Chewy molasses crinkle cookies are packed with warm spice, a rich flavor and just scream holiday vibes! These are the best molasses cookies and come out perfectly every time, only require pantry staples, and take just 30 minutes to make!
Talk about the perfect Christmas cookie! A good batch of chewy molasses cookies is hard to come by. Trust me it took me several tweaks to get this recipe in tip-top shape, but now I can bake these all day long for holiday events, cookie exchanges, and even turn them into edible gifts! Its easily become one of my favorite cookie for the holiday season!
With baking season and cookie season in full swing, you may be itching to make other goodies like Toll House chocolate chip cookies, Martha Washington candy, Oreo balls (can be decorated tons of ways!), or even settle in with a mug of warm milk and a hot chocolate bomb. Some of my other favorite recipes during this season is pumpkin everything. These little mini pumpkin pies are so cute, smookies (no campfire needed) always hit the spot, and for my boozy friends, the Dirty Snowman is a must-try!
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Why You’ll Love This Soft Molasses Crinkle Cookie Recipe
- They really give all of the holiday vibes with the combination of warm spices and molasses flavor.
- No fancy ingredients required.
- People always love the perfect crinkle look.
🍪 Ingredients:
- unsalted butter – use softened butter for best results
- granulated white sugar
- egg
- molasses
- vanilla extract
- all-purpose flour
- ground ginger, ground cinnamon, cloves, and salt
- baking soda – helps to make the cookies fluffy, so make sure it’s not expired!
Before You Start: Be sure to measure all the ingredients correctly. These cookies can be finicky, so you don’t want to overdo the molasses or they may overspread. Too much spice can make the flavor over-powering.
For a full list of ingredients and their measurements, 📋 please view my printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔪 Instructions:
Step 1: In a medium bowl or large bowl whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda.
Step 2: With an electric mixer or hand mixer: cream the butter and granulated sugar. Mix in the egg and vanilla, then beat until fluffy.
Step 3: Beat in the molasses.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients (flour mixture), a spoonful at a time, and mix. Cover and chill for 1 hour.
Step 5: Preheat the oven. Use a cookie scoop to make the cookie dough balls (about 2 tablespoons of dough).
Step 6: Then roll each ball in a small bowl of sugar (for perfect sugary tops) and place on a prepared baking sheet or parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
Step 7: Bake until there’s a hint of brown around the bottom edges.
Step 8: Allow the baked cookies to cool on the pan for a couple of minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool to room temperature.
Molasses Cookies Recipe Tips
- These soft molasses cookies stay soft and retain their chewy texture, longer than most.
- Do not over bake the cookies. They should be fluffy, just starting to crack on the top of the cookies, and a little brown around the edges once they are done.
- Don’t skimp on the chilling time. If the dough is too warm they will spread into a puddle. If it’s taking you a while to roll them in sugar, place the dough balls in the fridge to stay cold.
- If desired, you can substitute half of the table sugar for brown sugar.
- Shortening or vegetable oil can be used instead of butter with the same measurements.
Fun Fact
Molasses was originally brought to the United States from the Indies to make rum.
Serve these molasses sugar cookies with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream or a side of deep fried ice cream.
Recipe FAQs
Keep leftover cookies in an airtight container for 1 week or freeze them for up to 3 months.
When they are ready to be taken out of the oven, you should see a hint of brown around the bottom edges. They will also be puffy and are just starting to crack when they are done.
The ratio of wet to dry ingredients makes these chewy cookies. Our eggs and butter add enough moisture to keep them soft, but they also hold their shape.
More Festive Holiday Cookie Recipes
If you tried this Molasses Crinkle Cookie Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you liked it in the 📝 comments below.
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat 2-3 minutes longer until very fluffy.
- Add in the molasses and beat until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients, by the spoonful, to the butter/sugar mixture until combined.
- Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Scoop the dough (we used a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop) and roll into balls between the palms of your hands.
- Roll the balls in a small dish of granulated sugar and place the cookie dough on a sheet pan, spaced 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes or until cookies show just a hint of brown around the bottom edge. Allow to cool for 3-4 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
Store in an airtight container for up to 7 days or freeze up to 3 months. NOTES: Molasses cookies stay super soft – longer than most cookies, in my opinion. Be sure you do not overbake the cookies. They will have just a hint of brown along the bottom edge, will be puffy, and just starting to crack when they are done. The cookies will deflate when they come out of the oven. These are chewy, soft, and packed with warming spice flavor. If the dough is too warm, the cookies will spread into a flat puddle. Be sure that you chill them for at least 1 hour before rolling the dough. If you are working in a warm environment, or if it takes you a while to roll the dough, place the rolled cookies back into the refrigerator to chill before baking. You can substitute half brown sugar and half granulated. You can use shortening or even vegetable oil in place of the butter. The measurements remain the same.
Nutrition
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