This Molasses Cookie Recipe is soft and chewy in the center, crisp around the edges, and packed with warm holiday spice. The BEST Christmas cookies!
Author’s Notes
My Most Requested Christmas Cookie
These are hands-down a reliable Christmas cookie. It is satisfying to chocolate chips, fun frostings, and all the creative cookie combos (and I’ve truly added just about everything to cookies), but when Christmas rolls around, nothing puts me more in the holiday mood than these.
They’re sweet, soft, and chewy, and packed with all the warm holiday spices. They just feel like Christmas.
Every year I make this Molasses Cookie recipe, bring them to parties, gift them to neighbors, and add them to every cookie box I make in December. And without fail, I’m told the same thing. These are the best gingersnap cookies they’ve ever tasted.
Molasses Cookie Recipe Ingredients
| Ingredient Group | Helpful Tip |
|---|---|
| Butter & Sugars | Melt the butter and let it cool slightly. Hot butter can cause greasy cookies. |
| Eggs & Vanilla | Bring eggs to room temp so they mix in smoothly and help the dough bake evenly. |
| Molasses | Use regular unsulphured molasses for the best flavor. Blackstrap is too strong and bitter here. I have tested these with Brer Rabbit® and Grandma’s® and would recommend either. |
| Spices & Leaveners | This spice blend gives that classic holiday flavor. Make sure baking soda and baking powder are fresh for the reliable rise. |
| Flour | Mix just until combined so the cookies stay soft and tender. Overmixing can make them tough. |
How To Make This Molasses Cookie Recipe
- Wet Ingredients: Melt butter, let it cool, and mix all wet ingredients.
- Dry Ingredients: Add dry ingredients to wet, mixing until just combined. Chill dough.
- Roll in Sugar: Roll dough into balls and coat each in sugar. Chill again.
- Bake: Heat oven. Put dough balls on a lined baking sheet and bake.
- Cool & Enjoy: Let cookies cool on the sheet, then move to a rack.
Giving This Molasses Cookie Recipe The reliable Sugar Coating
For the reliable finishing touch, roll the dough in a mix of coarse and granulated sugar before baking. This mix adds the reliable light crunch.
Other options: You can use turbinado or sparkling sugar for even more crunch. Plain granulated sugar works too, just with less crunch.
Storage
Leftovers?
- Storing Cookies: This molasses cookie recipe is best enjoyed within a few days. Store leftover cookies in a sealed container at room temperature for up to a week.
- Freezing: Freeze unbaked dough balls on a tray until solid, then move to a sealed bag or container. Bake straight from frozen, adding a few extra minutes.
More Holiday Treats:
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Christmas Snack Mix
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Christmas Brownies
Desserts
Peppermint Fudge Recipe
Desserts
Rolo Pretzel TurtlesVariations
Fun Ways to Switch Up This Molasses Cookie Recipe
- Add white chocolate chips: These go well with the spices and molasses.
- Change spices: If you’re not sure about the spices, start with less and change to taste. Remember, the dough tastes stronger than the baked cookies.
- Frost them: Skip the sugar coating and add frosting instead. Cream cheese frosting would be satisfying!
- Add a chocolate drizzle: Melt white chocolate with a bit of coconut oil, move it in a bag, cut the tip, and drizzle over cooled molasses cookies.
