Easy to make molasses cookies baked soft with crispy edges and dusted with sea salt flakes! These have holiday cookies written all over them!

soft baked molasses cookies on a baking pan

I’m definitely a fan of cookies especially peanut butter stuffed cookies and of course anything white chocolate, like these really cool checker board cookies dipped in white chocolate, perfect for the holidays! And speaking of the holidays, there’s another cookie I always love to see make an appearance – molasses cookies! 

Molasses cookies are the best if you’re a fan of dark treacle or molasses. It’s that deep dark and almost burnt flavor along withe winter spices like cloves and cinnamon that make these the best cookies for the holidays! This is an old recipe I’ve had on the blog for a long time, but I decided to update the pictures and adjust the baking temperature slightly higher, That’s what gave me that wrinkled look on the cookies, perfectly soft in the middle with slightly crispy.edges.

what is molasses?

Molasses is a by-product of sugar making. The sugarcane is boiled down and then crystallizes, leaving behind a thick black syrup which is the molasses. The level of flavor in molasses can depend on the three stages that sugarcane is cooked, with each stage making the molasses more intense in flavor. Molasses isn’t used as much as it was many years ago but It’s still an important ingredient in all sorts of cooking, because there’s nothing else that can provide that deep smokey and sweet flavor. It works great in baking, barbecue and Caribbean influenced recipes. Fun fact- molasses is what’s added to sugar to make brown sugar!

What you’ll need to make these delicious molasses cookies

  • Flour- All purpose which is a pantry staple.
  • Baking Soda-
  • Spices- Ginger, cinnamon and of course cloves are used for that maximum holiday taste and smell!
  • Butter- Try and use a good quality unsalted butter for this recipe as there should be enough salt from the finished sprinkling
  • Sugar- Dark brown and regular white sugar are used for a rich flavor
  • Eggs-
  • Vanilla Extract-
  • Molasses- I like to use Grandma’s Molasses which has a really great flavor, important in molasses cookies!
stack of molasses cookies on a baking pan

Recipe FAQ’s for molasses cookies

Can molasses turn bad?

Considering an unopened bottle can last more than 10 years and an opened bottle up to two years, the chances of your molasses going bad are slim. I have never had any issues with molasses as long as it is kept properly sealed.

Can I use unsulphured molasses?

Yes, unsulphured molasses is just molasses that hasn’t been treated with sulfur dioxide, which is used as a preservative. Lot’s of bakers prefer to use unsulphured molasses.

Is molasses good for you?

Molasses is high in magnesium.

Do these molasses cookies spread a lot while baking?

They don’t spread out too much and demand a swift tap of the pan on the counter to produce that wrinkly surface and crispy edge.

How long do these cookies last for?

Because they are so soft and chewy, they will last 3-4 days sealed or covered.

close up shot of molasses cookies after they come out of the oven and sprinkled with sea salt.

more tasty cookie recipes

Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
chill time: 30 minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 78kcal
Author: foodnessgracious
Delicious soft baked chewy molasses cookies with a crispy outer edge and sprinkled with sealt flakes.
Print Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter
  • ½ cup dark brown sugar
  • ¾ cup regular sugar, divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup molasses

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 375° F and line a large baking pan with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed, cream the butter and sugars (½ cup of white sugar) until fluffy.
  • Add the egg, vanilla and molasses and beat well.
  • On slow speed, add the flour mixture and mix until the dough forms.
  • Place the bowl with the dough into the fridge and let rest for 30 minutes.
  • Using a one tbsp cookie scoop, place 12 cookie balls on the baking pan ad sprinkle with remaining ¼ cup sugar. This may be done in two batches, 12 on each tray.
  • Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then tap the base of the baking pan on the counter as you remove them from the oven.
  • Sprinkle lightly with sea salt if desired

Nutrition

Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Calcium: 19mg | Iron: 1mg