Old Fashioned Chewy Molasses Cookies
OVERVIEW
- Skill Level: Beginner
- Technique Used: Creaming Method for Cookies
Chewy molasses cookies are wonderfully thin and incredibly chewy. The warm flavors of cinnamon, ginger, and molasses give an incredible depth of flavor. These chewy cookies are the perfect addition to your cookie tin for the holiday season.
HOW TO MAKE CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIES
STEP 1: MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS
It is important to cream the butter and sugar together really well to ensure that the cookies spread out thin and get crispy. You want to mix on medium/high speed for about 2-3 minutes until very fluffy.
Mix in the egg and dark molasses.
STEP 2: MIX IN THE DRY INGREDIENTS
Add the baking soda, salt, and all spices. Mix just until incorporated. This helps evenly distribute the spices without dirtying another bowl to mix all the dry ingredients together.
Step 3: Chill the Dough
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or foil and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours to firm up the dough. This step helps the flour to fully hydrate into the dough, gives time for the flavors to fully develop, and helps the dough to not spread as much when baking.
STEP 4: SHAPE AND BAKE
Scoop dough balls about 1 ½ tablespoons each and roll into a smooth ball between your palms. Roll the dough ball in granulated sugar and then transfer to the lined baking sheets. Give the cookies enough space to spread out.
Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and the middles look just slightly under done. Sprinkle with additional granulated sugar after removing from the oven if desired. Allow to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a a cooling rack to cool completely.
FAQ
What is molasses?
Molasses is made from crushed sugarcane. The juice is boiled down to a concentrated dark, thick, and sweet (not at all bitter) syrup. Most store-bought molasses is unsulphured which is highly preferred for baking. While sulphured molasses has been treated with sulphur dioxide as a preservative giving it a slightly chemically taste.
You may have also heard of blackstrap molasses. It’s made from the same process but it’s boiled down even farther until it’s even more concentrated and has turned bitter. Blackstrap molasses should never be used in baking unless a recipe specifically calls for it.
MAKE-AHEAD CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIES
How to store in the refrigerator: After making the dough, flatten it into a disc and wrap tight in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days.
How to store in the freezer: I suggest freezing the dough after it’s been rolled into balls making it easier for baking. After rolling the dough balls in sugar, place on a baking sheet and freeze. Freeze uncovered at least overnight until the dough balls are rock hard. Then move into a large zipper bag and freeze for up to 2 months.
How to bake from frozen: Remove the dough balls from the freezer and place on a lined baking sheet. You do not need to thaw. Bake as directed adding 2-3 minutes to the baking time.
MORE RECIPES FROM BAKER BETTIE!
If you enjoyed this recipe, you might like to try these other delicious cookie recipes.
Old Fashioned Chewy Molasses Cookies
These old-fashioned chewy molasses cookies have the ultimate chew factor! The cookies are filled with warming spices and bake up nice and thin with an incredibly chewy texture.
Ingredients
- 170 grams (¾ cup, 1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 150 grams (¾ cup) granulated sugar, divided
- 100 grams (½ cup) dark brown sugar
- 230 grams (⅔ cup) unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom or clove (I prefer cardamom)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 270 grams (2 ¼ cups) all-purpose flour
Instructions
PREP:
- About 30 minutes before making the dough, take the butter (170 grams/ ¾ cup) and egg (1 large) out of the refrigerator and leave out at room temperature. Measure out the rest of the ingredients.
Method:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with hand mixer, cream together the butter with the larger portion of granulated sugar (100 grams/ ½ cup) and dark brown sugar (100 grams/ ½ cup) on medium-high speed until light and fluffy about 3 minutes.
- Add the egg and molasses (230 grams/ ⅔ cup) to the mixing bowl and mix again until it is incorporated.
- Add the baking soda (2 teaspoons), cinnamon (1 ½ teaspoons), ginger (1 teaspoon), cardamom or clove (½ teaspoon), and salt (½ teaspoon) to the mixing bowl. Mix until incorporated. Scrape down the mixing bowl and mix again to ensure the spices are evenly distributed.
- Add the flour (270 grams/ 2 ¼ cups) to the mixing bowl and mix until incorporated. This should only take about 30-45 seconds of mixing. Do not over-mix.
- Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap or foil and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours to firm up the dough.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Line three baking pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats and set aside.
- Scoop dough balls about 1 ½ tablespoons each and roll into a smooth ball between your palms. Roll the dough ball in the smaller portion of the granulated sugar (50 grams/ ¼ cup) and then transfer to the lined baking sheets. Give the cookies enough space to spread out.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set and the middles look just slightly under done.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to a a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Notes
Recipe heavily adapted from The Baker's Manual
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20 Comments on “Old Fashioned Chewy Molasses Cookies”
Theses are delicious. They turned out so chewy and flavorfull!!!
Awesome! So glad you liked them!
Do you use first boil or second boil molasses in these?
Do you have a good source for second boil molasses? There are so many different descriptions I don’t know which one to select.
Thanks
Volume measurements don´t match gram measurements, I followed the gram measurements, my cookies came out very very flat and crunchy, also 12 minutes was pushing it
Where is the egg measurement in the ingredient list?
Hi, it’s in the ingredient list. It’s 1 large egg.
I LOVE this recipe and have made it many times. I always get requests to share the recipe when I share the cookies. I use cloves instead of cardamom and raw sugar to dip the dough balls in for a little crunch. Thank you for sharing!!
I add a 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to this and it gives such a nice additional warmth to them!
Great idea!
These look amazing!!! I’d love to make them, just have one question about the brown sugar amount first. I’m an avid by-weight baker and usually the recipes I use are 100g for a 1/2 cup brown sugar. I noticed this one is listed as 170g for 1/2 cup – could you kindly clarify this for me please? Thank you so much!
Hi! You are correct, 1/2 cup of brown sugar is 100 grams. That’s what it says in the recipe.
Thanks for updating it to clarify! Can’t wait to make these 🙂
These look great – just started creaming the butter and sugars and the weight for the dark brown sugar is off – any clarification would be appreciated. Thanks
Ingrid
Hi, the measurements are correct in this recipe. 1 cup of lightly packed brown sugar is 100 grams. It’s always best to measure by weight since “lightly packed” is subjective.
Can I add fresh ginger ( grated).
I wouldn’t. This recipe is better with dried ginger. If you are interested in using fresh, I would search for a recipe that specifically calls for it.
Can I use this recipe to roll out the dough for cookie cutters?
So good. My new favorite. Thank you.
You’re welcome!
I baked cookies at 325 instead of 350; they turned out great! Does oven temperature matter?