The Best Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

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When it comes to sweets, I typically go for chocolate desserts...unless I can have one of these ginger molasses cookies. These little babies are my ultimate holiday weakness--the kind of cookie that dares you to stop at just one, and spoiler alert: you won't.

They're soft, chewy, full of warm spices, and loaded with a double-dose of ginger (both fresh and dried), which makes them ultra irresistible. I've made a lot of cookies in my day, but these? These are the ones I daydream about…the ones I "accidentally" eat four of while they're still cooling on the rack…the ones I'd leave out for Santa just to make sure I stay on the nice list.

A white plate with a stack of ginger molasses cookies and a red checked napkin plus a wire rack of cookies and bottle of milk with a red and white striped straw in the background.

And here's the real magic trick: they're versatile little overachievers. (Which I can totally relate to, can you?) They're perfect as-is, but use two to sandwich around a scoop of ice cream (I personally love lemon custard) and suddenly you're holding the most amazing ice cream sandwich of your life. Seriously.

Bring these to a cookie swap and they disappear first; bring them to a holiday party and you'll be asked for the recipe. Simply put, this is the cookie that proves "simple" and "show-stopping" can absolutely be the same thing. So go on and grab that extra cookie. Your secret's safe with me, and it is the holiday season after all.

These are also a welcome addition to a holiday cookie tray, and I recommend arranging them along with some of my most festive cookie recipes: praline cookies, Christmas pinwheel cookies, and chocolate chip marshmallow cookies. You could even add in some of my Christmas white chocolate Chex mix for good measure.

Ready to make the most amazing ginger cookies of your life? Thought so. Let's do it.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Tasty Tip
Frequently asked questions
Related
Pairing
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Recipe guidelines and test kitchen tips
Food safety

Ingredients

Before we get started, let's gather the ingredients we need for these chewy molasses cookies:

all-purpose flour
baking soda
ground cinnamon
ground ginger
ground cloves
kosher salt
salted butter
granulated sugar
fresh ginger
dark unsulfured molasses
large egg

(See recipe card for quantities.)

Instructions

Now that we've got our ingredients, it's time to get cooking!

Whisking together the dry ingredients for ginger molasses cookies in a glass bowl.

First, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.

Creaming butter and sugar in a glass bowl with an aqua hand mixer.

Then, beat the butter, sugar, and grated ginger at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg and beat until blended.

Blending the cookie dough for soft and chewy molasses cookies in a glass bowl with an aqua hand mixer.

Next, add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat until combined. Spoon the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap (dough will be very soft), and shape into a disc. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

Rolling balls of ginger molasses cookie dough in granulated sugar.

Finally, using a 1½-inch capacity cookie scoop, shape the dough into balls. Roll balls in sugar. Place the cookie dough balls 2½ inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate 15 minutes. Bake the cookies, in batches, at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies stand 5 minutes before moving to a wire rack to cool completely.

Hint: Don't skip the chilling steps. The first round allows the dough to firm up so it can be rolled; the second helps prevent the cookies from spreading too much.

Substitutions

Check out these substitution ideas in case you need to make some adjustments:

Fresh ginger - Substitute ½ teaspoon additional ground ginger if you don't have fresh. It'll still give these cookies loads of ginger flavor.
Salted butter - I always use salted butter in recipes including sweet ones, but if you only have unsalted that's okay. Just add ¼ teaspoon extra salt to the flour mixture.
Spices - If you're out of one of the spices (not including the ginger), you can substitute pumpkin pie spice.

Variations

This recipe is so versatile. Here are some variations:

White chocolate-dipped molasses cookies - Dip half of each cookie in melted white chocolate.
Sparkling sugar crust - Roll in coarse sanding sugar instead of plain white granulated sugar for extra crunch and sparkle.
Gingerdoodle Cookies - Add a little ground cinnamon to the granulated sugar you roll the cookies in for a snickerdoodle twist.
Orange-Ginger Molasses Cookies - Stir in a little grated orange rind to the dough. You can also mix a couple of tablespoons fresh orange juice with powdered sugar and a pinch of salt for a quick orange glaze to drizzle over the top.
Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches - These make the ultimate ice cream sandwiches. I personally love to use lemon custard ice cream (not lemon sorbet--it's too tart and the wrong consistency.) Other great ice cream options are vanilla bean, pumpkin, sea salted caramel.

Ginger Molasses Cookies being made into Lemon Custard Ginger Molasses Ice Cream cookie sandwiches in a metal tin lined with parchment paper and a yellow handled ice cream scoop.

Equipment

Here's the equipment you'll need to make these soft ginger cookies:

dry measuring cups
measuring spoons
microplane zester
medium bowl
whisk
large bowl
large rimmed baking sheets
wire cooling rack
electric mixer
1½-inch capacity cookie scoop (optional)

Storage

Store in an air-tight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

To freeze: Transfer the cookies to a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw the cookies at room temperature.

Tasty Tip

Molasses can cause a sticky mess. I like to spray my measuring cup with nonstick spray before measuring out the molasses. Then, it pours out super easily and with less mess to clean up!

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to chill the dough?

Yes, otherwise the cookies will spread too much.

Can I use blackstrap molasses?

No. For this recipe you'll need to use regular unsulfured molasses. Blackstrap molasses is too bitter and overpowering.

How do I know if the butter is softened?

The temperature of your butter really matters for this recipe since the dough is on the soft side already. When you press the butter with your fingertip, it should leave an indention but still have a little give.

How often do I need to change out my baking soda?

Oh, that's such a great question. If the baking soda has been opened, I change mine every 3 to 6 months. Once opened, it can lose its lifting power. If the box is unopened and it hasn't passed its expiration date, it can last up to 1 year to 18 months.

About how many cookies can you fit on a pan without them spreading into each other during baking?

To be on the safe side, I bake these cookies in 3 or 4 batches, depending on the size of the pan I use.

Do I need to press the dough balls down before baking?

Nope! These will automatically spread out into perfect little circles during baking. Keeping them in dough balls also helps the middles remain soft and chewy.

Can I use a hand mixer or do I need to use a stand mixer for this recipe?

You can use either! A lot of times, I'll use my electric hand mixer so I don't have to pull out the Kitchen Aid, but a heavy duty stand mixer will work too. If you go that route, I recommend using the paddle attachment. (You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula since the attachment is stationary.)

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with these chewy ginger cookies:

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