking molasses. You need to substitute in the type of molasses that you prefer, fine molasses is going to give you a light flavor, a darker cooking molasses is going to give you that deep robust flavor that molasses fanatics love.
Ingredients Needed
- flour
- baking soda
- cinnamon
- ground ginger
- nutmeg
- cloves
- salt
- butter
- brown sugar
- egg
- dark cooking molasses
- vanilla extract
- granulated sugar for rolling
Directions
- To get started, preheat your oven to 350 °F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take all your dry ingredients and get them whisked together in a bowl and set aside. Make sure to thoroughly mix it, so as to help break up the clumps of flour.
- In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until it is light and fluffy.
- Add your egg in to the butter/sugar mix, and beat it until combined.
- Add in the molasses and the vanilla extract, and beat until it’s completely mixed into the butter mixture.
- Slowly add in your flour mixture, and on the lowest speed on your mixer (or by hand) combine it thoroughly.
- Take a tablespoon or so of dough and roll into a ball, then roll the ball around in the white sugar, then place on the baking sheet 1.5 inches apart.
- Bake them in a 350 degree oven for 7-9 minutes until the edges are set.
Cookie Tips and Tricks
- If you want lovely, chewy cookies you need to make sure to not bake them too long. The edges should be firmly set but the tops are still soft and would slightly crumple in if slightly touched.
- Let them cool completely on the sheets because they WILL fall apart if you touch them too soon. Don’t be that person that tries to eat still hot cookies off of the pan, as it will just ruin them and burn your mouth. Not that I’ve done that…..
- You will end up with crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle absolutely mouthwatering molasses cookies!
- The yield will vary depending on the size you make your cookies. If you make them larger, bake them longer!
More Molasses Recipes
Try my Grandmas molasses bars for a old fashioned treat, my REAL gingerbread recipe ( hint, it’s a cake, not cookies!), my cookie press gingersnap cookies ,British treacle tarts even use a bit of molasses and so do my carrot bran muffins! If there’s one thing I love in cooking, it’s molasses!
Happy baking!
Love,
Karlynn
Old Fashioned Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 49 minutes
- Course
- Christmas Cookies
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 24
- Calories
- 152
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups of flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup of butter
- 1 cup of brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup of dark cooking molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 °F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Take all your dry ingredients and whisk them together in a bowl and set aside.
- In another large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until it’s light and fluffy.
- Add your egg in to the butter/sugar mix, beat until combined.
- Add in the molasses and the vanilla extract, beat until it’s completely mixed into the butter mixture.
- Slowly add in your flour mixture, and on the lowest speed on your mixer (or by hand) combine it thoroughly.
- Take a tablespoon or so of dough and roll into a ball, then roll the ball around in the white sugar.
- Place the cookie balls on the baking sheet 1.5 inches apart.
- Bake them in a 350 °F oven for 7-9 minutes until the edges are firmly set but the tops are still soft.
- Remove and let cool on the sheets completely.
- Store in a closed container, These freeze very well.
Recipe Notes
- If you want lovely, chewy cookies you cannot bake them too long. The edges should be firmly set and the tops are still soft and would dent in if slightly touched.
- Let them cool completely on the sheets because they WILL fall apart if you touch them too soon.
- You will end up with crispy on the outside, chewy in the middle absolutely mouthwatering molasses cookies!
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Jodi says
Flat cookie
Maria says
This recipe reminds me of a flat cake, cut in squares..I use to buy from a older lady in our neighborhood. I have been searching for a recipe that is similar. Can your recipe be cooked in a pan altogether at once like a cake or brownies? If so, I wonder how long to cook it. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Mariam says
I’m hesitated to try another recipe because outcome is totally different. Even follow the exactly recipe. Far from the truth from the pictures.
Marie says
These are now a tradition at my house during the Holidays ! Thanks for the recipe.
Care says
These are lovely! Just like how my grandma used to make. Gentle crunch on the outside and nice and soft on the inside. Has that ginger snap flavour; not too overpowering.
Great recipe I’ll be saving. Thanks 🙂