These ginger molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with tons of warm spices for a cookie that is guaranteed to be a crowd favorite! They have a flavor that is both sweet and comforting! Not to mention, they can be made in advance and stored in the freezer so you can enjoy them whenever you feel like it!
Sweet Ginger Molasses Cookie Recipe
These ginger molasses cookies are so popular that it's kind of shocking that you don't hear people mention them more often! They have just the right amount of chewiness and are full of sweetness and the perfect amount of ginger.
While they do taste like a perfect Christmastime cookie, you can easily make them all year round (and trust me, you'll want to!) If you're a fan of gingerbread, these cookies definitely share a resemblance!
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🥘 Ginger Molasses Cookies Ingredients
At a glance, these cookies may look like a typical cookie recipe. However, they contain a couple of ingredients that you don't always pull out when baking a fresh batch of cookies: molasses and orange juice!
- Butter - ¾ cup of butter that has been softened at room temperature. (Take a look at my guide to softening butter here).
- Sugar - ½ cup of sugar, plus more for rolling.
- Brown Sugar - ½ cup of light brown sugar, packed. You can use dark brown sugar for a richer flavor.
- Egg - 1 large egg.
- Baking Soda - 2 teaspoons of baking soda.
- Spices - 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, and ground cloves. Plus, ¼ teaspoon of salt.
- Molasses - ¼ cup of molasses. There are a few different types of molasses, but I recommend using just your typical unsulfured kind (you'll be able to find it on the baking aisle of any grocery store - I found mine next to pancake syrup).
- Orange Juice - 1 tablespoon of orange juice. If you don't have any on hand, you can just use water.
- Flour - 2¾ cups of all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled.
*Be sure to see the free printable recipe card below for ingredients, exact amounts & instructions with tips!*
🔪 How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
There are no difficult techniques with these cookies. Even a beginner baker can make them! You will need a baking sheet with some parchment paper, an electric mixer, a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, and a small dish for rolling the cookies in sugar.
This recipe will make about 2 dozen perfectly chewy cookies!
Prepare The Dough
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter. Using an electric mixer, cream together ¾ cup of room-temperature butter and ½ cup of both brown sugar and sugar until smooth and creamy.
- Mix. Add 1 large egg and beat until well combined. Then, mix in 2 teaspoons of baking soda, 1 teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Finally, add ¼ cup of molasses and 1 tablespoon of orange juice and mix again until everything is incorporated.
- Add the flour. Sift 2¼ cups of flour into the wet mixture in small increments and use a spoon to gently mix it all together, being careful not to overmix the dough.
Chill & Bake
- Chill the dough. Transfer the whole bowl to the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for approximately 15-30 minutes.
- Scoop and roll. Scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoon portions and roll them into a ball. Place about 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar into a shallow dish and roll the dough balls in the sugar until fully coated.
- Space. Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches of space left between them. Use your hands or the bottom of a glass to slightly flatten the tops.
- Bake. Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Cool. Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
These cookies can be served any time of the year, but they are sure to be a show-stopper at any cookie swap parties you may attend around the holidays! Snack on them while sipping on a tall glass of gingerbread eggnog. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Tips & Recipe Notes
- If desired, you can wait until your cookies have cooled completely and then dip them into melted white chocolate for an extra special treat!
- Anytime you are baking, make sure you are properly measuring your flour for the best results. To do so, fluff up the flour with a spoon and use the spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup before leveling off the top. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen scale to weigh it.
- Chilling the dough is crucial to making your cookie dough easy to roll as well as helps prevent them from overspreading in the oven. You can even let it chill for a few hours if you like.
🥡 Storing
Keep your ginger molasses cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Place your cookies into a storage bag or container and freeze them for up to 2 months. Defrost when ready to serve.
Freezing & Baking Cookie Dough
Roll the dough into balls (but not in the granulated sugar) and place them onto a baking sheet. Freeze for about 3 hours or until solid. Then, transfer the dough into a storage bag for up to 2 months.
To bake, transfer your frozen cookie dough to the counter for about 10-15 minutes to let the balls defrost slightly so that they are tacky. Roll them in granulated sugar and bake as directed, adding about 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
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❓ FAQ
There are two reasons why your cookies could have overspread: the dough was too warm, or you didn't add enough flour. It is very important that you chill the dough for at least 30 minutes (or longer) as this helps to resolidify the butter, which makes it take longer to melt down in the oven.
Secondly, if you don't have the correct amount of flour, then your dough will spread. Make sure you follow the recipe!
While they definitely have a similar flavor profile, the main difference is the texture. These ginger molasses cookies are soft, tender, and chewy. On the other hand, gingerbread is typically harder and crunchier (think gingerbread houses).
You'll want to use either medium or dark molasses for the best-tasting cookies. Light molasses is sweeter and will work, but definitely avoid using backstrap molasses as it is very strong and bitter and can come off as spicy.
Additionally, for cookies, you'll want to always use unsulfured molasses.
🍪 More Delicious Cookie Recipes
- Thumbprint Cookies - Tender cookies that are indented and filled with your favorite jam or jelly.
- Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - Chewy cookies that also use molasses as an ingredient!
- Mexican Wedding Cookies - Buttery, eggless cookies that are bursting with almond flavor!
- Red Velvet Blossoms - Soft red velvet cookies are topped with chocolate candy.
- Gingerdoodles - A variation of snickerdoodles that incorporates ginger.
- Melting Moments - Soft and sweet cookies that will literally melt in your mouth!
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📋 Recipe
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter (softened at room temperature)
- ½ cup sugar (plus more for rolling)
- ½ cup light brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 tablespoon orange juice (or water)
- 2¾ cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together the room-temperature butter, brown sugar, and sugar until smooth and creamy.¾ cup butter, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup light brown sugar
- Add the egg and beat until well combined. Then, mix in the baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, ground cinnamon, and salt. Finally, add the molasses and orange juice and mix again until everything is incorporated.1 large egg, 2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1 teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ cup molasses, 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Sift the flour into the wet mixture in small increments and use a spoon to gently mix it all together, being careful not to overmix the dough.2¾ cup all-purpose flour
- Transfer the whole bowl to the refrigerator and allow the dough to chill for approximately 30 minutes.
- Scoop the dough into 1½ tablespoon portions and roll them into a ball. Place about 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar into a shallow dish and roll the dough balls in the sugar until fully coated.
- Place the balls onto the prepared baking sheet with about 2 inches of space left between them. Use your hands or the bottom of a glass to slightly flatten the tops.
- Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F (175°C) for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and let them cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
Equipment You May Need
Notes
- If desired, you can wait until your cookies have cooled completely and then dip them into melted white chocolate for an extra special treat!
- Anytime you are baking, make sure you are properly measuring your flour for the best results. To do so, fluff up the flour with a spoon and use the spoon to scoop it into your measuring cup before leveling off the top. Alternatively, you can use a kitchen scale to weigh it.
- Chilling the dough is crucial to making your cookie dough easy to roll as well as helps prevent them from overspreading in the oven. You can even let it chill for a few hours if you like.
- To store: Keep your ginger molasses cookies stored in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: Place your cookies into a storage bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Defrost when ready to serve.
- To freeze cookie dough: Roll the dough into balls (but not in the granulated sugar) and place them onto a baking sheet. Freeze for about 3 hours, or until solid. Then, transfer the dough into a storage bag for up to 2 months.
- To bake from frozen: Transfer your frozen cookie dough to the counter for about 10-15 minutes to let the balls defrost slightly so that they are tacky. Roll them in granulated sugar and bake as directed, adding about 1-2 minutes to the baking time.
Nutrition
Angela is an at home chef that developed a passion for all things cooking and baking at a young age in her Grandma's kitchen. After many years in the food service industry, she now enjoys sharing all of her family favorite recipes and creating tasty dinner and amazing dessert recipes here at Bake It With Love!
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