Full of sweet, thick molasses and spiced just right, these Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies will truly hit the spot around the holidays. Chewy, soft and sweet, they are perfect for that afternoon treat, especially with a cup of strong, dark (handsome) coffee.
Baking Supplies for Cookie Success
Here is a linked list of my favorite cookie baking supplies. I've used these for years, so they've been tried and tested and been found ... perfect!
- Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer - the best hands-off baking buddy ever
- All Clad Measuring Cups and Spoons - these will last you FOREVER
- Nordic Ware Cookie Sheets - I use these along with the Gold Touch baking sheet from Williams Sonoma.
- Reynolds Pre-Cut Parchment Paper - These are my go-to for quick clean-up.
- OXO Cookie Scoop - This is VITAL to getting that gooey center and crisp edge.
Tell me all about these Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Texture - The texture of these ginger cookies is a classic. Soft and chewy through and through. They hold their shape, but every bite is pure molasses bliss.
- Flavor - Molasses adds depth to the sweetness, while the ginger leaves a bit of bite. It's the perfect juxtaposition of smooth and sharp. Cinnamon and cloves round out the spices to make it the ultimate combination of holiday flavors (and smells).
- Difficulty Level - Super simple. The only added step to a basic drop cookie is rolling the dough balls in sugar.
- Time - Be sure your shortening and egg is room temperature before starting. Other than that, these cookies are done in less than 20 minutes start to finish. In the video I used a hand mixer, but you can also use a stand mixer to save some time (and your arms). Only bake 8-9 minutes. They'll look a little underdone, but if they're baked longer, they start to get too crisp.
Making simple swaps
- Gluten Free - The cookies in these pictures were made with King Arthur Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour Blend, and they're amazing. You seriously cannot even tell they're gluten free (just ask my husband). Want to know why I use King Arthur's Flour? Check out this post.
- Dairy Free - This recipe is naturally dairy free! Total win. You can substitute the shortening with butter, but they will spread more and be thinner, so I recommend chilling the dough for ½ an hour before baking if you make that swap.
- Can I Add More Spices? - Totally. I've made these countless times in the past couple weeks and I settled on the spice amount in the recipe because my kids loved it. However, for the adults in the family, I add an extra ½ teaspoon of ground ginger. Doesn't sound like much, but it adds that spice that lingers a little longer and I love it. Feel free to play around with the other spices if you really like those flavors, just keep in mind that cloves should remain a supporting role, otherwise it takes over and wants to be an overwhelming flavor.
- Vegan - To replace the egg, check out this handy chart on Vegan Vanilla Donut Recipe. My favorite swap is the flax egg.
Got any other great cookie recipes? I'm so glad you asked!
- Espresso Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Almond Lemon Iced Cookies
- Butter Cookies with Chocolate Chips (perfect for holidays)
- Simple Chocolate Marble Cookies
- Chewy Chocolate Cookies (3 ways)
- Perfect Texture Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
Sweet, soft and full of molasses ginger flavor!
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Servings: 36 Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ C shortening *sub butter - see notes above
- 1 C granulated white sugar
- 1 egg room temperature
- ¼ C molasses
- 2 C gluten free flour blend or all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Topping
- ½ C granulated sugar for rolling dough balls
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, or the bowl of a stand mixer, add shortening, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix using a handheld mixer or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, until well blended.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Mix until well blended.
- Using a 1 tablespoon cookie scoop, make dough balls. Roll in sugar.
- Place on lined cookie sheet and bake on center rack for 8-9 minutes. Cookies will look very soft, but that's ok, don't over bake!
- Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Using a spatula, transfer cookies to cooling rack to finish cooling. Eat one warm!
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Stays fresh up to 5 days (even with gluten free flour)!
- If you want to make the dough and bake later, finish dough balls, rolled in sugar, and place in a ziploc bag and throw in the freezer for another day.
- To bake from frozen, place cookies on lined baking sheet and then turn the oven on to 325°F. Allow cookies to come to warm up a bit while oven is preheating. Bake 10 minutes or until just set. Enjoy!
Her Majesty
These cookies are AMAZING! I used Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free flour and I used coconut oil (not melted) for the shortening. let the cookies sit for about 10 - 15 minutes before baking on parchment paper lined baking sheet to prevent spread and I had to change the cooking time to 10 minutes, which produced a lovely cookie. my inlaws don't eat gluten free or dairy free and they ended up devouring these cookies. my father-n-law even said to me that I changed his thinking about GF/DF goodies. Thank you The Oven Light!!
Amy
I'm so glad! Thank you so much for your kind words and I love knowing this recipe works well with your edits. I love making goodies where people can't even tell the difference! So sneaky.