A holiday cookie worth the effort no matter the time of year. These Ginger Molasses cookies are perfectly soft and chewy!
Somewhere along the lines in my adulthood, I have become the chief cookie maker for my extended family. Funny, being as that I am prefer savory fare and would pass up dessert for a cheese tray almost any day of the week. But somehow, it is my cookies that are most requested at Christmas gatherings and I can’t seem to ever make enough to fill the need!
I am not sure what makes the cookies work… Is it the chilled dough? Is it under-baking the cookies ever so slightly then leaving them on the baking sheet for two minutes before transfer? Is it the insistence on using high quality butter, flour and sugar and farm fresh eggs? Is it that I error toward less sweet with more intense flavors? I don’t know – but this farm mama gets her “cookie on” to the tune of 10-15 dozen every holiday season… Keep in mind that we have years ahead to explore healthful eating habits, gluten free options, traditional and primal palates –but this month is sinfully and recklessly devoted to the cookie. Full fat butter, real live flour, cane sugar – I am not making any accommodations and just honoring the very naughty cookie.
So here it begins with the first of three cookie posts in my veritable Christmas Cookie Compendium: Chewy Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
Okay, maybe compendium is a strong and forceful word… Collection? Nah, I think compendium. I like compendium. It sounds authoritative. Cuz, I am like SUPER authoritative.
Not.
But I digress…
So, yeah, ginger molasses cookies, all soft and chewy, moist and tender. They smell like Christmas. They smell like heaven. We love them. I repeat LOVE them. Follow the recipe closely to ensure a delightfully soft cookie that will soften the Grinchiest of hearts this holiday season.
NOTE: For this recipe and the forthcoming cookie posts, I STRONGLY advise the use of a minimally
processed, organic sugar. Perhaps the natural sugar mitigates some of the negative effects, but it also helps to create the most beautiful sparkle and crackle to these three cookie recipes.
Tasty Cookie Recipes
When the craving to get baking strikes, try these tasty scratch-made cookies!
- Double Dark Chocolate Cookies
- Snickerdoodles
- Rhubarb Bar Cookies
- Burdock Peanut Butter Cookies
- Wildflower Scottish Shortbread
Soft & Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe

Soft & Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup butter softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 Tablespoon orange juice
- ⅓ cup molasses
- ¼ organic sugar
Instructions
- In a stand mixer, beat butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 30-45 seconds.
- Add one egg, molasses and orange juice, and beat for another 30-45 seconds. Scrape down sides of the bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour and, spices and baking soda.Carefully add flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat on slow speed until evenly incorporated.
- Scrape down sides of beaters and cover dough with plastic film. Place in refrigerator to chill for a minimum of one hour up to 24 hours.
- Roll chilled dough into 1" ball and roll in 1/4 cup sugar.
- Place on cookie sheet and flatten to about to about half their original height.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350 degrees.
- Remove from oven, slightly flatten the cookie's dome, and allow to cool on cookie sheet for exactly two minutes before transferring to a flat surface to cool.
2 Comments
DE-LISH! I made a couple of mistakes with my 1st pan – used my 1.5″ scoop instead of my 1″, and then set them too close together on the pan to bake – created an interesting honeycomb pattern 🙂 These really spread out but they stay very moist and chewy, really delicious.
I am glad you love them! I actually get very little “cookie spread” in the oven with this recipe… In fact they are barely much bigger then when I smash them before baking. Maybe chill the dough more? And every oven is a little different. I also use an insulated cookie sheet which helps out a lot!