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Soft molasses cookies with crisp exteriors loaded with warm cozy spices. Stacked in a cellophane bag and wrapped with a festive ribbon – they make wonderful holiday gifts!

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These cookies are similar to my chewy gingersnap cookies, but they use only dark brown sugar, and more of it, and less ginger. So they are darker in color, richer in flavor, and the ginger isn’t quite as snappy as the soft gingersnap recipe. They’re both delicious and either make a terrific addition to a holiday cookie swap!

Just like my gingersnap cookies – these cookies remind me so much of my grandmother. Some of my fondest memories with her were the times we spent together baking in her kitchen. She taught me so much about baking, and I hear her voice instructing me as I make these, even now.

It is important to roll these dough balls before the dough gets too soft. You can pop the dough in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up the dough if it does. And, as strange as it seems, use wet hands when rolling the dough. I don’t understand exactly why it works, but trust me, it does.

Other cookies I love to make around the holidays include these white chocolate peppermint cookies, my icebox cookies, my Russian teacakes, and of course, everyone’s favorite peanut butter blossom cookies.

I like to assemble cookie tins to gift as friend or neighbor gifts – and these molasses cookies are always included!

These cookies have a rich deep flavor, thanks to the molasses and the dark brown sugar. They are soft and chewy, and with the added spices of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves – they make the kitchen smell delicious while they are cooking.

Why This Recipe Works

The soft molasses cookies bake up soft and chewy with crinkly tops.
The dough doesn’t require refrigeration and the cookies take less than 30 minutes to make.
This is an easy recipe meant for beginner bakers!

Ingredients

For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.

Dark brown sugar: This has a richer, deeper flavor than light brown sugar.
Shortening: I don’t use shortening often, but it makes these cookies extra soft and chewy.
Molasses: The namesake ingredient of these cookies. Deep and rich and sweet.
Egg: At room temperature.
All-purpose flour
Baking soda: For leavening.
Spices: Ground cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves.
Salt: I always use kosher salt in baking.
Granulated sugar: For rolling.

Step by Step Directions

For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.

Mix the wet ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the shortening and brown sugar until fluffy, and then add in the molasses and egg.
Mix the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Stir with a whisk. Slowly stir the dry mixture into the molasses mixture just until dough forms.
Prepare the cookies. Scoop and roll the dough into 1 tablespoon-sized balls, roll the dough balls into the granulated sugar and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheet.
Bake. Bake for 13-16 minutes, until the cookies look dry and set. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Jump to Recipe

Brown sugar and shortening in glass bowl.

Egg and molasses in butter sugar mixture.

Tips For Success

Use unsulphered, not blackstrap molasses for these cookies. Blackstrap molasses is an extra potent, extra bitter version of molasses made from additional processing. The resulting darker, bitter bitter molasses works well in BBQ sauce and some baked beans recipes, but not in these cookies.
Don’t overcook these cookies. The shortening will keep them soft but don’t risk it – they are chewy molasses cookies after all.
These cookies freeze remarkably well. I like to keep the dough balls (before they are rolled in sugar) in my freezer. They’ll stay good this way for up to 3 months. Roll frozen dough balls in sugar and bake as directed. You may need to add an extra minute to the bake time if they are straight out of the freezer.