Before you start
These are the cookies that fill the kitchen with ginger and clove. Molasses keeps them chewy long after they cool, and a roll in granulated sugar before baking gives that crackled, frosted top. The dough is soft, so a short chill makes it much easier to roll.
Everything you need
- 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (85 g) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar, for rolling
Weigh, don't scoop. Measuring flour by cups can overpack it and dry out your bake. Tap any ingredient to open its converter.
Method
-
Beat the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses and the egg until smooth.
For this step
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (85 g) molasses
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
-
In another bowl, mix the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda and salt. Add it to the wet bowl and mix on low just until no dry flour is left.
For this step
- 2¼ cups (281 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
-
Cover and chill the dough for 45 minutes. It goes from sticky to easy to handle.
-
Heat the oven to 180°C / 350°F and line two trays with baking paper. Put the rolling sugar in a shallow bowl.
For this step
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
-
Roll the dough into balls, about 1½ tablespoons each, roll them in sugar and space them well apart. They spread a lot.
For this step
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (67 g) granulated sugar
-
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until puffed and cracked but still soft in the centre. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes to set, then move to a rack.
Baker's tips
- Pull them while the middles still look underdone. They firm up on the hot tray and that's what keeps them chewy.
- Use unsulphured molasses. Blackstrap is far more bitter and overwhelms the spice.
Make it your own
- Add 100 g chopped crystallised ginger to the dough for extra heat and chew.
- Sandwich two cookies with cream cheese frosting for a ginger whoopie pie.
Storing & freezing
Airtight at room temperature for 5 days, with a slice of bread in the tin to keep them soft. The rolled dough balls freeze for 3 months, bake from frozen plus 2 minutes.
Frequently asked
How many grams is a cup of molasses?
About 340 g per US cup, so the ¼ cup here is roughly 85 g. Use the molasses converter to rescale.
Why did my molasses cookies turn out cakey?
Usually too much flour. Spoon it into the cup and level it off, or weigh it, since scooping straight from the bag can add 20% extra.
Baking in a different unit? Use the cups ↔ grams converter or the recipe scaler to halve or double this recipe.
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A note on cooking safely. Recipes are provided for informational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Cooking times, temperatures and quantities are suggestions: use your own judgement, and check that meat, poultry, fish and eggs are properly cooked before serving.
Consult a qualified healthcare professional before making dietary changes, particularly if you have allergies, a medical condition or specific nutritional requirements.