Molasses cookies are an old-fashioned holiday favorite and most popular Christmas cookie. The dough comes together easily with only a few basic ingredients and refrigerates for a few hours before scooping onto sheet pans.
This molasses cookie recipe comes together in minutes and packed with rich flavors of molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
Homemade Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy and absolutely delicious.
Old-fashioned molasses cookies are the perfect treat! My great grandmother’s original recipe was molasses cookies with shortening. Probably because it was during the Great Depression and there was a shortage on butter. I adapted her recipe and updated it back when I wrote my first cookbook in 2014.
Just like this recipe from grandma, you’ll also love Cream Puffs, Chocolate Chip Cookies, and Apple Hand Pies.
How to make Molasses Cookies
Step 1: Cream together brown sugar, molasses, and softened butter.
Step 2: Add the egg and gently combine ingredients together. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl occasionally with a rubber spatula.
Step 3: Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and vinegar. Mixing to combine ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again.
Step 4: Transfer the dough to a plastic zip-style bag; refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
Step 5: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line several half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
Step 6: Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and use scoop the cookies into rounds. Flatten Rounds with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle each cookie with sugar and use a fork to make cross marks.
Step 7: Bake cookies until lightly browned, about 12 to 14 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the sheet pan.
Remember that every oven is different. It’s a great idea to use an oven thermometer to accurately monitor the oven temperature. Also, rotate your baking pans half way through the baking process. I carefully rotate each pan completely, and switch the bottom and top pans. This helps the cookies evenly bake.
Recipe FAQs
Blackstrap tends to be too strong. The best molasses for baking is light, unsulfured molasses. This is the sweetest and has a mild, but sweet flavor.
Homemade Molasses Cookies are super simple to make and are perfect for the holidays! These Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies are just like grandma’s! If you love this recipe, try Homemade Apple Pie, Caramel Apples, and Apple Crisp.
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Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
Molasses Cookies
- 1 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 4 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for coating cookies)
Instructions
Molasses Cookies
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together brown sugar, molasses, and softened butter.
- Add the egg and gently combine ingredients together. Occasionally scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula.
- Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and vinegar. Mixing to combine ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl again.
- Transfer the dough to a plastic zip-style bag; refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line several half sheet pans with parchment paper and set aside.
- Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and use scoop the cookies into rounds. Flatten Rounds with the palm of your hand. Sprinkle each cookie with sugar and use a fork to make cross marks.
- Bake cookies until lightly browned, about 14-16 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before removing from the sheet pan.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
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Louise Baker says
I forgot the ACV… OH NO! What’s the purpose of the Apple cider vinegar? Will they still turn out?
Help!!!
Jessica Robinson says
Apple cider vinegar is a key component to help the leavening agent work and helps keep the cookies moist.
Laura says
These are my all time favorite Christmas cookie. And I love them with a strong cup of coffee. Yum
Jessica Robinson says
My mom made them all the time! Loved them!
Lisa Hatfield says
Love how old fashioned and chewy this recipe is thank you for sharing your recipe Jessica!
Jessica Robinson says
Thanks so much Lisa!