Edith’s Chewy Molasses Cookies
With the perfect balance of molasses and comforting spices, these irresistibly chewy cookies are just the dessert to make the holiday season even brighter.
As I settle in to write this blog post, I can’t help but feel thankful for this time of year, and for recipes that stand the test of time, like these—my Grandma Edith’s Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies.
Molasses cookies are perfect this time of year, boasting spices like ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and of course with their signature flavor, molasses. Let’s break down what makes these cookies special and what techniques/ tips are necessary to achieve cookie success.
Making Molasses Cookies
In my opinion, the best molasses cookie is one that has nice crackles and wrinkles throughout the cookie. You know, the ones that scream, I am going to be an irresistibly chewy and delicious cookie. As you can see from the images in the blog post, these cookies are just that. But how is that look and texture achieved?
Firstly, this recipe calls for melted butter, which is cooled and then beat with granulated sugar, molasses and one egg for several minutes, giving the dough this sort of irresistible fluffy, whipped and creamy consistency. Further, as the instructions state, these cookies are mixed for an additional minute once the flour is added, making sure the batter is beat well. This process is what gives molasses cookies their signature look, texture and taste.
But, even more important is the process of chilling the cookie dough. If the dough isn’t chilled before baking, soup cookies will be the end result. Remember, we melted the butter as a way to hone in on a specific texture, but it has to re-solidify into the batter before baking, hence the importance of chilling. I prefer to flash freeze the dough for 2-3 hours before rolling in granulated sugar and baking. Alternately, the dough can be scooped, covered with plastic wrap, and chilled overnight if the cookies aren’t needed the same day.
Choosing The Right Ingredients
As always, I recommend using room temperature eggs when baking, as it allows for even emulsification of the dough. Further, quality ingredients always yield a better dessert, and in this case, the brand of molasses will determine the strength and flavor of the cookie.
I usually grab Grandma’s Molasses, which looks like this, but other brands can certainly be used. Just keep in mind a stronger molasses—like blackstrap or something super robust—will yield a darker cookie, while also making the molasses flavor pretty powerful. For my palate, full flavor Grandam’s Molasses is my favorite and go-to.
Lastly, when making these cookies, I highly recommend using a scale to accurately measure the flour. By weighing ingredients—specifically flour—it prevents the dreaded “hockey puck” cookie, that is simply put, dense and not appealing. This molasses cookie dough is very soft and sticky, but don’t be tempted to add additional flour, as it should be soft and sticky when first mixed. Once the cookies firm up in the freezer or refrigerator, they can be handled and will bake up beautifully. If you want more cookie tips, my blog post here dives into this topic with detail.
Final Tip
Don’t forget to roll the cookies in granulated sugar before baking! Not only does this give them a pop of sweetness, but makes them beautiful, aiding in that crackly top and giving them a gorgeous shimmer.
Lastly, this recipe calls for larger molasses cookies, but they can certainly rolled smaller. Just adjust the baking time as needed.
Edith's Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter, salted
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 260 grams or 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Using a small saucepan melt the butter until just a few small butter chunks remain. Remove from heat and stir the butter until the remaining chunks are melted. Set aside and let cool.
- Once butter has cooled, pour into a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add sugar, molasses and egg to and beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Scrape bowl as needed.
- Meanwhile, sift together the flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger cinnamon and salt. Once sifted, add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and beat for an additional 1 minute on medium speed. Give the bowl a final scrap and mix again briefly.
- Using a large cookie scoop (3 tablespoons of dough), scoop the dough into balls placing all the dough in lines on a baking sheet. If the cookie dough is too soft, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes before continuing with this step. Once the dough is scooped, cover and freeze dough for 2 to 3 hours. Alternatively, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove six cookies from the freezer or refrigerator. Using your hands, shape the dough into uniform balls and then roll generously in granulated sugar. Repeat with the remaining cookies until six are placed on a cookie tray. Bake for 7 minutes. Rotate pan and bake for another 5-7 minutes or until the edges are deep golden brown and the cookies are starting to deflate a bit. Allow cookies to cool on tray for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat process with remaining chilled dough.
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