Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
These soft and chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are the perfect fall and holiday treat with a warming blend of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
These soft, chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies are spicy and sweet and stay soft for days. Although they’re not identical to, they definitely rival Starbuck’s Ginger Molasses Cookies. Straight from the oven they’re warm and range from chewy to gooey in texture, with a crisp sugar crust, but let them cool and store them overnight in an airtight container (like my favourite cookie jar) and the next day they are WOW! Super soft, chewy, and perfectly spiced.
Success tips for soft, chewy, crinkled cookies
Follow these simple tips for beautifully crinkled cookies that stay soft for days. Promise!
- Don’t chill the dough. Many ginger molasses cookie recipes call for the dough to be chilled for anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours, however we’re not doing that here. Dough is chilled to prevent spreading and cracking, and to give the cookies a chewier texture. But, ever since Starbuck’s debuted their ginger molasses cookie over two decades ago, I WANT to see some spreading and cracking in my homemade rendition. As for the chewiness, by using golden yellow sugar (or brown sugar) instead of granulated sugar, these cookies are plenty chewy.
- Underbake them. Just a little. You want the edges to be just set and the centers to be soft, but not glossy and raw. Underbaking (not overbaking) these cookies not only renders super soft cookies, but it also helps us achieve a super crinkled top when we follow the next step. Plus, the cookies will continue cooking as they cool on the baking sheet, leaving you with perfectly baked cookies in the end.
- BANG! the pan. Once you pull the baking sheet out of the oven, go ahead and bang it on the counter once or twice. Banging the pan deflates the cookies and encourages spreading and crackling, creating these gorgeous molasses-y morsels.
Baker’s Tip: If you want a thick cookie, chill the dough for 30 minutes after shaping but before rolling in sugar. This will prevent the cookies from spreading as much and will give you thicker, denser cookies. They’ll still be somewhat crinkled, but not nearly as much as you see here.
How to make ginger molasses cookies
Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
Step 2: Cream together the butter and sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar for about 2 minutes, until smooth and fluffy.
Step 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Add the egg and molasses. Beat until smooth and combined.
Step 4: Add the flour mixture. Briefly beat the dough together until most of the flour is incorporated. Beat until the flour is fully incorporated, just a few more seconds.
Step 5: Chill the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, add the sugar for rolling.
Step 6: Portion cookies. Scoop the dough into evenly portioned cookies and roll each portion into a smooth ball. Roll each dough ball in sugar and arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheets.
Step 7: Bake & BANG! Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are just set. After removing the cookies from the oven, bang the baking sheet on the counter to collapse the cookies and encourage spreading. This will also help create that lovely crinkled effect.
Step 8: Cool the cookies. Let the cookies cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies will continue cooking while they cool on the baking sheet.
Looking for more sweet fall recipes? Try this Cinnamon Simple Syrup (Copycat Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce) to add a little cinnamon spice to your morning latte or bedtime steamer.
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Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and levelled
- 1½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup golden yellow sugar, packed
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup unsulfured molasses
For Rolling
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. In a small bowl, add the sugar for rolling.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter and golden yellow sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and molasses. Beat until smooth and combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour mixture. Briefly beat the dough together until most of the flour is incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Beat for a few more seconds until the flour is fully incorporated.
- Use a cookie scoop (or spoon) to create evenly portioned cookies. Use your hands to roll each portion into a smooth ball.
- Roll each dough ball in sugar and arrange them on the parchment-lined baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 11-13 minutes, until the edges are just set.
- After removing the cookies from the oven, bang the baking sheet on the counter to collapse the cookies and encourage spreading. This will also help create that lovely crinkled effect.
- Let the cookies cool on the pan for 3-5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. The cookies will continue cooking while they cool on the baking sheet.
