Soft-Baked Ginger Molasses Cookies (Printable)

Soft-baked delights infused with warming ginger, aromatic spices, and rich molasses for sweet, chewy bites.

# What You'll Need:

→ Dry Ingredients

01 - 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 2 teaspoons ground ginger
03 - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
04 - 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
05 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
06 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
07 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Wet Ingredients

08 - 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
09 - 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
10 - 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
11 - 1 large egg
12 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ For Rolling

13 - 1/3 cup granulated sugar

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
02 - In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
03 - Beat softened butter and dark brown sugar in a large bowl until light and fluffy, approximately 2 to 3 minutes.
04 - Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract to the butter mixture and beat until fully combined.
05 - Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until just incorporated; avoid overmixing.
06 - Scoop tablespoon-sized portions of dough, roll into balls, then roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat evenly.
07 - Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheets to allow for spreading.
08 - Bake for 9 to 11 minutes until edges are set and centers remain soft.
09 - Let cookies cool on baking sheets for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • They stay impossibly soft for days, even when you forget to seal the container properly.
  • The molasses gives them a deep, almost caramel richness that white sugar just cant match.
  • Rolling them in sugar creates a delicate sweet crust that cracks beautifully as they bake.
02 -
  • Softened butter means room temperature, not melted, or the dough will spread too thin and bake up crispy instead of chewy.
  • Pull them from the oven when the centers still look underdone, they continue baking on the hot sheet and this is what keeps them soft.
03 -
  • Use a cookie scoop to keep the dough balls uniform, so they bake evenly and look bakery perfect.
  • If your dough feels too soft to roll, chill it for 15 minutes, it makes shaping so much easier and the cookies hold their shape better in the oven.
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