Molasses Ginger Cookies
I found these molasses ginger cookies on Pinterest sometime during the Fall and just knew they would make it into my Christmas line-up. If you look back through the years you’ll notice that I tend to post a new molasses ginger cookie every year (spoiler alert – this year I have two!), but I can honestly tell you that this is my favorite of the ones I’ve posted so far. It’s just so classic. The flavor is perfect and the cookie itself is soft and chewy. It’s a great cookie to transition from Fall to Winter.
I got the recipe from A Sweet Spoonful, and if you check out her site you’ll notice that her cookies are much thicker than mine. I don’t know if I did something wrong, but I made these 2-3 times and every time they turned out like you see in the pictures here. I’m not complaining however, because Mike and I both absolutely loved these cookies.
Whether they turn out fat and puffy or thin and chewy, it doesn’t matter. I recommend these spicy cookies either way. 🙂
P.S. You can see all of my Christmas treat recipes from over the years at this Christmas Cookies tag. Enjoy! And, as always, let me know if you try any and how you liked them.
Molasses Ginger Cookies
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 3 1/4 cups bread flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
Directions:
- Preheat the oven at 350 F.
- In the bowl of a stand-mixer or in a separate bowl using electric beaters, cream the butter and sugar until well combined, about one minutes. Then add the egg and molasses and mix until just combined, 20-30 seconds. Add all of the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated (don’t overmix here).
- Using a large tablespoon or ice cream scoop* portion out roughly 2 ounce balls and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until the tops and edges are golden brown and slightly crackled. The very center can remain slightly soft and even just a tad jiggly. When the cookies cool, they will firm up, leaving the inside and center wonderfully soft.
from A Sweet Spoonful
Welcome! I'm Megan and it's my hope that here you'll find food that has been made with love and recipes that are shared with joy. Thanks for stopping by! 
Yum! I love molasses…I’m adding these to my Christmas cookie list. Hmmm…will they be flat or puffy? I’m sure they are delicious either way!
I adore this classic cookie. So yummy tasting!
Now, that’s a cookie. Yum.
Yum! I love ginger cookies!
I’ve never seen a soft ginger cookie, I’ll try these for sure!
Thank You.
Mmmm, two of my favorite flavors together. They look perfect!
I am so glad that I stumbled upon this post. These cookies look amazing and I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Yum! I’m posting a similar cookie on Monday 🙂 ‘Tis the season!
I love how chewy and gooey those look.
I love your recipes and have done several, but this one has totally bombed! The first pan I cooked for 12 mins and they were burnt! 2nd was 11 mins with similar results. 🙁 3rd pan was 5 mins, but they won’t come off the pan. Bummer! I love molasses cookies and was planning on taking them to a party tomorrow. Guess I’ll be running to the store for more butter so I can make a different recipe 🙁 (sure wish I knew what I did wr
Hi Julie. Sorry these didn’t turn out! I just compared the recipe to the blog where I originally got it from to make sure I had the ingredients right and it looks correct. I notice that the original blogger did add an extra 1/4 cup of flour after further testing, which I think is a good idea. (I’ll update my recipe as well). That would cause the cookies to be a little thicker, which might result in a slightly longer cooking time. My first thought would be to make sure your oven temperature is correct, and if you think it is, to then try a baking time in between 5 minutes and 11 minutes. If they weren’t coming off the pan at 5 minutes, they might not have been completely baked. If you want to talk through what could have gone wrong, feel free to email me at whatmegansmaking[at]gmail[dot]com and we can try to figure it out. Sorry you have to find a different recipe!
Follow-up on previous post:
I’m too “cheap” to throw the batter away, so…
I added a bit of flour (probably 1/4 cup or so – I live at high altitude and that sometimes affects things!), turned down the oven temp just a few degree, stopped using a metal pan (even with parchment paper they over cooked) and used only a stone, checked on them at 5,6,7 mins, and used the parchment paper – a MUST! since I couldn’t take them off the stone until they were completely cooled, so used 2 pieces of paper and switched them out.
End result: decent crunchy/chewy cookies! Enough for the party anyway! Thanks! I appreciate your recipes!
I’m so glad you were able to get enough good cookies for the party! Thanks for the update and I’m glad it worked out, even if it wasn’t ideal. 🙂
I love ginger cookies. Mmm…..
Pingback: StumbleUpon | December 2011 Report - Simply Stacie
I know that I am a little late to this recipe but molasses cookies were on my list to make this Christmas and I didn’t get them made but they would be great for the winter months. It sounds like it would still be good to make but I had one little question- Bread flour and not all purpose flour?? Do they really need that? Can’t wait to try them!!
yes bread flour. Something about the protein content I think? I can’t remember the exact reason, but I know it helps get the thick, chewy texture. That being said, I don’t think it would totally ruin them to use all purpose flour. I’d say give it a try and see how they turn out. It certainly won’t affect the taste. 🙂
Yuumy.Thanks for this post
Pingback: 50 Christmas Dessert Recipes - The Happy Housewife™ :: Cooking