Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
These chewy ginger molasses cookies have crisp edges, soft fudgy centres and a rich, spiced flavour from the molasses, ginger, cinnamon & nutmeg.
These are the ultimate batch of chewy ginger molasses cookies. They’ve got that perfect soft & chewy texture, the signature cracked top & crisp edges and there’s loads of flavour from the rich brown sugar, slightly bitter molasses & warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. It’s a classic molasses ginger cookie, done properly.
If you’ve explored the cookie recipe collection on my blog, you’ll see that I’m a big fan of all types of cookies, not just chocolate chip! These chewy ginger cookies are a fantastic choice when you’re not in the mood for chocolate and want something that’s warming, full of flavour and super easy to make.
These gingerbread style cookies are perfect for making during the colder months, especially in the Autumn and at Christmas, during the Holidays. However, they’re so good I like to make them all year round. You could throw some crystallised ginger into the dough as well, to make double ginger molasses cookies or add in some chopped dark chocolate for a richer flavour.
There’s an ever growing collection of cookie recipes on this blog & we’re always thinking of new flavours to try! If you’ve got a suggestion that you’d like to see a recipe for, let us know in the comments at the bottom of this post!
Ingredients For Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Butter – This recipe uses unsalted butter as it lets us control how much salt goes into the cookie dough. Make sure to let your butter soften at room temperature before using, as this will ensure that the dough mixes properly.
- Sugars – You’ll need 3 different sugars for these cookies. Caster & light brown sugar for the cookie dough & granulated sugar to roll the cookies in. If you haven’t got granulated, you could roll the cookies in demerara or caster sugar instead. Dark brown sugar can also be used for the cookie dough, for a richer, deeper flavour.
- Black Treacle – This adds a rich flavour to our cookies & it is also what gives ginger molasses cookies their dark colour & signature chewiness. If you can’t get black treacle, use dark molasses instead.
- Spices – We’re adding a generous amount of ground ginger into our cookie dough along with some ground cinnamon & nutmeg.
- Flour – Make sure to use plain (all purpose) flour in the cookie dough, for the softest texture!
- Raising Agents – We’re using equal amounts of baking powder & bicarbonate of soda in the cookie dough. This gives our cookies the best texture & ideal amount of rise & spread in the oven.
- Salt – Sprinkling sea salt on top of the baked cookies brings out their flavour. You won’t need loads though, a light sprinkle does the job! Keep in mind that there’s table salt in the cookie dough as well so don’t go crazy!
How To Make Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
This chewy ginger cookie dough is super easy to make and each ball of cookie dough is rolled in ginger sugar, for extra flavour & a added crunch. Just don’t be tempted to skip the overnight chill, as this is key to getting the best texture, flavour & spread in the oven.
1. Ginger Molasses Cookie Dough
To start the cookie dough, add softened butter, light brown & caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then mix until smooth and combined. This will only take a minute or two & it’s key not to over mix the butter at this point.
Once the butter is mixed, mix in black treacle, followed by an egg, yolk and all of the dry ingredients (flour, raisin agents, salt & spices). To avoid over mixing, mix the flour in on a low speed (or by hand), stopping once everything is just combined.
2. Weigh & Shape Dough
To make the cookie dough easier to handle, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes once it’s been made.
Then once it’s firmed up slightly, use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough into 13 equally sized pieces, using your hands to roll each one into a ball if needed. I like to weigh each portion of cookie dough out to 65 grams to keep them all the same size.
3. Roll In Sugar
Before chilling the cookie dough, roll each piece in ginger sugar (granulated sugar & ground ginger mixed together) then place into an airtight container.
3. Chill Overnight
These cookies need to be chilled in the fridge overnight before baking (or for at least 5 hours). This improves the flavour of the cookies & stops them from spreading out too much in the oven.
4. Bake
The next day, bake the cookies in batches at 175°c/350°f for 10-12 minutes. You’ll know when the cookies are cooked when they’re golden brown, edges are set and the middles are still soft.
As soon as the cookies are cooked, use a large cookie cutter to “scoot” each cookie into a perfect round shape then we lightly sprinkle the top of each one with sea salt before letting them cool completely, on the tray.
Tips & Tricks For Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Don’t over mix the cookie dough as this can affect the texture once baked.
- Roll the cookies in ginger & granulated sugar before baking for extra flavour & crunch.
- Chill the cookie dough overnight for the right amount of spread in the oven.
- Use a cookie cutter to “scoot” the cookies into a perfect circle once baked.
- Bake the cookies until the edges are set & the tops are cracked but the centres are still soft.
- Sprinkle sea salt on top of the baked cookies, to bring out the flavours!
Frequently Asked Questions
Once baked, ginger molasses cookies will keep for up to 3 days. Make sure to store them in an airtight container, to keep them fresh.
To freeze these cookies, make the dough, shape into balls then chill in the fridge until firm. Transfer the chilled cookie dough to an airtight container then place in the freezer. Defrost fully before baking & roll them in sugar once defrosted.
The cookie scoot is a technique used to shape cookies into a perfect circle as soon as they come out of the oven. To do this, take a large circular cutter & use it to move (or scoot) the cookies into a circle. This is the secret to making a batch of uniform cookies.
Cookies spread out too much in the oven if they weren’t chilled for long enough before being baked or not enough flour was added to the dough. To avoid this, chill the cookie dough overnight before baking & measure the ingredients out accurately.
Both molasses & black treacle can be used to make cookies & can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio. Black treacle is more common in the UK & has a sweet, less bitter flavour whereas molasses is more common in the US and has a richer, more bitter flavour. Both will add a rich, slightly bitter flavour to cookies.
To bake ginger molasses cookies in an Aga, cook them in the baking oven on the bottom set of runners.
More Cookie Recipes To Try!
- Lemon Drizzle Cookies
- Brown Butter & Vanilla Glazed Cookies
- Brown Butter & Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Kettle Chip Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Black Sesame Cheesecake Cookies
- Miso Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies
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Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Baking Trays
- Mixing Bowl
- Cookie Scoop
- Large Cookie Cutter
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 175 g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
- 130 g Light Brown Sugar
- 115 g Caster Sugar
- 90 g Black Treacle
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 Egg Yolk
- 300 g Plain Flour
- 2 tsp Ground Ginger
- 1 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- ¼ tsp Ground Nutmeg
- ¾ tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- ½ tsp Table Salt
Ginger Sugar
- 40 g Granulated Sugar
- ¼ tsp Ground Ginger
To Finish
- Sea Salt
Instructions
Cookie Dough
- Place the softened butter, light brown sugar & caster sugar into the bowl of a stand mixer then mix with the paddle attachment until well combined. Be careful not to over mix the butter & sugar! We don’t want to add too much air into the dough as this will affect the baked cookies. 1-2 minutes of mixing on a medium speed should do the trick.
- Add in the black treacle then mix to incorporate.
- In a separate bowl, lightly beat the egg & yolk together then with the mixer running on a medium speed, gradually mix into the butter & sugar.
- Next, add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda & salt into the butter then mix on a low speed until just combined.
- Place the bowl of cookie dough into the fridge & leave to chill for 30 minutes. This firms the cookie dough up slightly, which makes shaping them easier!
Ginger Sugar
- In the meantime, place the sugar & ginger into a small mixing bowl & mix to combine. Set aside for now.
Shaping
- Once the cookie dough has been chilled, use a small cookie scoop (or a spoon) to portion into 13 equally sized balls. Each should weigh around 65 grams. Place the balls of dough onto a baking tray as you weigh them out.
- Next, roll each ball of cookie dough in the ginger sugar, making sure that they are completely coated then place them into a container & refrigerate overnight.
Baking
- The next day, preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/311°f).
- Place 3-4 balls of cookie dough onto a lined baking tray, making sure that there’s plenty of room between them then bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are golden & set, the tops are cracked and the middles are still quite soft.
- As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a large, round cookie cutter to scoot each one into a perfect round shape. Lightly sprinkle each cookie with sea salt then let them cool completely, on the tray.
- Repeat the cooking process with the remaining cookie dough.
