Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie
The holiday season is upon us and one of my favourite cookies this season is the Ginger Molasses Cookie. I typically get these cookies at Starbucks every now and then but with COVID, it has become more challenging to go out lately. Thankfully, I have a great ginger molasses cookie recipe I can rely on during these tough times 🙂
What’s the difference between Ginger Molasses Cookies and Gingerbread Cookies?
This has been a question I’ve been wondering for a very long time. After quite a bit of research, I determined that the difference between them is actually very subtle. Typically, gingerbread cookies have more ginger content and I often find gingerbread cookies to be a bit crispier than these ginger molasses cookie. What I like about this ginger molasses cookie recipe is that they produce a nice crispy exterior, but a very soft and chewy interior.
Key Ingredients
There are two key ingredients that you’ll need to be successful with this recipe – Ground Ginger and Molasses. The great thing about molasses is that it has an amazing shelf life – in fact they can typically last in your pantry for up to a year so even if you can’t use it all in one go, you can probably save up the rest to use for another recipe such as our Gingerbread Cookie Bars recipe.
Aside from the two key ingredients noted above, you will also need the following ingredients:
- All purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground cloves
- Unsalted butter
- Brown sugar
- Egg
- Granulated sugar (to roll the cookie dough in)
You can adjust the amount of spices used in this recipe according to your preference. Some have found this recipe to be quite heavy on the cloves side but that’s because I really like the taste of ground cloves 🙂 If this isn’t for you, I recommend you reduce this to 1/2 tsp.
How to store your cookies
Surprisingly, these cookies store very well. It’s best to eat them fresh out of the oven but these can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week and they will still taste good!
As I’ve mentioned in my other cookie posts, I always recommend freezing the cookie dough (pre-rolled/scooped into cookie dough balls) and placing them in freezer bags for when you need an emergency cookie fix.
Soft and Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar to coat the cookies
Instructions
- 1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- 2. In a separate stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (approximately 3 minutes). Add the egg and beat to combine. Slowly dad the molasses and mix until well incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl at least once.
- 3. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, mixing until combined. Do not overmix as it will make the cookies dense. Put the cookie dough in saran wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour, the longer the better.
- 4. When ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or silpat
- 5. Scoop small pieces of cookie dough and roll it into a small ball (approximately 1-2 inches) and roll it around in the granulated sugar. Press it out flat slightly on the silpat/parchment paper to give it its cookie shape.
- 6. Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes if you want softer, chewier cookies. If you like them a bit crunchier, bake it for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before you dig in. Store in airtight container.
