Chewy Molasses Cookies
These chewy molasses cookies are perfect for the holidays. They are spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and keep their chewy texture for several days.
I’m getting a little head start on my holiday baking and I wanted to start with a cookie I haven’t tried yet: molasses cookies. When I researched recipes, I decided to try a chewy molasses cookie I found on All Recipes. I love chewy cookies like the snickerdoodles I made earlier this year, so I was excited to give this molasses cookie recipe a try.
These cookies are easy to make because you can use melted butter. I love that I don’t have to wait for the butter to soften and instead just melt it in the microwave. The dough does need about an hour in the fridge to firm up, so it’s good to plan ahead.
Ingredients
- Melted butter
- White sugar (for the dough and for coating the cookies)
- Egg
- Molasses
- All-Purpose Flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Ginger
How to Make Them
- Combine the butter, sugar, egg, and molasses in a medium-sized bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour.
- Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll each in sugar until evenly coated. Place the dough balls two inches apart on a baking sheet.
- Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes at 375°F or until the tops are cracked. Transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
What makes these cookies chewy?
The molasses is what makes these cookies chewy and it also adds moisture. Unlike some other cookies I’ve made, these molasses cookies stay chewy for a few days. Molasses also adds flavor, which is a little bitter and balances well with the sugar.
Does Molasses Go Bad?
Molasses will keep for up to a year if you store it in a cool, dry place like a cupboard or pantry. If you want other recipes to use up your molasses here are some ideas:
Can I make the dough ahead?
Yes, you can make it ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for two to three days. You can also freeze the dough. Chill the dough first, roll out the cookie dough balls and then freeze them on a sheet pan. Once frozen, store them in an airtight container in the freezer for up to two months.
You can bake the frozen cookie dough balls straight from the freezer. You will just need to add a few minutes to the bake time. This is really great when you want fresh-baked cookies but don’t want to bake a whole batch – you can bake a few at a time!
Decoration Ideas
I love these cookies plain (and so does my family because they’re not frosting fans), but you can definitely decorate these cookies, here are some ideas:
- Glaze the cookies with plain sugar glaze or lemon sugar glaze. You can mix confectioner’s sugar with either water or lemon juice to create a glaze and then top the cookies with it.
- You can also frost the cookies with regular frosting or cream cheese frosting.
- I like to roll the cookies in plain sugar, but you could add some cinnamon and nutmeg to give the cookies more holiday spice. Or add some crystallized ginger if you love ginger flavor.
More Recipes to Try
Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/3 cup white sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together the melted margarine, 1 cup sugar, and egg until smooth. Stir in the molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger; blend into the molasses mixture. Cover, and chill dough for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll dough into 1-inch balls, and roll them in the remaining white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven until tops are cracked. Cool on wire racks.
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You have a lot of great cookie recipes, this molasses cookie recipe is one I will try for sure. I love molasses
Thanks. I liked these too.
Hi Faye- The cookies are supposed to be chewy and crispy. I was specifically looking for a recipe that made them this way. Just be careful that your dough balls aren’t too big and that you place them at least two inches apart on the cookie sheet.
I don’t really know too much about the difference between ginger snaps and molasses cookies as I don’t have much experience eating them. The ingredients are very similar. I know that ginger snaps are crunchy cookies. And I think molasses cookies can be chewy or crunchy or maybe even soft?
Oh yums! That looks awesome. What’t the difference b/w these cookies and ginger snaps? They look about the same (minus the ginger?)?
So are the cookies meant to be crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside? That would be perfect (for me)! I wasn’t sure if your first batch was your one and only batch.
Great recipe!