Molasses crinkle cookies are soft and chewy molasses cookies filled with cozy, warming spices. They’re rolled in spiced sugar and powdered sugar before baking to give them that signature crinkle top. These festive ginger molasses crinkle cookies are easy to make and are perfect for the holiday season.
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Why Should You Make This Recipe
Take a look around my blog and you’ll find so many cookies that are perfect for the holiday season. I especially love my Red Velvet Cake Mix Cookies, Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies, Hot Chocolate Brownies Cookies, Iced Oatmeal Cookies, and Tiramisu Cookies. This molasses crinkle cookie recipe a fantastic addition to my growing collection of holiday cookie recipes. I know you’ll love it because:
- They are quick and easy. All you need to do is make the crinkle gingerbread cookie dough, chill the dough while the oven preheats, roll the dough balls in spiced and powdered sugar, bake and enjoy!
- You love a simple cookie recipe with lots of festive flavor and texture. This recipe for old fashioned molasses cookies uses a full tablespoon of warming spices such as ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. The spices are balanced out by the sweet, slightly savory flavor of the molasses.
Ingredients
These soft and chewy ginger crinkle cookies require only a handful of pantry basics to make. Here’s what you need to make these crackle top cookies.
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
- Dry ingredients: Gather all purpose flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda and salt
- Wet Ingredients: Gather unsalted butter, light brown sugar, an egg, vanilla extract and unsulphured molasses.
Spiced Sugar Coating
Spiced Sugar Ingredients: Gather ground ginger or cinnamon, granulated sugar and powdered sugar.
Substitutions
These chewy molasses crinkles are quick and easy to make. Here are my recommended substitutions to make these cookies:
- All purpose flour: To make this cookie recipe gluten free, use a good 1-1 gluten free flour. I recommend using the one from Bob’s Red Mill.
- Baking Soda: I do not recommend using baking powder in the place of baking soda for these old fashioned molasses crinkles.
- Ground Spices: Feel free to use 2-3 teaspoons of Pumpkin spice, chai spice or apple pie spice in this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter: You can use the same amount of salted butter as written in the recipe, but omit the added salt.
- Light Brown Sugar: This crinkle cookie recipe hasn’t been tested using alternative sugars. However, I love using maple sugar as a refined sugar free option in my other cookie recipes. Maple sugar bakes very similarly to light brown sugar.
- Egg: This recipe hasn’t been tested without eggs.
- Vanilla Extract: This adds a nice background flavor to these ginger crinkle cookies. Omit if needed.
- Molasses: Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap for these cookies. If you must substitute, honey would work the best.
How To Make
Learn how to make molasses crinkle cookies in a few easy steps.
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes. In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, ground spices and salt together until well combined. Set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the melted and cooled butter with the light brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract and molasses until creamy and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed. With a flexible spatula or spoon, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour powdered sugar in a small shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix granulated sugar and ground cinnamon or ginger until well combined. Using a small, tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop tablespoon sized balls of molasses cookie dough. Roll the ball into the spiced sugar first and powdered sugar second until well coated.
- Place the molasses cookie balls on the parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set. Remove the cookie sheet to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the warm cookie sheet to fully cool on the cooling rack.
How To Store, Make Ahead, Freeze and Thaw
- To store baked cookies: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Store leftover cookie dough: Wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to one week or in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Make Ahead: Although this molasses cookie recipe is easy to make and comes together quickly, the cookie dough can easily be made ahead of time. To do this simply prepare the cookies up until the chilling step, then decide on your storage needs.
- Freeze the cookie dough: Place the cookie dough balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet, place the baking sheet into the freezer and freeze until the cookie dough is frozen. Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and place the cookie dough balls into a ziplock bag. These ginger molasses cookies can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Thaw the cookie dough: Transfer your desired amount of frozen cookie dough balls onto a lined plate or baking sheet. Allow them to thaw overnight in the fridge. Bring the cookie dough balls to room temperature before rolling in the spiced sugar, powdered sugar and baking.
M’s Expert Tips
- Bring cold ingredients to room temperature: This allows the cookies to mix together more evenly which requires less mixing, resulting in a soft, chewy and delicious cookie.
- Don’t overmix the cookie dough: Always use the lowest speed on your electric mixer or mix in the dry ingredients by hand. Make sure to mix the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
- Chill the dough: Resting the dough in the fridge allows the flour to rehydrate, resulting in a chewier, soft cookie that doesn’t spread too much. The flavors also develop more fully after some chilling time.
- Use granulated sugar and powdered sugar. Rolling the crinkle cookies in granulated sugar first allows the powdered sugar to hold onto the cookie dough better.
- Slightly under-bake the cookies: For cookies that are soft and chewy for days, the secret is to bake them until the edges are set and cracks have formed across the top of the cookie.
FAQs
What makes a cookie crinkle?
Rolling these molasses cookies in powdered sugar before baking gives these ginger crinkle cookies their signature crinkle cracks across the top of the cookies.
What type of molasses is best for cookies?
Light or dark molasses is best for cookies. Blackstrap is not a great molasses for cookies. The flavor is more suited for savory dishes.
Why didn’t my molasses cookies crack?
A few things can cause this. One is the oven isn’t hot enough. Make sure to fully preheat the oven for 30 minutes before baking. The baking soda is old and didn’t cause enough rise.
Other Molasses Recipes To Try
If you try this Molasses Crinkle Cookies Recipe please rate the recipe and leave a comment below. Doing so helps other readers decide if this is a great recipe to bake. Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram using @olivesnthyme so I can see what you’re baking! Happy Baking! - M
Molasses Crinkle Cookies Recipe
Molasses crinkle cookies are soft and chewy molasses cookies filled with cozy, warming spices. They’re rolled in spiced sugar and powdered sugar before baking to give them that signature crinkle top. These festive ginger molasses crinkle cookies are easy to make and are perfect for the holiday season.
Equipment
- 2 small shallow bowls for sugar coating
- 1 whisk and flexible spatula or spoon
- 1 small cookie scoop (1 tbsp, 15 ml)
- 2 baking sheets
- 2 parchment paper
Ingredients
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- 1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (59 ml) molasses
Spiced Sugar Coating
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger or cinnamon
- ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a small bowl, melt the butter and cool in the fridge for about 15 minutes.½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, baking soda, ground spices and salt together until well combined. Set aside.1¾ cups (210 g) all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another bowl, whisk the melted and cooled butter with the light brown sugar until smooth and well combined. Whisk in the egg, vanilla extract and molasses until creamy and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl as needed.1 cup (200 g) light or dark brown sugar, 1 large egg, room temperature, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract, ¼ cup (59 ml) molasses
- With a flexible spatula or spoon, mix in the dry ingredients until just combined. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill the dough in the fridge for 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F (177 C) for 30 minutes. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour powdered sugar in a small shallow bowl. In another shallow bowl, mix granulated sugar and ground cinnamon or ginger until well combined.¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon ground ginger or cinnamon, ½ cup (60 g) powdered sugar
- Using a small, tablespoon sized cookie scoop, scoop tablespoon sized balls of molasses cookie dough. Roll the ball into the spiced sugar first and powdered sugar second until well coated.
- Place the molasses cookie balls on the parchment lined baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes until the edges are set. Remove the cookie sheet to cool on a cooling rack for 5 minutes. Remove the cookies from the warm cookie sheet to fully cool on the cooling rack.
Notes
Store: These cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Use unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap for these cookies. If you must substitute, honey would work the best.
did you make this recipe?tag @olivesnthyme on Instagram
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