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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Reader Comments and Reviews
These ARE good cookies. However, these are not what I would consider a molasses cookie. I taste more ginger than molasses in this recipe. My search for the perfect molasses cookie will now resume.
These are perfect and I make them a lot. This last time I rolled in dark brown sugar and it was so good. I don’t make mine crack because I forget.
These are the BEST molasses cookie I have ever baked/eaten! I baked some for Christmas but we ate them all! I introduced my Mexican neighbors to these and they were crazy about them.
I am now prepping the 3rd try to have some left over for the holiday..wish me luck!
Delicious! Absolutely delicious!!
Hello! If I wanted slightly larger cookies (ie if I made 1.5 tbsp balls instead of 1), would I need to change anything with the baking?
Bake time will be a little longer for larger cookies.
Great recipe! I substituted all the sugar (except for rolling the ball of cookie dough at the end) with Monk Fruit. They came out perfect and tasted like more with each bite. Convection Baked at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. This is a keeper!!
Seriously the best molasses cookies I’ve had in a while. They were gone within minutes and didn’t even get the chance to cool down all the way! They’re so soft and they have that deep rich flavor that makes these cookies a favorite. This recipe is easy to follow and yields great results!
Delicious . Couldn’t stop eating them. I used blackstrap molasses.
These cookies are SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!! Very soft! Delectable treats for the whole family around Christmas time and any time!!!!!!! YUMMMMMMMMM!!!!
I’m not sure what went wrong with these? They turned out very crispy and very flat. I let the butter sit out for about 90 min and was afraid it was still too hard (definitely not too soft). Followed the recipe and instructions exactly as written. When baking, I checked them at 10 min and they were super flat so took them out a few min early. Flavor was perfect but was hoping for “chewy” not hard and crunchy. Mine looked nothing like the pic. Still yummy so going to make another batch today and will freeze them for 30 min in ball form before baking.
Hi Lisa! We’re so sorry these gave you trouble. Flat, crispy molasses cookies are almost always a sign of the oven running hotter than expected or the baking soda losing some strength (if your butter wasn’t too warm). Even a 15–25°F hotter oven can quickly darken the bottoms and cause cookies to overspread before their structure sets. If you’re up for trying them again, we’d recommend lowering your oven temperature by 15–25°F, using a fresh box of baking soda, and baking on a light-colored sheet pan lined with parchment or a silicone mat. I hope this helps!
Thank you for the tips! My baking soda is only a couple of months old, and I follow Sally’s advice on pans and parchment paper, so I assume my issue is with oven temp. I made a new batch this morning, put it in the refrigerator for an hour, then rolled the dough into balls and put them in the deep freeze for 2 hours. I baked at 325 degrees this time and these look exactly like the picture. Both batches were yummy, but the second batch is nice and chewy. I’ll be making these a few more times because they are so good.
Hi Sally, i am baking for a cookie competition where the crowd loves cheesecake. Could i add a frozen cream cheese core to these ginger molasses cookies, the same way you have written for your Cream Cheese Red Velvet Stuffed Cookies? If yes, do i need to change anything in this recipe to adapt? Thanks! P.S. your red velvet cream cheese cookies won first place last year 🙂 so thanks!
Hi Anne, we’ve never tried that but would love to hear how it goes if you do! So glad to hear the red velvet cream cheese cookies were a hit!
Why did my cookies come out flat? All my ingredients are fresh.
Hi Sue! Here’s our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading. Starting with butter that is too warm is the most common culprit!
Thanks so much for the tips, I will give it the old college try!
Thank you very much! I made molasses cookies for the first time today and chose your recipe. Hurrah! Great success, and I’m looking forward to sharing them tomorrow with a friend I haven’t seen in a long time and who loves ginger and molasses 🙂
This recipe is THE best! Soft, chewy, but slightly crisp on the outside. Flavor is delightful. Thank you so much for this recipe!
I like the texture but flavor a little bland for me.
If I want them to be more fluffy and not flat can I add a little bit more flour to it?
Put an extra egg in as well as some extra flour and they will be puffy and soft.
I love these cookies but I must have done something incorrectly. They didn’t crack at the top. Any ideas why?
Hi Nancy, The cracks and crinkles appear in the cookies after the cookies rise up in the oven, and then fall back down. Tapping the baking sheet on the counter can help too if you’re not seeing the cracks.
These are my grandsons favorite cookies, and the holiday wouldn’t be complete without them. Is there a way I can freeze the dough or the cookies ahead of time?
Hi Diana, yes! 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 our tips and tricks on how to freeze cookie dough.
I just made these cookies today – AMAZING! I coated half with regular sugar and the rest with raw sugar – AMAZING! I just bought your Sally’s 101 – Awesome! Every recipe that I have made of yours has come out excellent! Thank you!
Have you ever used Splenda brown sugar along with Splenda sugar?
Hi Amanda! We’d love to help but we are not trained in baking with sugar substitutes. For best taste and texture (and so you don’t waste your time trying to adapt this recipe since it may not work properly), it may be more useful to find a recipe that is specifically formulated for sugar substitutes. Thank you!
They were too cakey
Candied ginger would be a delightful addition added to the cookies. Would this affect the cooking process? What amount would you suggest using if this would be fine to add?
Hi Jessie, candied ginger would be fantastic here! Exact amount will really depend on how much additional ginger flavor you prefer. Some readers have reported using up to 1/4 cup. You may want to start small and then adjust for future batches. Let us know what you try!
Can you please let me know how many cookies this recipe yields (if each is 1Tbsp)? I can’t seem to locate that detail. THX! Also, will I be able to taste the ginger? I just really don’t like ginger…can it be omitted or does that throw off the profile?
Hi Kelly, this recipe yields 30-32 cookies. You can reduce the ginger to 1 tsp if you would like.
First time making these and it will not be the last! These cookies came out exactly how they are described in the recipe! The sparkle from the sugar, and the beautiful cracks in the top were absolutely amazing. These cookies are hands down one of the best tasting cookies I have ever made and eaten! If you are thinking about this recipe, MAKE THEM NOW!