Molasses Cookies

These Easy Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy with a rich flavor from molasses and maple syrup. They’re an easy holiday cookie recipe and perfect for gifting!

If you need an easy cookie that is perfect for the holidays, try these molasses cookies. A few eons back, I needed cookies for an exchange at work, and, knowing I had zero time, I searched for a recipe that would make cookies magically appear in my kitchen. Unfortunately, I didn’t find any magic recipes that would produce freshly baked cookies with no work on my part, but I found the next best thing – a recipe for chewy molasses cookies from Bon Appetit.

Easy Molasses Cookies

I’ve made these many times over the years and have tweaked the original recipe. Allow me to say, there are a lot of reasons to love these cookies:

• Unique flavor: Molasses has a dark slightly bitter flavor that adds depth and complexity to cookies. So molasses cookies are not cloyingly sweet like other Christmas cookies – they’re more complex and grown-up. Plus, the warm holiday spices make them very festive.
• Easy to make: They’re easy to make and hard to mess up. So, if you need a last-minute cookie recipe, it’s a good one to try – you don’t even have to wait for the butter to soften.
• They’re holiday-y! And who doesn’t love that? I love that you can make the dough ahead and freeze it. That way, you can bake as many as you want at a time for cookie platters, gifts, and entertaining. I love one (or a few) with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate – makes me feel all Christmas-y.
• Versatile: You can keep them plain or dress them up. I like to roll the balls in cinnamon sugar before baking them or you can add a simple glaze or icing so they look even more holiday appropriate.

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour
• Baking soda
• Ground cinnamon
• Ground ginger
• All-spice
• Kosher salt
• Large egg
• Melted butter
• Granulated sugar
• Brown sugar
• Molasses
• Maple syrup

How to Make Them

Preheat oven 375°F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt.

In a large bowl, combine the egg, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, molasses, and maple syrup. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones and stir until just combined.

Chill the dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes.

While the dough is chilling, mix cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl.

Once the dough is chilled, scoop 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball. Coat each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place cookie balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies have puffed and start to crack on top. Cool on baking racks and store in an airtight container.

Storage Tips

Room temperature: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They will keep for up to a week.

Freezer: You can freeze the cookies for a few months as long as they are wrapped and stored in a freeze bag or container. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls (my preference) – they will keep for up to three months. You can bake them from frozen, but you will need a few extra minutes of baking time.

Tips for the Best Molasses Cookies

Use room temperature ingredients: Leave the egg out for 30 minutes beforehand. Room-temperature eggs mix better than cold ones. Also, allow the melted butter to cool off for a few minutes before you use it.

Use two bowls: I know, dishes -ugh! However, mixing the wet and dry ingredients separately prevents overmixing once you combine them. So as tempting as it is, don’t dump everything in one bowl and mix.

Don’t overmix: Use a light hand when you stir – once the ingredients are combined and the flour is absorbed, stop mixing. Your cookies will thank you when they bake up soft and chewy instead of tough.

Don’t skip the chilling step: If you skip this step, your cookies will spread too much and end up flat and sad. You’ll end up sad, too, and I don’t want that for you.

Use a cookie scoop: I love a cookie scoop because the cookies come out the same size without guessing. A one-tablespoon scoop is perfect.

Don’t overbake them: Start with the lowest baking time and check on the cookies. Once they are set around the edges and cracked on top, they’re done. I like to take them out a little underdone and leave them on the baking sheet for a few minutes.

If you have a need for some last-minute cookies give these a try!

More Christmas Cookie Recipes

• Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Chewy Gingersnaps
• Cookies and Cream Cookies
• Almond Biscotti
• Snickerdoodles

📣 Do you love this recipe? I would love to know! Leave a comment below the recipe along with your recipe star rating.

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The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.