Soft Molasses Cookie Recipe

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Bill Parillo

Homemade soft molasses cookies with crackly tops are super chewy and perfectly spiced. Great for the fall and winter season!

What is a molasses cookie? Molasses cookies are similar to gingersnaps, but the key difference is that molasses cookies are chewy, while gingersnap cookies are snappier and crisper in texture. Molasses cookies use less ginger, but they both use the same amount of molasses; a good name for it would be a “chewy ginger cookie.”

Recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 2 and ¼ cup all purpose flour                                                       
  • 1 and ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter
  • ½ cup packed brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • ¼ cup dark molasses
  • 1 large egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions:

  1. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
  2. In a large bowl beat 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.
  3. 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
  4. Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
  5. 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.
  6. 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.
  7. Cookies will stay fresh covered at room temperature for 1 week.