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.
- Soft Gingersnap Molasses Cookies: These extra soft cookies are fat and fluffy!
- 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.
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 traditional soft gingersnap molasses cookies recipe as a starting point (the cute puffy ones!). 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!).
Sally’s Cookie Palooza
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 including:
- Chocolate Butter Cookies
- Easy Cookie Icing
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Lemon Crinkles
- Gingerbread Cookie Bars
and here are 75+ Christmas cookies with all my best success guides & tips.
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.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Mixing Bowl | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Baking Sheets | Silicone Baking Mats or Parchment Paper | Cooling Rack
- Be sure to check out my top 5 cookie baking tips AND these are my 10 must-have cookie baking tools.
Keywords: soft molasses cookies, molasses cookies
I made this cookie recipe & it was just ok. They were very flat & needed more spice as far as Im concerned…although they smelled good, were chewy, but were just ok. I will prob try another recipe..
★
Soo gooddd!!!
★★★★★
These are delicious and so, so moist. They literally melt in my mouth. I did add about ½ tsp more salt, and I’m glad I did. Along with that, I added just a tiny drizzle of vanilla icing and they were gold. Thanks!
Hi,
Did you forget about eggs in this recipe? I tried them and they taste great but are not as rich or moist…
I made the Seriously Soft Molasses cookies but they didn’t turn out as they should have. There was no cracking on the tops even though I tapped the baking sheet on the counter as suggested. I’m so disappointed as the cookies looked so delicious in the picture. I won’t be taking these to a cookie exchange tomorrow.
Hi Betty! Did the cookies stay in a round ball? If so, they may have had too much flour in them. How did you measure the flour? Make sure to spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
This recipe is exactly like my moms and I love them. Voted best cookie at an exchange. My tip: roll dough in long cigar shapes. Place two logs on parchment. Dampen with wet fingers and slightly sugar tops. Freeze logs before baking or bake now same time as your cookie instructions…8-9 min. Sprinkle w sugar and Slice diagonally while warm. Outstanding! Never fails. Soft center if not overbaked❤️
★★★★★
I baked these from frozen and they turned out super flat. Does sitting out at room temp for 30 min resolve the flatness? I thought warmer dough usually results in flat cookies though.
Hi Grace! Happy to help. Yes, chilling the dough keeps it from spreading. Here’s our best tips to prevent cookies from spreading!
These taste great but were sooooo flat. I followed the directions and let the dough chill overnight.
★★★
Hi Brittany, happy to help. Here’s our best tips for preventing cookies from spreading.
Making these today! If I only have blackstrap molasses… can I sub a portion of the molasses with honey to soften the flavor a bit?
Hi Jennifer! We haven’t tested that, but it should work just fine. Let us know if you give it a try!
Followed the instructions to a T but my cookies still turned out flat. I saw in the comments others who have had the same issue as me where the response was to chill the dough longer/don’t let it come to room temp, which I certainly did not let that happen, but in the instructions it says that the dough shouldn’t be overly chilled or it won’t spread. Confusing. They tasted fine, but they were flat.
★★★
Any chance this recipe would be good to chill and then roll out for gingerbread cookies? I don’t love a traditional gingerbread cookie, but I still wanted to do cutouts for the kids. Thanks!
Hi Andrea, this dough will not hold it’s shape as cut-out cookies. Here is out traditional gingerbread recipe instead.
Thanks so much!
Baking these up before work and I must say, they go wonderfully with a cup of coffee. The texture is divine… The only way I can describe it is “melt in your mouth”!!! I didn’t have coarse sugar though and I gotta say, they really need it for the WOW factor. I kept half the dough and will get coarse sugar later today.
I have always used this recipe in the past and it’s amazing! This time, I doubled it like usual and the cookies came out (delicious.. but..) completely flat. I chilled for one hour. I only made about 16 so I am chilling the rest overnight. Will that help remedy?
Hi Brianna, the larger amount of dough likely needed to chill for longer – chilling the rest overnight and baking after that should solve the spreading problem!
Is there a reason we can’t use blackstrap molasses? That’s all I have.
Hi Katie! Blackstrap molasses is very dark and usually pretty bitter in baked goods, so we tend not to use it. However, you can use it the same way as you would unsulphered dark molasses, knowing the flavor will be different.
These cookies turned out perfectly!!! I did add some semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cookies at my father’s request. They were so yummy that they almost didn’t make it to the party I made them for! Thanks for the inspiration!
★★★★★
I made this recipe after eating one my niece made which were baked beautifully I Used regular molasses over dark because I didn’t read the details. Nonetheless, I made 5 dozen for a cookie exchange. Out of the oven they were much flatter then I thought they should be after already experiencing them once. But still chewy on the inside. So I am not sure what I missed on presentation, but those that ate them.said they were great. I just know how they were supposed to look and they didn’t. I will likely try again for texture.
Absolutely fabulous recipe. Easy to put together and they came out beautiful. My favorite cookie so you know I am going to be picky.
I think this might be the ONLY recipe from this page that hasn’t been a resounding win for me! I don’t want to comment to be discouraging, only because it’s purely a point of preference. The cookies came out beautifully and taste great. If you are someone that likes a lighter, cakey cookie, I’m sure you’ll enjoy these.
In all fairness, I should have known by the below average measure of butter, but my jam for molasses cookies is super dense, super chewy cookies and these, while tasty, are much too light and airy for me.
★★★
They were initially soft but while cooling they got so hard. Why
Hi Ernie! Sounds like they could be slightly over-baked. Try a couple minutes less in the oven next time. Also make sure not to over-measure your flour – spoon and level (instead of scooping) to avoid packing in too much flour into your measuring cups – or use a kitchen scale. You can read more about properly measuring baking ingredients in this post.
Would sorghum molasses work in these?
Hi Clarissa, sorghum tends to be sweeter and more liquidy than traditional molasses. We haven’t tested it, but let us know if you do—keeping in mind that the flavor profile will be a bit different.
Delicious! I am usually a recipe purist – always following exactly as written. However, I’m currently dairy free. I made these with Earth Balance vegan stick butter and they turned out great! Just FYI for anyone wondering.
★★★★★
This is by far my family’s favourite cookie! It’s just the perfect chewiness & of course that ginger molasses flavour❤️ We love it!
★★★★★
Do you have to use UNSALTED butter?
Hi Pat, for this recipe, you can just skip the added salt if using salted butter.
Oh my goodness, these were amazing. I thought the recipe was easy, and just as it is, enough spice for everyone. Definately will be making more….mainly cause I ate the first batch all by myself!!!!
I love this recipe and have been making these every year for the last few years.
This year I have an employee who is gluten free, can I change the flower for gluten free flower to make these gluten free? Do I need to make any other changes to the recipe in doing so?
Hi Sammy, We haven’t tested this recipe with gluten free flour, but let us know if you do.
Made 2 batches the first batch spot on, the second spread so much they turned out flatter than pancakes, any idea what might have gone wrong
Hi Darren, did the second batch sit at room temperature while the first batch was baking? It sounds like the dough for the second batch may have gotten a bit too warm. For next time, you could stick the dough balls back in the refrigerator for a bit to ensure they’re extra cold going into the oven. Thank you for giving these cookies a try!
Can I add oats to this recipe while retaining the soft chewy texture?
Hi Vanessa, I recommend these gingerbread oatmeal cookies instead. Feel free to skip the icing on those.
Can I use Red Bobs 1 to 1 gluten-free flour for this recipe?
Hi Sara, We haven’t tested a gluten-free version of this recipe, but many of our readers have had success with a gluten-free all-purpose flour like Bob’s Red Mill or Cup4Cup. Let us know if you give it a try!
I used that gluten free flour and they came out great!
Yes I made these cookies they come so soft. any chewy ti the taste
★★★★★
Eager to make this weekend. Do they freeze/thaw well? I am making care packages for our kids who each lives multiple states away from us and I don’t want them to maold in transit. Also, I have a number of things to bake for these care packages so all the things won’t be done and ready to mail on the same day. Thanks for any answers.
Hi Aleisha! Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months.