I love cookies and these soft molasses cookies are loaded with chocolate and nuts and butterscotch. Plus all those warm winter spices that make this a great holiday and cookie jar cookie. Honestly, this soft molasses cookie recipe even beats Grandma's!
It was only because I wanted to feed Alex well before he departed for Taiwan that I made this soft molasses cookie recipe.
Knowing that he would have to quarantine for two weeks in a strange hotel, even though he was vaccinated and tested, sent shivers up my spine.
And so I did the only thing I could think of to make him feel better and that was to bake him cookies.
Chewy molasses cookies, that actually got better tasting after a few days.
Just be sure to keep them in an airtight container.
Alas, he had no room left in his luggage for cookies, so what's rest of them are taking up freezer real estate.
He had packed up his new theragun, countless little presents, and a brand new bike he bought so he could compete in half a triathlon.
Half of a triathlon consists of 1.2 miles of swimming, 56 miles biking and 13.1 miles of running.
Yes, better him than me. Shoot, I need cookies just thinking of this.
After that I am told he just may come home for good and let's say all my fingers and toes are crossed!
Don't think these cookies are gingersnap cookies. No snap to these. No crunch either.
Well, I take that back. If you eat them straight from the freezer, they are kind of crunchy!
Just soft cookies meant for the cookie jar, with a chewy texture loaded with spices and lots of chocolate and butterscotch chips.
This soft molasses cookie tastes of molasses and cinnamon and cloves and ginger.
I also added in some toasted pecans because we love toasted pecans in this house!
Some might think these are gingerbread cookies, but molasses cookies sounds so old fashioned-so homespun-you just can't resist, right?
Made with grandma's molasses-I know you've seen that jar at the grocery,
Molasses is the by-product of making sugar and if you love the flavor of brown sugar then you will love molasses.
And these ginger molasses cookies!
Don't use blackstrap molasses which comes from the third boiling of the sugar syrup.
It can be bitter, is very strong and hey! Grandma says to use her!
How To Make Soft Molasses Cookies:
This is an easy cookie to make.
Yep. Get out the stand mixer and using the paddle attachment, combine the melted unsalted butter, sugar, egg and grandma's original molasses!
Combine your dry ingredients in a large bowl or mixing cup. Yes. That's your all purpose flour, ground cloves, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda.
If you haven't used these since last year, make sure they still taste good.
Spices aren't supposed to last that long so I do my best to buy in small quantities at places like Savory Spice.
That way I'm assured that everything I put my heart and soul into will taste good! (And let me tell you their Saigon cinnamon is the best!)
Now slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until combined.
Fold in your favorite combo of chips-I used chocolate and Kroger's salted caramel chips. Nestle's butterscotch or white chocolate chips will work, too!
After that, just refrigerate the soft molasses cookie dough, covered with plastic wrap, and clean up the kitchen.
Wait about an hour or longer and then when you are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350.
It's a hard choice whether you want to make large cookies or smaller cookies but I always go for more cookies-so I make them smaller.
Once they are chilled, using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop or a tablespoon, just roll into small balls.
Then roll the cookie dough balls in white sugar and place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
After cookies cool on the cookie sheet, place them on a wire rack to completely cool.
At this point I also sprinkle on more sugar because their crackly tops just deserve it-wouldn't you say?
Great for a Cookie Exchange!
I don't really think of this as old fashioned molasses cookies, but I do think of it as part of my repertoire of perfect Christmas cookies.
Easy recipes? If that's what you want, this is it! And during the holiday season, I'm all about saving time.
These mildly spicy cookies with their soft texture and warm spices are one of the best molasses cookies I've had.
So get your recipe card ready-because everyone will be asking.
These are now a personal favorite and I hope you enjoy!
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Recipe
Chewy, Soft Molasses Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 10 Minutes
- Total Time: 20 Minutes
- Yield: 24 to 30 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Love these chewy soft molasses cookies loaded with holiday spices and chocolate chips! Add in some caramel chips and pecans and you have a real cookie exchange hit on your hands!
Ingredients
¾ c melted unsalted butter
1 c white sugar plus more for rolling
1 large egg
⅓ c Grandma's molasses
2 ¼ c all purpose flour (use a fork to stir up the flour and then scoop it into the measuring cup and level it off)
2 t baking soda (1 t if you are at high altitude)
1 t ground cinnamon
½ t ground cloves
½ t powdered ginger
½ c chocolate chips
½ c caramel or butterscotch chips
½ c toasted, chopped pecans
Instructions
In a stand mixer combine the cooled melted butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Cream for 2 minutes on medium speed until well combined.
In a large mixing cup or bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, cinnamon and baking soda. Add to the molasses mixture and mix until combined. Fold in the caramel, and chocolate chips along with the pecans.
Cover and refrigerated for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the ven to 350.
After chilling, scoop 1 to 2 tablespoons of dough at a time and toll into balls. Roll them around in white sugar and set onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake for 10 - 12 minutes. I prefer the lower end.
Remove from oven and let cookies cool on sheet for 5 minutes and then transfer to a wire rack until fully cooled. Sprinkle with more sugar if you'd like!
Notes
Can be frozen and stored after baking for 2 months.
chef Mimi says
I don't usually bake cookies, but boy these sound wonderful!
Monika says
Though I know the flavour will be altered, will this recipe turn out with oil instead of butter? If so, is it a one to one ratio or so we use 25% less oil than butter?
Abbe says
Because the butter is melted in this recipe, I think you have a good chance for success. Though I have never tried this, after googling I did find this: Cookies (Oil Option) – Use half the amount of oil in cookie recipes that call for butter, but add liquid as needed. So if your recipe calls for 1 cup butter, substitute 1/2 cup oil and add liquid until the dough comes together and looks properly hydrated. I would add a little bit more oil if you think the mixture is not hydrated enough. And with all the spices in this I'm hoping the flavor will be just as good. Good luck and please let me know if it works! Thanks for asking!
mjskitchen says
What an awesome quarantine gift! I certainly can't think of anything I would love more Of course, I would need to do a triathlon once released :). This cookie monster is very happy to have this recipe.
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Most cookies are a bit crunchy if you eat them straight from the freezer. Ask me how I know! 🙂 Anyway, these look excellent -- tons of flavor, and nice and soft and moist. And an attractive bit of crunch once frozen!
Abbe says
But sometimes those are the best!