Homemade soft molasses cookies with crackly tops are super chewy and perfectly spiced. They stay seriously soft for days—if they last that long—and are always a holiday favorite.
Molasses cookies have always been my top choice because they bring me right back to my childhood. I grew up helping my mom bake them. After rolling the dough in the sugar and watching them bake through the little oven window, my sweet reward was biting into a warm cookie fresh from the oven. In addition to the nostalgia, the soft texture paired with cozy molasses puts them above any other cookie.
Sorry, chocolate chip cookies, you don’t even compare.
Molasses Cookie Comparison
Since they’re a favorite, I have plenty of gingersnap/molasses cookie recipes on my website and in my cookbooks. Most stem from the same-ish recipe with the exception of the crisp variety. Let’s review what makes each one individually and undeniably delicious:
- Soft White Chocolate Chip Molasses Cookies: Studded with white chocolate chips, these cookies are lusciously soft and mega chewy. You’ll love the combination of cozy spices and white chocolate.
- Ginger Pistachio Cookies: I add salty pistachios to my mom’s classic recipe. These ginger molasses cookies are soft, salty, sweet, and spiced. Find this recipe in Sally’s Cookie Addiction cookbook.
- Crisp Molasses Cookies: Another favorite! These are extra crisp. If you’re looking for a crunchy molasses cookie, this one’s for you—they actually snap when you break them!
- Chocolate Ginger Cookies: These are an elevated twist to our classic molasses cookies. You’ll appreciate the added cocoa flavor and how they are beautifully finished with dark chocolate and crystallized ginger.
- Gingerbread Blossoms: Think of this recipe as a new take on these holiday-favorite spiced soft molasses cookies, with the chocolatey appeal of peanut butter blossoms. They capture so many of the things we love this time of year—warm spice; cozy molasses; a soft, chewy texture; and a melty chocolate kiss in the center.
If I had to choose, I would always reach for my mom’s recipe that lives in Sally’s Baking Addiction cookbook. Nothing compares to mom’s.
What Makes These Molasses Cookies Different?
Another molasses cookie recipe? Yes! These cookies are different from my other varieties and here’s why: they’re soft, crackly, and chewier than all the rest. I used my gingerbread blossoms recipe as a starting point. My goal was to produce a flatter, chewier cookie with the same amount of softness. To accomplish this, I used the same ingredients but slightly altered the ratios:
- Flour: I reduced the flour considerably to yield a flatter cookie.
- Baking Soda: To avoid a super flat and overly greasy cookie, I increased the baking soda. Need that lift!
- Spices: Same amount. This careful blend of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves is exactly what every molasses cookie needs!
- Butter, Brown Sugar, Egg, + Vanilla: Same amounts. Brown sugar is what helps produce the softest molasses cookie ever. (In fact, it’s the first thing I changed when making my crisp molasses cookies.)
- Molasses: Make sure you’re using unsulphured or dark molasses, but do not use blackstrap because it is too intense for these cookies.
Mission accomplished. These cookies are mega chewy, mega soft, and mega crackly!
Which Molasses Do I Use?
There are varying intensities of molasses on store shelves from lighter molasses to blackstrap molasses. Go for an unsulphured or dark molasses, also sold as “robust” molasses. Blackstrap molasses can be quite intense—I don’t bake with it too often.
I’m not working with any of these companies, but I prefer Grandma’s, Brer Rabbit, or Wholesome brands. Wholesome’s organic molasses is super dark, so it will make your cookies a little darker. Look how dark it makes my spiced gingerbread loaf. As opposed to the same recipe as a cake (gingerbread cake) made with Grandma’s brand. What a difference in color!
How to Make Soft Molasses Cookies
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Combine the wet ingredients together.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
- Chill cookie dough. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
- Roll cookie dough into balls. Use about 1 Tablespoon of dough per cookie.
- Generously roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar. For sparkle, of course!
- Bake. The cookies will puff up as they bake then gently sink back down. This is what creates those familiar crinkles and crackles we love. If your cookies aren’t cracking, gently bang the cookie sheet on the counter 2–3x which will help those warm cookies spread and crack on top. See recipe direction #5.
This is a wonderful make-ahead recipe because the cookies stay seriously soft for days (if they last that long!).
This recipe is part of my annual cookie countdown called Sally’s Cookie Palooza. It’s the biggest, most delicious event of the year! Browse dozens of cookie recipes over on the Sally’s Cookie Palooza page.
Seriously Soft Molasses Cookies
- Prep Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 30-32 cookies
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
These seriously soft molasses cookies are the most tender and chewy gingersnap cookies around!
Ingredients
- 2 and 1/4 cups (281g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup (12 Tbsp; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80ml) unsulphured or dark molasses (do not use blackstrap; I prefer Grandma’s brand)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Rolling
- 1/3 cup (67g) granulated or coarse sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on high speed until creamy and combined, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses and beat until combined. Then add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- On low speed, slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be slightly sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour and up to 2–3 days.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. (Always recommended for cookies.) Set aside.
- Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator. If the cookie dough chilled longer than 2 hours, let it sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. The cookies may not spread in the oven if the dough is that cold. Roll cookie dough, 1 Tablespoon each, into balls. Roll each in granulated sugar and arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 11–12 minutes or until edges appear set. If the tops aren’t appearing cracked as pictured, remove the baking sheet from the oven and gently bang it on the counter 2–3x. This will help those warm cookies spread out and crack on top. Return to the oven for 1 additional minute.
- Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead Instructions: You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2–3 days. Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired, before serving. Unbaked cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) will freeze well for up to 3 months. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, preheat the oven, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake as directed. Read my tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
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- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Although very soft, I’m a bigger fan of chewy molasses cookies. They also could’ve used more flavor. Double the salt, an extra egg, and more molasses, would’ve made these spectacular. What I do like about them though is that they’re not overly sweet, even with the rolled sugar.
Love this recipe
I love ginger snap cookies. I have lots of margarine i’d like to use for this recipe. My old recipe called for margarine. Will it work for your recipe?
We don’t recommend margarine as it has different baking properties than butter. You could try solid coconut oil or even a plant-based butter instead, but results may vary. For best results, we recommend sticking with butter.
This is my favorite cookie of all time. The thickness and consistency comes out perfect. They are soft and delicious for days!! I put extra ginger because I really want it ginger-forward.
These are the best cookies I’ve ever made. Perfect recipe!! They turn out beautiful, are moist, and balanced sweetness to spice! Love them and especially with coffee! The kids enjoy with milk!
Way too much butter for my taste. Would like a stronger hit of molasses as well. Can I decrease the butter without affecting the end result cookie? How would I modify the molasses relative to the other sugars? Thanks for SOOO many great recipes….
Hi Ellen, it would take a bit of recipe testing to ensure results, but you could try slightly reducing the butter and increasing the molasses just a bit. We’d start small, then adjust for more/less in future batches. You may need to tinker with the amount of flour, too. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
I had never heard of molasses cookies until a co-worker asked me to make some (I would bake whatever people requested for their birthdays) I found this recipe and tried it and… WOW just WOW! These are now a staple of my cookie baking! I’ve made them for my family, co-workers, my in-laws, and strangers! Everyone loves them!
One thing I do that is a tiny bit different from the recipe is that I use turbinado sugar AND regular sugar, it adds a tiny bit of a pleasant crunch!
If I add about 1/2 cup of chopped crystalized ginger should I adjust any ingredients or baking time?
Hi Dan, we haven’t tested these cookies with an add-in, but I don’t think you’ll need to make any adjustments. Give it a try and let us know how they turn out!
These are amazing! Followed the recipe exactly and just fantastic. I’ll already prepping to make another batch for my coworkers. Thank you!
Hello! And thank you for so many cookie recipes! i just took on the enormous job of making cookies for fellowship at church every Sunday, so I am exploring new ideas. I was looking at the molasses cookies and was wondering if they would be fine without the cloves?
Yes, definitely!
The best cookies I’ve ever baked. Easy and absolutely delicious. Adults and kids loved them!
Hi. I have loved Sally’s recipes for a long while. I’d like to try this recipe and am wondering if it will work for making the larger cookies? Like the kind you’d see at a bakery. Thank you!
Hi Laura, you can certainly try making these as larger cookies. Bake time will vary. Hope you enjoy them!
Do the quantities stay the same when doubling?
Hi Jami Sue, to double the recipe, simply double all of the ingredients.
Can I sub in lard for butter?
Hi Leslie, we haven’t tested lard in these cookies, but let us know if you do!
I ended up using tenderflake. I wouldn’t normally do that except I had over bought on lard and wanted to use it up. They are great. Maybe a little heavier but soft, chewy almost fudgy. Just how I wanted. Thanks so much!!
Baked these for my son-in-law’s. They survived the USPS trip. And he declared these the Best Cookies I have ever baked!
I LOVE these cookies. When I’m in the mood for a little extra spice, I add some chopped candied ginger in the dough!
is so sweet
Delicious! Eating a still warm cookie now, the flavors are spot on, and easy to put together too, thanks!
This recipe is tried and true and is a recurring favorite with no changes whatsoever. However, if I wanted to give them a little more “bite,” could I add some fresh minced ginger somewhere? Would it alter the cooking too much? How much could I add safely?
Hi Andy, we’re so glad these are a favorite! You sure can. We would add 2 teaspoons of finely minced fresh ginger.
Help!!! I just realized I used two eggs instead of one. My dough is in the fridge chilling. What to do? Double the butter, flour, sugar, molasses, vanilla and spices and try to add it to the dough?
Go ahead and bake them risking the result? Would they be cakier? Puffier? Flat? I’ve made these cookies before and they are the best molasses cookies I’ve ever made. I’m really bummed…. :(. Can I salvage them?
Hi Mary Louise, I would just go ahead and bake them. The cookies may not have the same texture they normally do, but it shouldn’t affect them too much. Hope they turn out delicious!
This recipe was THE BEST! They were so soft and delicious!
Made yesterday for the first time and they fell completely flat! Followed directions completely, chilled for only an hour before baking. Why do you think this happened? Was so disappointed…
Hi Lily, happy to help. Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading.
I was so surprised at how they turned out and, how tasty and beautiful. Just stumbled on your website. Going to check youtube for you.
My husband loves these cookies
This is a beautiful recipe. A perfect little gingie. Thank you!
I absolutely love everything I’ve ever made from Sally’s site. I made this cookie this year and it came out more like a snickerdoodle than a flatter chewy cookie. Comparing this to a friend’s recipe who DID have the flat chewy I was looking for, the ingredients are pretty much the same (the only real difference was hers used a cup more sugar). What can I do to flatten these out and make them chewier?
Hi Matthew, there are a few things you can try. First, using more white sugar in place of some of the brown sugar will help them spread a bit more. I don’t recommend using ALL white sugar, because the brown sugar helps with the chewiness factor, as well as the molasses flavor. Second, you can refrigerate the dough for less time, or let the dough sit at room temperature for a bit after being in the fridge before you roll them into balls and bake. Warmer dough spreads more. Third, make sure you are measuring your flour properly so you aren’t accidentally using too much. And finally, if you’re in the middle of baking a batch and the cookies still aren’t spreading, remove them from the oven, and bang the baking sheet on the counter a few times, to initiate that spread. Hope this helps and you get the cookies you were going for next time!
I Really liked this recipe soft and perfect except for one thing. I’m in my 60’s and my cookies never tasted like hers there wasn’t really any molasse’s flavor. I know you and others say DO NOT USE BLACKSTRAP; however, my sister had some that she takes a spoonful daily so it’s what I had to use. BAAMMM. Grandmas’ cookies revived. To me they’re not bitter tasting but more of the Molasses flavor I remember. My granddaughter and sisters can’t keep our hands off of them and are a constant bake.
This recipe is so good. Not sure why it says not to use blackstrap. Brer Rabbit is the only molasses I use and I thought the cookies were amazing.
We loved this recipe! The cookies turned out flavorful, and chewy with the beautiful crackle. They were gone in 2 days! We could not stop eating them. Definitely one of our favorite cookie recipes!
Made these for Christmas this year! I pressed some Chipits Holiday Shapes into the top of each one after they were out of the oven. They looked very festive and were a big hit with the family!