These festive molasses cookies deliver lightly crisp edges and soft, chewy centers. Using a combination of three types of sugars gives the characteristic hazel hue and beautiful cracks on the surface. Each bite bursts with caramel notes and bold winter spices.

Table of Contents

1. Make a soft cookie base
2. Use a combination of sugars
3. What is molasses?
4. Molasses selection
5. Cream the butter and sugar
6. Make the cookie dough
7. Working with a sticky batter
8. Underbaking the cookies
9. Storing and freezing the dough
10. More holiday cookies
11. Frequently asked questions
12. Soft-Baked Molasses Cookies Recipe

This soft molasses cookie recipe combines deep caramel flavors with warm holiday spices. They are the delicate counterparts to the crunchy gingersnap cookies because I use high moisture sweeteners to ensure the texture is soft and chewy. The perfect holiday treats for a cookie exchange.

I use warm and pungent spices like cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and black pepper to balance the candied base. The combination instantly adds tingling notes. What I love about this recipe is that you can make it ahead. The dough can be rolled and coated in advance, then chilled or frozen for use later. Bake fresh when the craving hits.

Make a soft cookie base

All-purpose flour is used to give a tender cookie with a soft bite. A moderate amount of protein, 10 to 13%, forms the right amount of gluten for structure. The flour is whisked together with baking soda to leaven the cookie. To add robust spiced aromas and flavor, ground ginger, cinnamon, allspice, black pepper, and salt are combined with the dry ingredients.

Use a combination of sugars

Three types of sugars are used in this recipe. Molasses and brown sugar provide the chestnut hue and cooked caramel flavors. They’re both humectants, which means they like to attract and hold onto moisture which helps to keep the cookies soft over time. Granulated sugar provides slightly crisp edges and clean sweetness.

What is molasses?

Molasses is the thick, dark brown liquid by-product of cane sugar refining. Sulfured molasses is the only true type that forms from a refinement process. It’s darker in color and has a strong bitter flavor.

Most often, unsulfured-molasses is used in recipes, which is intentionally produced from pure cane syrup and has a lighter, more mild flavor. Blackstrap molasses is very dark and thick in consistency, with a very strong and distinct flavor, and not recommended for most baking.

Molasses selection

For this recipe, I use Grandma’s Molasses. It’s unsulfured and comes in original light molasses or a robust dark molasses version. I use the light type so the concentrated caramel and slightly smoky flavor don’t overpower the other ingredients. The only difference in varieties is the length of the boiling process to yield either a more mild or strong taste.

Cream the butter and sugar

To lighten the texture of the batter, softened butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar are mixed in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. The butter should be malleable but not too soft, or the cookies will be flat and crispy. A pale yellow, light, and fluffy texture indicate that air has been incorporated.

Make the cookie dough

Mix the eggs and vanilla into the creamed butter mixture. Slowly add in the molasses so that it evenly distributes into the ingredients. Gradually add the spiced flour mixture until just combined. You’ll notice that the dough will be soft and sticky to the touch. You can chill the dough until ready to use or start making shaping it into dough balls right away.

Working with a sticky batter

The batter is stickier and less dense compared to other drop cookies like chocolate chip. That’s because of the high moisture content from adding the pourable molasses. When rolling the dough, I find it helpful to dampen your hands to make it easier to shape.

Portion the dough into 2 tablespoon-sized balls, then coat them with granulated sugar. It’s easier to form them into spheres once covered in dry sugar. Place the dough balls on baking sheets with parchment paper, 12 per tray.

Underbaking the cookies

One trick to help yield softer cookies is to underbake them slightly. Bake them in a preheated oven at 375ºF (191ºF) for 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure to keep a close eye on how the appearance changes. The edges should be set, but the centers will puff up, fracture, and look undone. That’s when they’re ready to remove from the oven.

This recipe has a short bake time, but the cookies are cooled on the warm sheet pan for an additional 10 minutes. This period allows for carryover cooking, gently heating the cookies to the core without losing their pliability and getting too dried out.

Storing and freezing the dough

The cookie dough can be made in advance after being shaped and rolled in sugar. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 2 months. I recommend freezing them in a single layer on parchment paper and then consolidating them into a bag.

Before baking, the cookie dough should come to around 65ºF (18ºF), just below room temperature, on the sheet pan before placing it in the oven. This may take 10 to 30 minutes.

More holiday cookies

Frequently asked questions