Make delicious, chewy molasses cookies with this easy small batch recipe! Perfect for when you're craving a treat but don't want to make a whole batch.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time8 minutesmins
Chill20 minutesmins
Total Time38 minutesmins
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Diet: Vegetarian
Keyword: best molasses cookie recipe, cookies, crinkled molasses cookies, ginger molasses cookies, molasses cookies, small batch cookies, soft molasses cookies
Start by beating softened butter and brown sugar together in a medium-sized bowl using an electric mixer at medium speed. Continue until well combined, which should take about 1 minute.
Add the egg yolk, molasses, and vanilla to the mixture, and continue beating until these ingredients are thoroughly combined.
In a different, smaller bowl, mix together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and cloves.
Gradually incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet mixture of butter, sugar, and molasses. Mix at a low speed until a dough begins to form.
Wrap the dough tightly using either plastic wrap or aluminum foil and chill it in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C). Meanwhile, line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat and set it aside.
After chilling, take the dough out of the refrigerator. Form the dough into 1-inch balls.
Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar, then place them on the prepared baking sheet, ensuring they are spaced 2 to 3 inches apart.
Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set. After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Expert Tips
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.