The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

Molasses Cookies are the BEST holiday cookie. I love the sugary glaze, and the spice of flavor. If you are looking for a simple and delicious cookie, you have to try these ones.

The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (1)

Molasses Cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies.

They are perfect for the holidays and freeze well!

The story behind the cookies

In honor of the release of our holiday cookbook,12 Days of Christmas with Six Sisters’ Stuff, we hosted a recipe contest to find YOUR favorite holiday recipes.

After a lot of baking, cooking and sampling we chose 12 of our reader’s favorite recipes.

Today we are featuring this Molasses Cookies recipe from LeAnn Kelly of Virginia.

These cookies are a family favorite at her house, and her son requests them every year without fail.

Related Recipe: You’ll love these quick and easy Soft Vanilla Sugar Cookies. Perfect for the holidays!

The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (2)

Could I use butter instead of shortening?

These cookies are so soft and chewy, and that is mostly because of the shortening.

If you do make this recipe using butter, I recommend using butter at room temperature.

If the butter is melted, the cookie dough will be too soft, which will lead to sticky dough. You will then have to add more flour, and your cookies will taste bland.

We recommend using shortening for the texture and it’s chemical properties, when combined with other ingredients and baked. It will create soft and chewy cookies, that your guests will rave about.

Looking for more EASY Christmas Cookies?! Try these 50 Easy Christmas Cookie Recipes with Few Ingredients!

Did you know we have a Youtube Channel?

Looking for more holiday cookies? Here are a few of our favorites:

  • Cake Mix Christmas Cookies
  • Christmas Tree Cupcake Topper
  • Christmas Santa Cookies
  • Christmas Tree Brownies
  • Molasses Cookies
  • Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies

The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (3)

Serves: 48 cookies

The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe

This classic Molasses Cookies recipe makes soft, chewy, and delicious cookies – the perfect holiday treat. This recipe is a family favorite!

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

PrintPin

Ingredients

  • cups flour
  • 4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda
  • teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • cups butter-flavored shortening
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup molasses
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.

  • In a large bowl beat shortening for 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups granulated sugar; beat until combined.

  • Beat in eggs and molasses until combined.

  • Beat in half of flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour mixture.

  • Shape dough into about 1 1/2 to 2 inch balls and roll in 2 Tablespoons sugar.

  • Place balls 2 1/2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.

  • Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are light brown and puffed. (Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy.)

  • Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.

Notes

To Store: Place in layers separated by waxed paper in airtight container; cover. Store at room temperature up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months.

You could also cut this recipe in half if you need less cookies.

Nutrition

Calories: 147 kcal · Carbohydrates: 21 g · Protein: 1 g · Fat: 7 g · Saturated Fat: 2 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 7 mg · Sodium: 50 mg · Potassium: 69 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 11 g · Vitamin A: 10 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 11 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Recipe Details

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

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The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (4)

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The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (5)

Join The Discussion

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  1. Monie says:

    I followed the recipe as is and after I added the flour, the dough ended up being loose. I had to drizzle in oil until to became dough like again. Not sure what I did wrong.

  2. Roxanna says:

    Is there anyway to save it if you forgot to roll the dough balls in sugar before baking them?

  3. Cyd says:

    You could try sprinkling sugar on after removing from the oven, but a lot of it would fall off.

  4. Heather says:

    Do you have to use butter flavor shortening? Can you use regular shortening instead?

  5. Cyd says:

    I'm sure you will be fine with regular shortening, the butter flavor shortening adds a buttery flavor.

  6. Tiffany says:

    Do I use the same amount of butter, if I'm using butter, as shortening? Thanks!

  7. Momma Cyd says:

    Yes, the same amount.

  8. T P says:

    I just made a very similar recipe and made them into a sandwich cookie with buttercream icing. They were a hit at our cookie exchange!

The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (6)

About The Author:

Steph Loaiza

Steph lives in Southern California with her husband, Andrew, and her five kids: 2 girls and 3 boys. She oversees all of Six Sisters' Stuff products and loves going to Disneyland with her family and reading in her spare time.

Read More

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The Best Molasses Cookies Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which molasses is best for cookies? ›

Light molasses is the sweetest and mildest out of the bunch because it is made from the first boiling cycle,” she said. “I like to use this type of molasses because it adds moisture to cookies, resulting in a soft and chewy texture.”

What is the difference between gingerbread cookies and molasses cookies? ›

Texturally, gingerbread cookies are usually a bit thinner and less soft (depending on the recipe). One of the more obvious differences here is that gingerbread cookies are typically rolled out and cut into shapes and iced while molasses cookies are rolled in sparkling sugar.

Why not use blackstrap molasses in cookies? ›

Using Molasses in Baking

It's dark, dense, and comparatively dry, thanks to the lower moisture content of blackstrap. It's also bitter and salty, so there's nothing to temper the heat of the ginger, making it all but inedible.

Why didn t my molasses cookies crackle? ›

Why didn't my molasses crinkle cookies crack? You likely need to have more sugar on the tops of the cookies before baking. The sugar helps dry out the top layer before the rest of the cookie bakes, which is what causes those deep crinkles.

What is the highest quality molasses? ›

Grandma's® Molasses is the highest quality, unsulfured, sun-ripened sugarcane molasses. It contains no preservatives, artificial flavors or artificial colors and is fat free, gluten free and Kosher. After the sugarcane is cut and crushed, the liquids are extracted and boiled.

Which is better Sulphured or Unsulphured molasses? ›

Usulphured vs.

Sulphured molasses is molasses that has been treated with sulphur dioxide as a preservative. However, since the sulphuring process can leave the molasses with a strong pronounced chemical flavor and is less sweet, most commercial molasses is unsulphured.

What happens if you add too much molasses to cookies? ›

Doubling up on molasses softened the cookies significantly.

Molasses is also extremely dark in color, so this batch of cookies turned out to be a deep brown.

Which molasses is best for baking? ›

Light molasses is the liquid that remains after the first white sugar is extracted from cane juice. The flavor is lighter and has more fruity notes to it, in the same way the first pressing of olives makes a lighter, fruitier olive oil. Light (sometimes called "fancy") molasses is ideal for baked goods and candies.

Why do molasses cookies go flat? ›

The Problem: Your Oven Is Too Hot

If your cookies repeatedly turn out flat, no matter the recipe, chances are your oven is too hot. Here's what's happening. The butter melts super quickly in a too-hot oven before the other ingredients have firmed up into a cookie structure.

Why is there a warning on blackstrap molasses? ›

Blackstrap molasses has a lead warning from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because the processing of molasses infrequently involves using a direct flame with coals that may contain a high amount of the caustic substance potash. The soil in which the sugar cane grows may also contain lead.

Is Grandma's Unsulphured molasses the same as blackstrap? ›

Unsulphured molasses can be light, dark or blackstrap, as long as it hasn't been treated with sulphur dioxide.

Why did people stop using molasses? ›

After the end of World War I, refined sugar prices dropped drastically resulting in the migration of consumers from molasses to white sugar crystals.

Why is my molasses cookie dough so sticky? ›

When cookie dough is too sticky, you may have an imbalance of wet and dry ingredients. You can fix this by adding a teaspoon of flour or cornstarch at a time until your dough is just how you want. The added flour or cornstarch will absorb the excess liquid and reduce the dough's overall stickiness.

How do you know when molasses cookies are done? ›

Easy to Notice Signs:
  1. Golden Brown Edges – Check the edges of the cookies for a golden brown colour. This indicates that the cookies have caramelized and are likely done. ...
  2. Set Centres – Gently touch the centre of a cookie. ...
  3. Light Cracking – Look for light cracks on the surface of the cookies.
Oct 18, 2023

Why are my molasses cookies puffy? ›

Baking powder or flour in excess will cause cookies to rise more, making them more fluffy and cakey. Increased sugar will make them caramelize more and increased fat will make the dough heavier and richer, all increasing retention of water in the dough- these all add up to chewier cookies.

What type of molasses is best for baking? ›

Light molasses is the liquid that remains after the first white sugar is extracted from cane juice. The flavor is lighter and has more fruity notes to it, in the same way the first pressing of olives makes a lighter, fruitier olive oil. Light (sometimes called "fancy") molasses is ideal for baked goods and candies.

Is sulfured or unsulfured molasses better? ›

Sulfured vs.

Molasses made from ripe sugar cane is called unsulfured molasses because it has no additives. If green, unripe sugarcane is used, it is treated with sulfur dioxide first to preserve it. It can leave a chemical taste in the mouth, so we recommend looking for unsulfured molasses whenever possible.

What's the difference between Supreme baking molasses and blackstrap molasses? ›

Blackstrap Molasses contains more minerals than Supreme Baking Molasses because it is more concentrated as more sugar has been removed.

Is Grandma's Original molasses light or dark? ›

Grandma's Molasses comes in two grades: Original and Robust. Original molasses: amber color, used to sweeten hot cereals, yogurts or hot drinks (like coffee, tea or cocoa).

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