We can't get enough of these chewy molasses cookies! They have crisp edges, fudgy middles, and rich, spiced flavor from ginger and cinnamon.
As I sat down to write this molasses cookies post, I watched some of the first snow of the year drift past the window. What could be more fitting? These chewy molasses cookies are perfect for cold, wintry days. They have crisp edges, soft middles, and a rich, spiced flavor that’ll warm you up in an instant. Pair one with a cup of hot chocolate, and you have an unbeatable holiday treat!
I think you’re going to love this molasses cookie recipe. It’s quick and easy to make (you don’t even have to chill the dough!), and it yields really wonderful cookies. After the first time I made them, I liked them so much that I couldn’t resist nabbing one for breakfast the next morning. Since then, I’ve baked countless batches of these molasses cookies, and Jack and I still can’t get enough. Baking them has become a new Christmas tradition in our house. I hope it will in yours, too!
Molasses Cookie Recipe Ingredients
Something else I love about this molasses cookie recipe? It’s totally vegan! It comes together with these basic ingredients:
- Molasses, of course! I make these cookies with unsulphured blackstrap molasses, which gives them a rich molasses flavor and dark color. My favorite brand is Wholesome Sweeteners.
- Dark brown sugar and white sugar – For sweetness. This combination also contributes to the cookies’ delicious chewy texture.
- Coconut oil – For this recipe, your coconut oil should be soft, but not melted. To achieve the right consistency, I usually pop it in the microwave for around 15 seconds before I start to bake. The exact timing depends on its initial texture, which varies based on the temperature of the kitchen. Room temperature butter will work here too.
- All-purpose flour – For the most precise measurement, use the spoon-and-level method.
- Baking soda – It reacts with the molasses and brown sugar to help the cookies rise.
- Warm spices – You can’t make good chewy molasses cookies without spices! I use ground cinnamon, ground ginger, and ground cardamom for warm, cozy depth of flavor. If you prefer, feel free to swap out the cardamom for 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves!
- Vanilla extract – It deepens the warm, spiced flavor of these molasses cookies.
- Fine sea salt – To make all the flavors pop!
- And natural cane sugar – For rolling! It creates a sweet, crispy crust around the cookies’ chewy middles.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Molasses Cookies
This molasses cookie recipe is super easy to make! Here’s how it goes:
First, make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the coconut oil or butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and vanilla, and mix again to combine. Then, whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Gradually add them to the molasses mixture, mixing after each addition. Finally, mix in 1 tablespoon water to moisten the dough. If the dough still feels dry, mix in additional water, 1 teaspoon at a time.
Next, shape the cookies. Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to portion the dough, and roll each scoop into a ball. Roll the cookie dough balls in a small bowl of cane sugar. When they’re evenly coated, place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Before you bake, gently press down on the dough balls to flatten them slightly.
Then, bake! Transfer the cookies to a 350°F oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread slightly and cracks form on their surfaces. Allow them to cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
Chewy Molasses Cookies Tips
- Use natural cane sugar for rolling. I like to use regular granulated sugar in these cookies, but I use natural cane sugar on the outside. It has a slightly coarser texture, which creates a delicious crispy crust around the cookies’ edges.
- Bake one sheet at a time. These ginger molasses cookies spread out as they bake, so depending on the size of your sheet pan, you may need to bake them in two batches. Though working in batches takes longer than putting all the cookies in the oven at once, the extra time is worth it. Because temperatures vary throughout an oven, the cookies will bake most evenly if they’re all on the same oven rack. You don’t want cookies on a lower rack to burn before ones above them are cooked through!
- Leave them on the baking sheet for 10 minutes after they come out of the oven. It’ll be tempting to reach for these chewy molasses cookies as soon as they finish baking, but if you can, hold off for at least 10 minutes. Straight out of the oven, the cookies are puffy and delicate. As they cool, they crisp up around the edges and become chewy and fudgy in the middle. After 10 minutes, go ahead and sample one (or more), and transfer the rest to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Freeze the extras. These ginger cookies keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze them! Store them in an airtight container or bag in the freezer for up to 3 months. To thaw, let them sit at room temperature for about an hour, or zap them in the microwave for around 10 seconds.
More Favorite Cookie Recipes
If you love these soft and chewy molasses cookies, try one of these yummy cookie recipes next:
- Gingerbread Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Easy Sugar Cookies
- Perfect Oatmeal Cookies
- Best Peanut Butter Cookies
- Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Lemon Shortbread Cookies
Chewy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted room temperature butter or soft (not melted) coconut oil
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar*
- ⅓ cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses*
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 tablespoon water, plus more if necessary
- ⅓ cup cane sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using an electric mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix again.
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Mix in the 1 tablespoon water.
- Use a 2-inch cookie scoop to scoop the dough and use your hands to roll it into balls. If the dough feels dry, mix in ½ tablespoon additional water. Roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press down slightly on the tops of the balls and bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracking on top. Remove and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
These are the best!! Was hesitant to try the recipe since the recipe didn’t list an egg. So glad I tried it though. Will definitely be making these again!!
Thanks so much!!
I made these today with my grandson. We both thought they were perfect. Easy to make lots for a cookie exchange!
The recipe is perfection. I am just a dummy. I thought that a 2” cookie scoop was measured across the scoop so I basically used an ice cream size scoop. Now I realize it was supposed to be a #100 scoop so much smaller. They still came out great! Just a bigger size.
Thank you for another delicious recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them even at the larger size!
Well I just learned something! 😉
Ditto! 🙂
Oh yeah, this is a keeper. Really easy to make with huge flavor pay off. The are moist, chewy and perfect with a hot beverage. I followed the recipe but for two changes: didn’t have cardamon so added some nutmeg. And for many rich desserts, I add citrus to cut some of the richness. So, I grated the peel of 1/2 a clementine and added it in with the wet ingredients. It added a very subtle but light flavor. These were a huge hit with everyone!
I’m so glad you loved them, the clementine sounds delicious!
Awesome flavour and sooo soft, yet crispy on the outside. Exactly what I wanted
I’m so glad they were perfect!
I’ve made these twice and they’ve turned out perfect both times. I only had light brown sugar and regular grocery store brand molasses on hand so that’s what I’ve used. We are big ginger fans so I put a heaping teaspoon of ginger in and added nutmeg. I omitted the cardamom because I only had whole pods on hand.
The texture and flavour are so warm and comforting, and everyone in our house (including 3 small kids) loves them. Thanks for the great recipe!
my cookies came out pretty rounded… not like the flat ones in the photo.
I am looking for flat and chewy.
I used an ice cream scoop to make the balls.
suggestions?
Hi Robin, make sure you press down slightly on the tops of the balls before baking. Otherwise, I think that the outcome you had may have to do with the specific brands of ingredients you used. We’ve loved these cookies every time we’ve made them, but their texture/thickness can vary depending on what specific molasses, etc. we have on hand. For reference, we’ve gotten a flatter, chewier result with Wholesome molasses and Domino sugar.
Can you make this gluten-free? 1:1?
I’m going to try making these gluten free with Bob’s Red Mill one to one flour and I will let you know how they turn out
Since making these two months ago, I have had to start making double batches because of how popular they are with my partner and family. The other night, my partner hinted, “I’m down to my last molasses cookie and will be running out tonight.” When I made them last night, the look of glee and delight on his face after he ate one was…adorable.
Recipe note: I always bake these for closer to 18 minutes because they seem not done at 12 mins, and they turn out crunchy (still very popular). Right out of the oven last night, they were chewy: my partner has requested a chewy version, so I’m going to bake them as written next time.
Hi Megan, aww thank you for your sweet comment! I’m so glad your family loves these cookies so much.
Made these for a vegan friend, they taste just as good as standard molasses cookies! I did have to use about 3 T of water to get the dough to stick together. Yummy yummy
Came out great, used a #100 scoop, got 21 cookies. Thank you!
Hi, so glad you loved the cookies!
Chewy, crunchy, full of flavor! Reminds me of my grandmothers!
I made a batch of these cookies, they are very good, the taste is amazing, it’s a keeper. One thing, my cookies don’t look like yours, they DO NOT have any cracks. Did I do something wrong? Thank you!
Hi Line, I’m glad you love the cookies! We’ve tested this recipe many times. While the cookies always taste great, we’ve found that their appearance can vary pretty significantly depending on the brand of molasses and sugar used. I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong—different products can simply yield different results. We recommend Wholesome Organic Molasses and Domino granulated sugar for the pictured crinkly look.
I made a batch of these cookies last weekend. I pressed some of them flat before baking to make them crispy and some I gently patted down just to make them less rounded. I had raw sugar in my pantry so they were also rolled in it before baking. They came out delicious! The extra crispy ones are great dunked in coffee or tea. The lightly pressed ones were soft and melted in my mouth. These are definitely a keeper!
These are SUPER good. Even my picky eaters request them. I usually double the recipe and add 2 eggs. Egg helps hold them together a lot better when they are cooked, at the cost of being a bit more sticky to roll out. They are great with 100% whole wheat flour as well. Kids can’t tell the difference 🙂
Hi Ed, I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed them!
If you only have salted butter do you just skip adding salt ?
These are amazing. So much so, I can only make them when we are giving them away, otherwise we eat them all haha
Hi Piper, so glad you love them!
Incredible cookies! I went a bit heavier on the cardamom because I like cardamom. I see some commenters saying they had trouble getting the texture right, it really is important to let them cool *on the baking sheet* for at least ten minutes before you touch them.
I’m so glad you loved them!
Can you refrigerate the dough overnight, and bake it the next morning?
Love this recipe! I added one egg, and it came out excellent. We don’t have any allergies here, so it works! Thank you!
I made these twice. Second time they came out flat. Thought I forgot the egg but looking at the recipe it did not call for one. Wonder why two batches came out so different?
It has to do with how melted your butter or coconut oil are. If they are really melted then your cookies will spread out or be flat!