Soft Molasses Cookies

I think my favorite holiday cookie might just be Soft Molasses Cookies. These cookies are filled with the perfect amount of spice! The brown sugar and molasses make them soft, chewy and delicious.

I’ve been making molasses cookies with my mom at Christmas time for as long as I can remember. They have always been a favorite of my dads. Then one year we started dipping them in white chocolate.

Soft Molasses Cookies are incredible on their own but they’re just that much tastier when they’re dipped. Even better is you can add sprinkles of dark chocolate, candy cane or festive baking decorations on top of the white chocolate.

If you’ve never made Soft Molasses Cookies I highly encourage you to try them! They’ve been a long time family favorite and I bet they would be for you too!

If you love cookies you should try my Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chip Cookies and Soft Gingerbread Cookies!

Can I freeze Soft Molasses Cookies?

Yes!! They freeze so well! You can freeze them before you dip them or after. Let them thaw out on the counter for about 15-20 minutes before you plant to eat them. Or just eat them frozen like I do!

Before freezing your Soft Molasses Cookies, wrap them in plastic wrap twice, put them inside a zip lock bag then inside of an airtight container. This will help keep them the freshest. Molasses cookies can be frozen for up to 6 months.

Ingredients you’ll need

• Brown Sugar – This helps make the Soft Molasses Cookies soft and chewy
• Granulated Sugar – For some extra sweetness and caramelization
• Shortening – I use shortening for this particular recipe instead of butter
• Molasses – To give a nice robust molasses flavor
• Egg – For moisture and structure
• All Purpose Flour – For structure in the molasses cookies
• Baking Soda – This helps the Soft Molasses Cookies to get a bit of a rise
• Cinnamon – A key holiday baking spice
• Cloves – One of my favorite holiday spices
• Ginger – Ginger and molasses pair so well together
• Dried Mustard – For an extra kick
• Kosher Salt – Salt will enhance all of the other spices and flavors in the molasses cookies
• Demerara Sugar – I roll the Soft Molasses Cookies in this before baking
• White Chocolate – To melt and dip the cookies in
• Candy Cane (optional) – You can crush the candy canes then sprinkle them on top of the white chocolate after dipping the cookie for a festive look
• Dark Chocolate Bar (optional) – You can shave the dark chocolate and sprinkle it on top of the white chocolate after dipping the Soft Molasses Cookie for a fun look and delicious taste

Equipment you’ll need

• Stand Mixer or Electric Hand Mixer – A stand mixer or an electric hand mixer will work just fine for these Soft Molasses Cookies
• Cookie Sheets/Sheet Trays – The kind of baking sheet you use does matter. I learned this the hard way after years of burning the bottoms of cookies and not knowing why. A darker pan will make the bottom of your cookie dark/burnt. A lighter pan does not do that! I use these larger sheet trays so I can fit more in the oven at a time
• Oven – You of course need the oven to bake the Soft Molasses Cookies
• Whisk – You’ll whisk together the dry ingredients before adding them into the wet

Tips for the best Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

• If you don’t love big sugar granules on the outside of your molasses cookies then you can roll them in brown sugar instead of Demerara sugar before baking
• Don’t over mix the cookie dough when adding the flour
• Do not over bake the Soft Molasses Cookies, you’ll end up with hard burnt cookies
• If you want a nice freezer stash of cookies you can freeze the Soft Molasses Cookies after rolling them into balls and rolling them in sugar. Place the unbaked cookies on a baking sheet and freeze for 1 hour then remove them from the tray and place into a plastic bag and freeze. Normally I double bag. Keep them for up to 3 months
• Let the cookies cool completely before dipping them in white chocolate
• Tap the Soft Molasses Cookies on the counter or the baking sheet several times before dipping them. This will help shake off any extra sugar so it doesn’t get into the melted white chocolate. Keeping crumbs and sugar out of the melted chocolate will help keep your molasses cookies looking nice and clean
• Let the cookies set briefly, about 30 seconds, before sprinkling on your toppings
• Let to cookies set completely after topping them before trying to transfer them

How to Make Soft Molasses Cookies

These Soft Molasses Cookies are a cinch to make! Preheat the oven to 350°F then line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a medium bowl and an electric mixer, beat the shortening and both sugars for 3-5 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses and egg on low speed until combined then turn up to medium and beat until fluffy, 1-2 minutes.

In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, dry mustard and kosher salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix just until combined. Do not over mix.

Form 2 inch cookie balls, roll them in Demerara sugar then place them on a baking sheet. Chill the cookies for 30 minutes. Separate the cookies by at least 2 inches before baking.

Bake for 15 minutes. Check the cookies at 13 minutes because all ovens are different. Remove them from the oven and let rest on the baking sheet for 2 minutes before moving them to a cooling rack.

Let cookies cool completely before dipping. Once cookies are cool, melt the white chocolate over a double boiler ( or you can melt it in a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after every 30 seconds until melted).

Tap the Soft Molasses Cookies on a plate or the baking sheet to get any additional sugar off. Dip each molasses cookie halfway into the white chocolate then set back on parchment paper. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane, shaved chocolate or sprinkles if desired.

Let the white chocolate set for about an hour. Enjoy!