These delightful Soft and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies are a must for your holiday cookie baking.  They are crisp, crinkly and sugary on the outside while inside the soft, moist goodness seems to melt in your mouth.  Beware!  You will not be able to stop with only one or two cookies!

Spice and Molasses cookies, a perfect blend!

I recently bought a package of molasses cookies from a bakery and was so disappointed in the flavor and texture.  I could actually taste the flavor of the shortening!  Not butter, shortening, like maybe Crisco!  The next day I pulled these soft and chewy molasses spice cookies together and used real butter!   Confession…. I did major damage to the first sheet pan of warm cookies that came out of the oven.  😊

There are three types of molasses:

• unsulfured
• sulfured
• blackstrap molasses

It is good to know the difference between these types when baking our soft and chewy molasses spice cookies.

 

Soft and chewy molasses spice cookies

• Unsulfured molasses is the finest quality and the one you want to use for any baking.  Unsulfured molasses is the best grade of the three types of molasses because it is from the first boiling and only removes a small amount of sugar. 
• Sulfured molasses comes from unripened sugar cane and requires treatment with sulfur fumes during the sugar extracting process. The second boiling has a darker and less sweet flavor.

• Blackstrap molasses is from the third boiling of the juice. It is a more concentrated, nutritionally dense molasses than when made from the first or second boilings. Blackstrap molasses has a strong flavor.  It also has a lower sugar content and high in iron and minerals. 

 Molasses is not just for baking, it is delicious in savory foods as well.   Check out our old-fashioned Baked Beans.   

Now that we have graduated from the Molasses-101 class let’s move on to the cookie-baking. 

Give the a good sugar coating!

Bake only one pan of cookies at a time.  That way the cookies will bake more evenly. Prepare another batch while the first batch is baking.

These are the best soft and chewy molasses spice cookies.

• Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until browned, puffed up and the edges have begun to set while the centers appear soft—about 11 minutes.
• The cookies will have those beautiful cracks and appear to be undercooked.  Do not over bake, they will continue baking from residual heat once removed from the oven.
• Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Molasses cookies and cold milk…..Perfect!

Tips for soft molasses cookies:

• Do not overmix the dough.
• When you measure the molasses, spray the measuring cup with cooking spray and it will slide right out. 
• The cookie dough will be soft. Don’t add extra flour to make it firm.
• Sift the dry ingredients to remove lumps.
• For best results, bake one cookie sheet at a time (they will bake more evenly).
• Don’t overbake the cookies. They will continue to bake from the residual heat when you remove them from the oven. Keep them slightly underbaked so they will be soft.

Yield: 24 Cookies

Soft and Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Print

These soft and chewy molasses spice cookies are crisp, crinkly and sugary on the outside while inside the soft, moist goodness seems to melt in your mouth.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes

Total Time 26 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 cubes) room temperature
• 1/3 cup (70 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (70 grams) dark brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses (I use Grandma’s)
• 2-1/4 cups (300 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 3/4 cup (150 grams) coarse-grind sugar (to roll the cookies in)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. Add the butter, brown and white sugars to a large mixing bowl.  Use either a handheld mixer or a stand mixer. If you have a standing mixer then use the paddle attachment. 
3. Beat the butter and the sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy—about 3-minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add the egg yolk and vanilla. Increase the speed to medium and beat until blended—about 20-30 seconds.
4. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses. Beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. 
5. Set a large mesh strainer over the mixing bowl and add the flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Sift the mixture down into the batter and give it a stir with your spatula (stirring the flour in a bit will prevent it from flying out of the bowl when you start the mixer.)
6. Place the mixer on the lowest setting and beat just until the flour is completely blended.
7. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon and shape the dough in your hands forming 1-1/2 inch balls. 
8. Add the course sugar to a shallow dish. Roll the balls in the sugar and place them on the parchment-lined baking sheet. Leave space between each cookie.   
9. Bake the cookies in the preheated oven until they are browned, puffed up and the edges have begun to set while the centers are soft—about 11 minutes. 
10. The cookies will have those beautiful cracks and appear to be undercooked.  Do not over bake, they will continue baking from residual heat once removed from the oven.
11. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and leave the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

• Sifting the dry ingredients is important to remove any lumps of salt or baking soda.
• When measuring the molasses, spray the measuring cup lightly with oil and the molasses will slide right out.
• The cookie dough will be soft, do not over mix
• Regular sugar can be used to roll the cookies in rather than the coarse grind sugar
• For best results, bake only one baking sheet of cookies at a time. While they are baking scoop and roll the second batch that can go into the oven when the first batch is removed.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  Pyrex Glass Mixing Bowl Set (3-Piece)
• 
  U-Taste 10 Piece Measuring Cups and Spoons Set in 18/8 Stainless Steel
• 
  Grandma's Original Molasses All Natural, Unsulphured - 12oz
• 
  Cookie Scoop Set,JSDOIN Ice Cream Scoop Set, 3 PCS 18/8 Stainless Steel Ice Cream Scoop Trigger Include Large-Medium-Small Size, Melon Scoop (cookie scoop)
• 
  Reynolds Kitchens Pre-Cut Parchment Paper Baking Sheets - 12x16 Inch, 22 Count

Nutrition Information

Yield

24

Serving Size

1 cookie
Amount Per ServingCalories 122 Total Fat 6g Saturated Fat 4g Trans Fat 0g Unsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 31mg Sodium 126mg Carbohydrates 15g Fiber 0g Sugar 6g Protein 2g

Nutrition information is a guideline only, is calculated automatically by third party software, and absolute accuracy is not guaranteed.