A small batch of soft molasses cookies that are perfectly spiced with cinnamon and ginger. Perfect for the holidays or any time of the year.
Molasses cookies are classic cookies that have been enjoyed for centuries. The sweet and chewy treat is often associated with the holiday season but should be enjoyed year-round.
Jump to:
- What Are Molasses Cookies?
- Why This Recipe Works
- What Is The Best Molasses To Use?
- Ingredients
- Ingredient Notes
- Why I Use Salted Butter
- How To Make Molasses Cookies
- Expert Tips
- Make Ahead Instructions
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Molasses Cookies Variations
- Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
- More Small Batch Cookie Recipes
- Recipe
What Are Molasses Cookies?
Molasses cookies are traditionally made with a basic cookie dough that includes butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Molasses is then added as the main flavoring ingredient, giving the cookies their unique taste. Spices such as cinnamon, ginger, and cloves may also be added to enhance the flavor.
Why This Recipe Works
- Wonderful texture: The texture of molasses cookies is unique. When baking, the cookies spread out and become crunchy on the outside, while remaining chewy on the inside. This is due to the combination of sugar, fat, and flour in the dough.
- Great flavor: This recipe for molasses cookies is the best because it's made with molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, which combine to make a warm, sweet flavor perfect for a cozy winter treat.
- Perfect small batch recipe: This cookie recipe yields 6 to 7 of the best molasses cookies. If you'd like to make more, just double the ingredient amounts.
What Is The Best Molasses To Use?
Dark molasses is the best molasses to use in molasses cookies. It has a rich, robust flavor that adds a unique depth of flavor to the cookies. It also helps keep the cookies moist and chewy. My favorite brands of molasses to use are either Grandma's brand or Brer Rabbit brand. I don't like using blackstrap molasses in this recipe because the flavor can be very intense.
Light treacle, which goes by the name golden syrup, and also black treacle are popular molasses substitutes in the UK.
Where does molasses come from? Molasses is a thick, dark syrup that is made during the sugar-making process. It is the ingredient that makes gives brown sugar its distinct color.
What are the different varieties of molasses? There are a few different types of molasses:
- Light molasses: This is the syrup left over from the first boiling cycle of sugar cane. It is lighter in color and has the highest sugar content.
- Dark molasses: This is a byproduct of the second boiling cycle of sugar cane. It is darker than light molasses and contains less sugar. This is the type of molasses we recommend using in our soft molasses cookie recipe.
- Blackstrap molasses: This is the final byproduct of the third boiling cycle of sugar cane. It contains the least amount of sugar giving it a very bitter taste. Blackstrap molasses also has the highest concentration of vitamins and minerals. It is very dark in color and because it is bitter, should not be used in recipes unless specifically called for in that recipe.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes
See below for ways to use leftover ingredients.
- Butter: Slightly softened salted or unsalted butter adds flavor and buttery goodness to each bite. You want to use softened butter in this molasses cookie recipe because you want to cream the butter and the sugar together to create air pockets. These air pockets are what help make these cookies light and airy. Softened butter should still be cool to the touch but when you press your finger into the butter, your finger will leave an indentation.
- Sugar: Use brown sugar in this cookie recipe. Brown sugar is what helps produce a soft molasses cookie and adds molasses flavor. If you don't have brown sugar, here's our quick recipe for making a small batch of brown sugar. Use a small amount of granulated sugar for rolling the balls of cookie dough in before baking.
- Egg yolk: 1 large egg yolk is all that is needed in this small batch molasses cookie recipe. Please see below for ways to use up the leftover egg white.
- Vanilla extract: Use pure vanilla extract for a wonderful flavor.
- Flour: Use all-purpose flour. This recipe has also been tested with King Arthur Gluten Free Measure For Measure Flour with success. If you'd like to make gluten-free molasses cookies, I recommend using this brand of gluten-free flour.
- Baking soda: This ingredient contributes to that signature cracked look that we expect from molasses cookies. Baking soda is also what gives the cookies a little lift.
- Spices: We use a careful blend of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves which is what every molasses cookie needs.
- Molasses: Use dark molasses but do not use blackstrap molasses because the flavor is too intense for these cookies.
Why I Use Salted Butter
Although many recipes call for using unsalted butter in baked goods such as cookies and cakes. I almost always use salted butter in my baking while still adding additional salt if necessary. Using unsalted butter is often recommended so that the baker can have more control over the total amount of salt used in a recipe. Since the recipes I create and share are small batch and single serving recipes and we aren't using a whole lot of butter, whether or not you use salted or unsalted butter won't make much of a difference in our recipes. Use what you have or what you prefer. If you are on a low-sodium diet, by all means, use unsalted butter.
How To Make Molasses Cookies
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Make the molasses cookie dough: Combine softened butter with brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined, about 1 minute.
Pro Tip: What we are doing here is creaming the butter and brown sugar together. Doing this adds pockets of air that aerate the batter. This air puffs up the cookies as they bake which makes them lighter. To cream butter properly, the butter has to be soft - not melted. If the butter looks or feels oily, or has started to melt, it is too warm and will not be able to aerate properly.
- Add the egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla, and beat until the ingredients are well mixed.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/molasses mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to form.
- Chill the cookie dough: Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for 20 minutes.
Pro Tip: Chilling cookie dough prior to baking makes a difference in the way the cookies will turn out. When molasses cookie dough is chilled, the cookies spread less because the fat in the chilled cookie dough takes longer to melt than room-temperature fat. The longer the fat remains solid, the less the cookies will spread. In addition, chilling cookie dough concentrates flavor.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in granulated sugar and place them 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges appear set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Expert Tips
- Read through the entire recipe, the Ingredient Notes section, and the FAQ's before making this recipe. Answers to many questions about ingredient substitutions, etc. can be found in these sections.
- Measure the flour correctly: To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup made for dry ingredients and slightly overfill it. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- The best way to soften butter is to put it out on the kitchen counter for a half hour before you want to use it.
- Molasses can be tricky to measure but to make it easy, lightly spray the inside of a measuring cup with baking spray. This will help the molasses to slide out easily when you're pouring it into the mixing bowl.
- Line the baking sheet: Use a silicone mat or parchment paper to line your baking or cookie sheet. I don't recommend coating your baking sheet with butter or oil spray because it creates an overly greasy sheet that will make your cookies spread.
Make Ahead Instructions
- You can make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Let the cookies sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before rolling the dough in the sugar.
- Baked cookies freeze well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature, if desired before eating.
- Unbaked cookie dough balls (before rolling in sugar) will freeze well for up to 3 months.
- Store baked molasses cookies in an airtight container for 1 week at room temperature.
Frequently Asked Questions
We use more molasses and cinnamon in our molasses cookie recipe than we do in our ginger cookie recipe.
If your cookies did not rise, chances are that your baking soda was old. Baking soda is important in this recipe to help the cookies rise and spread.
Molasses is rich in antioxidants and is a good source of iron, magnesium, potassium, and vitamin B6. It may also help to support bone health.
This cookie dough is fine to use at room temperature but I highly recommend chilling the dough before baking. Chilled cookie dough will produce cookies that will spread a bit less and will have a more intense flavor.
Yes. If you'd like to make extra old-fashioned molasses cookies, just double the ingredient amounts.
We do not recommend using the entire egg if doubling this molasses cookie recipe. We highly suggest you use 2 egg yolks (see below for ways to use the leftover egg whites). If you use the entire egg, the cookies are much flatter. When you use 2 egg yolks, the cookies rise better and have more of a cookie texture. These molasses cookies need the extra protein that the extra egg yolk provides.
Molasses Cookies Variations
- Chocolate Molasses Cookies: add 2 tablespoons of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to the dough after mixing in the dry ingredients before baking.
- Molasses Citrus Cookies: Add 1 teaspoon of orange zest to the batter. Also, add ¼ teaspoon of zest to the rolling sugar and rub the mixture with your fingers before rolling in the balls of dough.
Ways To Use Leftover Ingredients
If you have any ingredients leftover from this small batch molasses cookie recipe, you might like to consider using them in any of these single serving and small batch recipes:
- Molasses: Gingerbread Granola, Gingerbread, Meatloaf, Baked Beans, Sloppy Joe
- Egg white: Meringues, Vanilla Cupcakes, Chocolate Cupcakes, Coconut Macaroons, Mini Texas Sheet Cake
- Ground ginger: Ginger Turmeric Tea, Roasted Butternut Squash, Peach Crisp, Pork Stir Fry, Sweet Potato Casserole
- Ground cinnamon: Snickerdoodles, Fried Apples, Mini Cherry Pie, Ham Steak, Apple Galette, Cranberry Jam
- Ground cloves: Garam Masala, Apple Granola, Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Coffee Cake, Spice Cake
- Baking soda: Hush Puppies, Irish Soda Bread, Banana Bread, Corn Muffins, Pancake Mix
More Small Batch Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Butter Cookies
- Peanut Butter Cookies
- Frosted Sugar Cookies
- Eggless Chocolate Chip Cookies
- DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Ginger Cookies
- Oatmeal Cookies
- Lace Cookies
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Deep Dish Chocolate Chip Cookie
- Mini Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookie
For more information on the cooking and baking dishes I use in our “recipes for one”, please visit our FAQ page.
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Recipe
Small Batch Molasses Cookies
See the post above for expert tips,
FAQs and ways to use leftover ingredients.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter , softened
- ¼ cup brown sugar , packed
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2½ tablespoons molasses
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2-3 tablespoons granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- Combine softened butter with brown sugar in a medium-sized bowl. Beat on medium speed with an electric mixer until well combined, about 1 minute.
- Add the egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla, and beat until the ingredients are well mixed.
- In a separate small bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter/sugar/molasses mixture. Mix on low speed until the dough starts to form.
- Cover the dough tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill for 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls.
- Roll each ball of cookie dough in granulated sugar and place them 2 to 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges appear set. Remove from the oven and allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Measure the flour correctly: To measure flour correctly, use a spoon to scoop flour into a measuring cup made for dry ingredients and slightly overfill it. Then, use the back of a knife or other straight-edged utensil to level the flour across the cup. Do not scoop the flour. When you scoop, the flour gets packed too tightly and you will end up with more flour than the recipe calls for.
- The best way to soften butter is to put it out on the kitchen counter for a half hour before you want to use it.
- Molasses can be tricky to measure but to make it easy, lightly spray the inside of a measuring cup with baking spray. This will help the molasses to slide out easily when you're pouring it into the mixing bowl.
- Line the baking sheet: Use a silicone mat or parchment paper to line your baking or cookie sheet. I don't recommend coating your baking sheet with butter or oil spray because it creates an overly greasy sheet that will make your cookies spread.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
LaToya says
I made these tonight and they are phenomenal!! They were so easy to make and assemble. I accidentally put too much clove in but it still tasted delicious. I will definitely be making again!!
Jennifer Beilke says
I made these last night doubling the recipe expecting to get 12 cookies and it made 24 delicious cookies. No complaints from me!
J. Hegyi says
Terrific recipe.