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Molasses Cookies

Molasses cookies are deeply spiced and baked until the tops are crinkled with soft, underdone-looking centers that set as they cool. Rolled in granulated sugar, they come out with crisp edges and a chewy finish.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
chill 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 1 minute
Servings: 36 servings
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 215
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

all-purpose flour
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour spoon and level
baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking soda
cinnamon
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
ginger
  • 1 tsp ginger
cloves
  • 0.5 tsp cloves
allspice
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
black pepper
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
salt
  • 0.5 tsp salt
unsalted butter
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
brown sugar
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
granulated sugar
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.333 cup granulated sugar for rolling
molasses (not blackstrap)
  • 0.333 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
egg
  • 1 egg
vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • 1 stand mixer
  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Mix dry ingredients
  1. Whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, black pepper, and salt until the spices are evenly distributed.
Cream wet ingredients
  1. Beat the softened unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla extract and beat until smooth.
Combine dough and chill
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until just combined, stopping as soon as you no longer see dry streaks.
  2. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up for scooping.
Scoop, roll, and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line sheet pans with parchment.
  2. Scoop the dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls, then roll generously in granulated sugar so the tops sparkle.
  3. Bake for 9-11 minutes until the tops are crinkled and the centers look underdone.
Cool
  1. Cool the cookies on the pan for 5 minutes, so they finish setting into chewy cookies with crisp-edged texture.

Notes

For the best crinkle, chill the dough fully before baking and avoid overmixing after you add the flour. Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 2 months (thaw at room temperature). For a dietary swap, use gluten-free 1:1 all-purpose flour blend in the same amount for gluten-free molasses cookies.