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    Beyond the Butter >> Recipes >> Cookies

    Published: Oct 14, 2020 · Modified: Feb 28, 2023 by Jennifer • This site generates income via ads and may contain affiliate links. See my privacy policy linked in the footer.

    Super Soft Molasses Cookies

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe
    Image of super soft molasses sugar cookies from Beyond the Butter®.

    Old fashioned Super Soft Molasses Cookies are a homemade classic treat packed with bold flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon in each bite. They're soft and chewy on the inside with a crackly top that's been rolled in sugar. They're a fall and holiday favorite recipe that's the perfect addition to any cookie swap!

    Overhead image of soft molasses sugar cookies on a parchment paper lined baking sheet | All Images © Beyond the Butter™
    Jump to:
    • Reasons You Will Love These Super Soft Molasses Cookies
    • Where Does Molasses Come From?
    • How to Make Soft and Chewy Molasses Sugar Cookies
    • What is a Good Substitute for Ground Cloves?
    • Can I Freeze Molasses Cookie Dough?
    • Quick Tips for Baking Molasses Cookies
    • Looking for More Holiday Cookie Recipes?
    • 📖 Recipe
    • Reviews

    Reasons You Will Love These Super Soft Molasses Cookies

    • seriously soft and chewy
    • a holiday favorite
    • perfectly flavored with molasses, ginger, and cinnamon
    • lightly rolled in granulated sugar to give them a nice, sweet crunch
    • they stay soft for days
    • perfect for cookie swaps

    This soft molasses cookie recipe couldn't be any easier to make, and they taste fantastic! They are a definite must-make heading into the holiday season!

    Where Does Molasses Come From?

    Molasses is commonly used as a sweetener in baking, cooking, coffee, or oatmeal and comes from either sugar cane or sugar beets, where it's boiled down to syrup. After removing the sugar crystals, what's left is the dark molasses!

    There are a variety of molasses flavors like light/mild, full/dark, and blackstrap. The light/mild flavor is the lightest and sweetest of the three, followed by the full/dark, which is thicker and has a stronger flavor (great for recipes like this!). Blackstrap is the thickest of the three and has no sweetness to it. You'll typically see blackstrap molasses used in savory dishes.

    Small plate of molasses cookies placed on a larger plate filled with soft molasses cookies and one that is half eaten | All Images © Beyond the Butter™
    Overhead image of soft and chewy molasses cookies randomly placed on a white background and one half eaten | All Images © Beyond the Butter™

    How to Make Soft and Chewy Molasses Sugar Cookies

    Here is a brief overview of how to make this soft molasses cookie recipe!

    1. Whisk the dry ingredients together. This includes all-purpose flour, ground cloves, ground ginger, cinnamon, and salt.
    2. Mix the wet ingredients together. Start with vegetable oil and granulated sugar. Next, you will add in the full-flavored molasses and egg.
    3. Combine the dry and wet ingredients. Unless specified in the recipe, always add the dry ingredients to the wet. Mix the cookie dough together until just combined. The cookie dough will be a thin to medium consistency.
    4. Chill the dough. A minimum of 2 hours is best or until you can form the cookie dough balls. Make sure the mixing bowl is covered with plastic wrap.
    5. Roll and Coat. Roll the molasses cookie dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in a small bowl of granulated sugar (or you can use pure can organic sugar). You only need about ½ cup to coat all 36 cookies this recipe yields.
    6. Bake, then Cool. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 375ºF. Mine seem to bake perfectly right at the 8-minute mark. Your cookies should have a nice sparkling crinkle top with golden brown edges. Cookies should cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before you transfer them to the wire cooling rack.
    Closeup overhead image of soft molasses cookies | All Images © Beyond the Butter™

    What is a Good Substitute for Ground Cloves?

    Ground cloves are not something I always have on hand when baking. So if you find yourself in the same situation, you can use nutmeg.

    Can I Freeze Molasses Cookie Dough?

    Yes! Follow the recipe instructions up until you have chilled the molasses cookie dough. Roll the cookie dough into the 1-inch balls, but skip rolling them in the granulated sugar.

    Place them onto a parchment paper or wax paper lined baking sheet and freeze until firm.

    Remove from the freezer and place the frozen cookie dough balls into a well-sealed freezer bag. Molasses cookie dough balls will keep for up to 3 months in the freezer.

    When ready to bake, add 1-2 minutes to your baking time.

    Parchment lined baking sheet topped with super soft molasses cookies | All Images © Beyond the Butter™
    Closeup overhead image of half eaten soft molasses cookies placed around other molasses cookies | All Images © Beyond the Butter™

    Quick Tips for Baking Molasses Cookies

    • Measuring sticky molasses. One thing that can be tricky sometimes is measuring sticky ingredients, so I suggest lightly spraying the inside of a measuring cup with some baking spray. This will help let the molasses slide out a lot easier when you're pouring it into the mixer.
    • Don't skip chilling the dough. I recommend at least 2 hours of dough chilling or until you can easily form the dough into 1-inch balls. If they haven't properly chilled, things can get pretty messy.
    • Use a cookie scoop. For more consistently sized cookies, use a 1-tablespoon-sized cookie scoop. A regular spoon will work fine, too.
    • Shape the cookies. This is totally optional, but if your cookies come out a little flatter than you like or you'd like them to be about the same size, you can shape them! Check out my Salted Brownie Cookies recipe to learn how to shape them!

    Looking for More Holiday Cookie Recipes?

    • Randomly placed homemade butter cookies on a white background.
      Homemade Butter Cookies
    • Closeup of holiday themed cut out sugar cookies on a red and white dessert plate.
      The Best Cut Out Sugar Cookies
    • Closeup image of chocolate thumbprint cookies on white dessert plate.
      Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
    • Close up image of Chocolate Dipped Graham Cracker Chrismtas Trees topped with white nonpareils on a wax paper lined baking sheet.
      Chocolate Dipped Graham Cracker Cookies

    📖 Recipe

    Closeup overhead image of soft molasses cookies.

    Super Soft Molasses Cookies

    Author: Jennifer
    Old fashioned super soft molasses cookies are a homemade classic treat packed with bold flavors of molasses, ginger, and cinnamon in each bite. They're seriously soft and chewy on the inside with a crackly top outside that's been rolled in sugar. They're a fall and holiday favorite recipe that's the perfect addition to any cookie swap!
    5 from 39 votes
    (prevent your screen from going dark while making this recipe)
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Chill Time 2 hours hours
    Total Time 2 hours hours 30 minutes minutes
    Course Dessert, Snack
    Cuisine American
    Servings 36 cookies
    Calories 96 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves
    • ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger
    • 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
    • 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
    • ½ teaspoon Salt
    • ¾ cup Vegetable Oil
    • 1 cup Granulated Sugar (plus extra for rolling cookie dough balls in)
    • ¼ cup Full Flavor Molasses (I used the Brer Rabbit brand)
    • 1 Large Egg (room temperature)

    Instructions

    • Whisk together the all-purpose flour, ground cloves, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, and salt. Set to the side.
      2 cups All-Purpose Flour, ½ teaspoon Ground Cloves, ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger, 2 teaspoon Baking Soda, 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon, ½ teaspoon Salt
    • Using your hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the vegetable oil and granulated sugar together on medium-high speed until well blended. Add in the full flavored molasses and egg.
      ¾ cup Vegetable Oil, 1 cup Granulated Sugar, ¼ cup Full Flavor Molasses, 1 Large Egg
    • Switching the mixer speed to low, gradually add in the whisked dry ingredients until just combined.
    • Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the molasses cookie dough for a minimum of 2 hours (or until it's easy to shape).
    • Once the cookie dough has chilled, adjust the oven rack to the 2nd level position (just above center) and preheat the oven to 375ºF. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.
    • Using a spoon or a 1 tablespoon size cookie scoop, form 1 inch size cookie dough balls. Roll each one in a small bowl of granulated sugar and place on the lined baking sheet roughly 2 inches apart.
    • Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes at 375ºF. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies will be puffy at first, but will flatten as they cool.
    • Molasses cookies can be kept stored in an airtight container for up to a week at room temperature. They'll stay soft too!

    Video

    Recipe Notes

    • Pure cane organic sugar can be used as a substitute for granulated sugar (both in the recipe and what you roll the cookie dough balls in).
    • If your cookies come out misshapen or flatter than you like, you can reshape them using a round cookie cutter right when they come out of the oven.
    • If you do not have full-flavor molasses, you can use a light or dark flavor, but I do not recommend using blackstrap as it has no sweetness to it.
    • Recipe adapted from A Taste of Bedminster Elementary Cookbook.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 96kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 96mg | Potassium: 44mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.5mg

    Nutritonal information provided above is an estimate only and will vary based on specific ingredients used.

    Tried this recipe and loved it?Snap a pic and share it with me over on Instagram tagging @beyond.the.butter and #beyondthebutter in your caption or stories!
    Small plate of molasses cookies placed on a larger plate filled with soft molasses cookies and one that is half eaten | All Images © Beyond the Butter™
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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Laura says

      November 27, 2023 at 8:47 pm

      3 stars
      My cookies did not come out soft. They really spread and are very crunchy. I did put in a plastic container with a piece of bread hopping this will soften them. I'm not sure what happened, I followed the recipe. Thoughts?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        November 27, 2023 at 9:50 pm

        I'm so sorry they came out like this! Because every kitchen is different, it's tough to pinpoint exactly what may have been the issue. Things like oven temp being off, over mixing cookie dough, mistakenly adding or not adding enough of an ingredient could contribute. I hope the piece of bread will soften them some (one of my favorite tips btw)!

        Reply
    2. Sara says

      November 25, 2023 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      These are just what I was looking for. They came out perfectly with exactly 8 min cooking time. Will be serving them with apple cider at a reception at church during the holidays. 😊

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        November 25, 2023 at 4:31 pm

        What a lovely treat to share with everyone! Thank you so much for making them!

        Reply
    3. Grandpa Chef says

      November 23, 2023 at 2:13 pm

      This recipe is great. Family loves them and to kick them up a notch I put in 1/2 teaspoon Cardamom.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        November 24, 2023 at 10:05 am

        So glad you and your family enjoyed them!

        Reply
    4. Anna Pandolfini says

      October 28, 2023 at 8:57 am

      5 stars
      If I could give 10 stars I would. I made these cookies on Thursday and by Friday my two kids had eaten them all…I may have had a few as well. I’m making them again today (Saturday) because their cousins need to try them. They are soft and chewing and taste like fall. I also love and appreciate the way the recipe was written out. Step 1 mix dry ingredients and then the list and quantity of the ingredients right there instead of having to scroll back up. Thank you for this recipe!!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 28, 2023 at 7:13 pm

        I'm so glad you and your kids enjoyed them so much! Thank you so much for making them and for the feedback on the instructions!

        Reply
    5. Joanne says

      October 24, 2023 at 12:22 pm

      Mine did not puff up or flatten while baking them… the temp was correct.. what did I do wrong?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        October 24, 2023 at 12:43 pm

        Did the cookies spread out at all?

        Reply
    6. Betty says

      October 22, 2023 at 4:17 pm

      Excellant I added candied ginger delicious!

      Reply
    7. Carol Williams says

      September 06, 2023 at 8:52 pm

      5 stars
      These cookies are soft, chewy, and absolutely delicious!! Just sent a batch to relatives in another state (after hiding some from my husband) and making another batch this weekend. 8 minutes was perfect cooking time-do not overbake! I rolled the cookies in orange sanding sugar before cooking, and sprinkled on extra sugar after baking. YUM!! Thanks!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        September 07, 2023 at 8:43 am

        I love the idea of rolling the molasses cookies in orange sanding sugar, Carol! Thank you so much for making them!

        Reply
    8. savannah says

      August 26, 2023 at 12:34 pm

      is pumpkin pie spice and ok alternative to the cloves and cinnamon

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        August 26, 2023 at 2:25 pm

        I didn't test it with pumpkin pie spice, but you can certainly try it in place of the cinnamon, cloves, and ginger that's called for in the recipe. The only difference is you'll be adding nutmeg to the flavoring (the 4th spice in pumpkin pie spice), so they may taste a little different, but should still taste really good. Let me know how they turn out if you use it as a sub!

        Reply
    9. Meg says

      June 29, 2023 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      These are delicious and so soft.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 29, 2023 at 11:57 pm

        Thank you, Meg. I am so glad you enjoyed them!

        Reply
    10. Julie says

      June 26, 2023 at 6:27 pm

      5 stars
      These turned out just right. I only left in frig for 1 1/2 hour. Next time will do longer making it a little easier to handls. Freezing them now and hoping for the best.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 27, 2023 at 4:32 pm

        Awesome! I am so glad to hear that they did! Thank you so much for making the recipe!

        Reply
    11. Julie says

      June 26, 2023 at 5:41 pm

      Can these cookies be frozen?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        June 27, 2023 at 4:30 pm

        Yes, absolutely! I include a section on the best way to do this in the blog post above.

        Reply
    12. Melissa says

      February 28, 2023 at 9:21 am

      Could unsweetened applesauce be subbed for the liquid shortening?

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 28, 2023 at 10:13 am

        I didn't test the recipe this way, but you could certainly try it and see how it goes!

        Reply
    13. Sandy says

      January 29, 2023 at 6:53 pm

      5 stars
      These are amazing! 8 minutes is PERFECT!

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        January 30, 2023 at 9:34 am

        Thank you so much for making them!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

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    hello image.

    Welcome to my blog! I'm Jennifer, and I love creating and sharing dessert recipes that are sweet, simple, and fun to make and bring me—and hopefully you and your loved ones—wonderful memories! Learn more about me and my inspiration for starting Beyond the Butter!

    Christmas Favorites

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    Beyond the Butter® Favorites

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    • Overhead image of small batch chocolate cupcakes in vintage metal baking tin.
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