Crackly on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside, these classic molasses cookies are a holiday favorite.
This post is brought to you in partnership with my friends at Bob’s Red Mill. I used their Organic Unbleached White All Purpose Flour in this recipe and I absolutely love to bake with Bob’s! Thank you for supporting the brands that help bring new content to Big Delicious Life.
These chewy molasses cookies are one of my favorite cookie recipes of all time. They’re crispy and crackly on the outside, super soft and chewy on the inside and full of warm holiday spices. I make these constantly during the holiday season because everyone just gobbles them up. These are so easy to make they are the perfect recipe for a cookie swap!
The best molasses cookies ever
I’ve had this recipe in my arsenal since I was a little girl. It’s one of those old recipes that you keep coming back to year after year. I was at my father’s office holiday party and I kept eating these cookies so ten year old me asked the caterer for the recipe. She wrote it down on a sheet of paper with a sharpie and I’ve had this cookie dough smudged handwritten recipe in a folder for nearly 30 years. Colleen – if you ever see this, just know you made a big impact on my life!
Why you will love this recipe
- Not only is it delicious, it’s incredibly easy to make. Even if you consider yourself “not a baker” these cookies are pretty much foolproof!
- This simple recipe is great to make with kids. Rolling the dough into balls and in sugar is the perfect job for little hands.
- They have a great chewy texture with just the right amount of spice.
- They’re made with oil instead of butter so it’s a welcome addition to the bunches of holiday cookies for anyone with dairy sensitivities.
- They really are the perfect holiday cookie.
Ingredients
- Bob’s Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
- Molasses – There are several different types of molasses that you will find at the grocery store. Mild or light molasses just doesn’t pack enough punch. I recommend using a “robust”, “full flavor” or dark molasses for best flavor. Blackstrap molasses is very strong for baking. I highly recommend this full flavor one.
- Warm spices – cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt.
- Oil, egg and granulated sugar
- Baking soda
How to make molasses cookies
Soft molasses cookies with a crunchy, crackly exterior is the goal.
Start by sifting together the flour, baking soda and spices and set that aside. I do this onto a sheet of parchment paper so that I can make a funnel to easily guide the dry ingredients into the mixing bowl.
Fit your stand mixer with the paddle attachment or use a hand mixer to beat together the granulated sugar and oil. Mix in the room temperature egg and molasses.
Add the sifted flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. The dough should be shiny and a little bit sticky.
Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough into rounded tablespoons and use your hands to roll into balls. I like to chill the dough balls for about 30 minutes to firm them up a bit but it’s not necessary. You can also do this a day or two ahead of time and keep them tightly wrapped in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake.
Roll the dough balls generously in granulated sugar and place them at least two inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. They will spread out quite a bit so make sure you leave enough space between each cookie.
Bake at 375 degrees for 8-9 minutes. The baked cookies should look cracked on the top and a little bit puffy and underdone in the middle. They will firm up as they cool. Do not over bake them if you want chewy cookies!
Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
How to store cookies
At room temperature drop cookies will stay fresh in an airtight container for about a week.
For longer storage, baked cookies can be packed in a freezer bag and frozen for up to six month. Thaw for a few hours at room temperature.
Cookie dough can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and in the freezer for up to six months. To make things easy, scoop the dough into balls first and then freeze on a baking sheet before placing them in an airtight container in the freezer.
More holiday cookie recipes you will love
Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Organic Unbleached All Purpose White Flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup neutral oil
- 1 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
- ¼ cup dark molasses
- 1 egg room temperature
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees f
- Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat oil and sugar together for about 2 minutes.
- Beat in egg and molasses.
- Add dry ingredients to the molasses mixture and mix until dough is just combined. It will be shiny and a little bit sticky.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion out the dough into rounded tablespoon or one inch balls and roll with your hands.
- Chill the rolled dough balls for 30 minutes – this step is optional.
- Generously roll the dough balls in granulated white sugar.
- Place dough balls with at least two inches of space between them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
- Bake at 375 degrees f for 8-9 minutes until the tops are cracked and they are slightly puffed in the middle.
- Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Cookies will flatten as they cool.
Leave a Reply