Molasses Cookies

Soft and chewy Molasses Cookies are perfect for kicking off your holiday baking! They have a slightly crisp, sugarcoated edge and a soft, tender, chewy center. The warm spices and molasses add a deep, rich flavor that screams Christmas! Enjoy them with a cup of coffee for an afternoon treat and make them for sharing during the holiday season!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 12

Total Time 27

Servings large cookies

Calories 240

Author Kim

Ingredients

3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar (I prefer dark brown sugar)
1/4 cup (60ml) unsulphured or dark molasses
1 large egg at room temperature
2 1/4 cups (280g) all-purpose flour spoon & leveled
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt

For rolling cookie dough ball

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF and prepare a baking sheet by lining it with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Grab all of your ingredients.
In a large bowl using a hand-held or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on high speed until creamy and combined. Add the molasses and egg and beat until combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. Don't over mix the dough.
Use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to measure out the dough balls (you should get 14-16). Roll each dough ball in the sugar, then form the dough ball into a top-heavy, almost triangular shaped ball (see photo in post). Place 4-6 dough balls on each cookie sheet and bake for 11-12 minutes or until edges appear set.
Once cooked, remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes

*You could definitely make these cookies smaller, and get double the amount, plus lower the calorie count. You may need to decrease the bake time a minute or two, though. We just really love these large!

Storage and freezing:

Freezing dough. Flash freeze cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) on a lined cookie sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes. This will set the cookie dough balls’ shape, and prevent them from sticking together in the container. Once they firm up, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or container, and store for up to 3 months.
Thaw. When you’re ready to bake, remove the dough balls from the freezer, set them on a lined baking sheet and let them thaw. Once they are close to room temperature (after about 1-2 hours), bake as directed.
Bake from frozen. Follow all of the baking instructions, but add a minute or two onto the bake time.
Make ahead dough. To prep just several days ahead, you can keep cookie dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Freezing baked cookies. Store completely cooled cookies in a freezer-safe container or baggie and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature on a paper towel when you're ready to enjoy.
Storing leftovers. Baked cookies will keep in an airtight container or zip-top baggie, at room temperature, for about 1 week, but I can’t imagine them lasting that long!

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