Ginger-Molasses Cookies

By Alison Roman

Ginger-Molasses Cookies
Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Liza Jernow.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(1,703)
Notes
Read community notes

Think of these cookies as a cross between a gingerbread man and a chewy molasses cookie. Adding molasses gives them a softer texture with a decidedly adult, almost caramel flavor. Instead of rolling or slicing these cookies, this rich, soft dough is perfect for rolling into balls and coating in coarse sugar before baking. The dough can even be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated, or baked 2 days ahead and stored at room temperature.

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Ingredients

Yield:About 2 dozen cookies
  • 3cups/435 grams all-purpose flour
  • 1tablespoon ground ginger
  • 2teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1½cups/341 grams (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • ¾cup/177 milliliters molasses
  • ½cup/100 grams granulated sugar
  • 2large eggs
  • 1teaspoon vanilla extract
  • About ¾ cup/165 grams pearl, Demerara or coarse sugar, for rolling
  • Do ahead: Cookie dough can be made 5 days ahead, refrigerated. Bring dough to room temperature before rolling. Cookies can be baked 2 days ahead, wrapped tightly and stored at room temperature.
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (24 servings)

249 calories; 12 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 19 grams sugars; 3 grams protein; 105 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and allspice.

  2. Step 2

    In another bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together butter, molasses and sugar on medium-high until the mixture is superlight, fluffy and pale, about 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract, and beat until everything is well combined, again stopping to scrape down bowl as necessary.

  3. Step 3

    Add dry ingredients all at once, and mix on low speed until just incorporated.

  4. Step 4

    Chill dough in refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm enough to roll.

  5. Step 5

    Heat oven to 325 degrees.

  6. Step 6

    Using your hands, roll heaping tablespoons of dough into balls, then roll them in coarse sugar. (Sanding sugar is festive, but turbinado or coarse sugar will do the trick as well.) If dough becomes too soft to roll, put back in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes. Place balls on a parchment-lined baking tray 2 inches apart and bake until the cookies are puffed, golden brown around the edges and baked through and the tops spring back slightly when touched, 12 to 15 minutes.

Ratings

4 out of 5
1,703 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Becky

I have a similar recipe and it freezes fine in balls.
By the time the oven is hot, the balls are thawed enough to roll in sugar and bake.
I also press the dough into a 9 x 9 pan lined with plastic wrap and chill, then cut into 1" pieces and roll into balls, they are even and it is easier than scooping.

Chris M.

I made these slightly smaller than golf balls and wound up with 47 cookies. They stayed soft for a week. Flavors became more robust as the week went on. I will definitely make these again. People raved about them.

Shef

When you make and eat cookies, they should be delicious and rewarding. These cookies are just OK, the flavor is weighted too heavy on the molasses side, leaving the ginger to beg for attention. They are light enough (even with all that butter), but that's where the unrewarding part comes in, its a bland, dissolve in your mouth texture. I also found the rolling in sugar makes them too sweet.
I won't make these again. A Cara Cara orange for dessert is way better than these.

Patty

The Silver Palate original cookbook. Molasses cookies

Emily

Try the Chewy Molasses Cookies from Bon Appetit, December 2013. Along with cinnamon and ginger, they have cardamom.

Megan

I would make it again but add double the ginger and allspice. They lacked the bite I expected. Also, these are very soft cookies so if you're really looking for that ginger "snap" look elsewhere.

Katinka

These didn't turn out well for me. They were puffy and not chewy at all as has been the case with other molasses cookies I've made. What went wrong?

iniville

If you use candied ginger, increases the spices, and use pomegranate molasses these cookies have a rich, complex flavor I’ve never found in any other recipe. I will make these again.

Katie

Less molasses more brown sugar and use of baking soda instead of baking powder!

Rick

How about something with out 3/4 pound of butter?

Barbara

If you want a fantastic ginger/molasses cookie, try Alison Roman's Chocolate Molasses Cookie with fresh grated ginger. Quick and easy to make, you can't eat just one.

Mark

Makes a wonderful "cake" style cookie - soft and crumbley. I halved the recipe easily. I thought the spice was nice and subtle and crowd pleasing. Roll the dough into balls after being chilled, roll the balls all over in sugar, and bake the balls without flattening. These instructions felt odd but they turned out perfectly.

Mary

Country Raisin Gingersnaps: Yield: 24 3/4 Cup shortening 1 Cup sugar 1 egg 1/4 Cup molasses 2 1/4 Cups flour 2 Teaspoons baking soda 1 Teaspoon salt 1 Teaspoon ginger 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 Teaspoon cloves 1 1/2 Cups raisins or Zante currants Cream together shortening and sugar. Beat in egg and molasses. Sift together flour, soda, salt and spices; add to creamed mixture. Mix in raisins. Chill dough 1/2 hr. Roll into 1” balls. Place 2” apart on greased pan. 350 for 8-10 minutes.

Mike

Ground ginger and powdered ginger are two different things. The recipe calls for ground ginger, which is available in stores. The video shows powdered ginger, which is much blander and less sharp. And I always wonder now when I read comments, are these people using fresh spices? Are they using 20 year old spices? Makes a big difference in a recipe like this one.

Mary Sayler

Would cloves help instead of allspice. Most recipes for this kind of cookie have cloves. I find that gives them some zap.

carolk

I successfully made this gluten free using Bob’s Red Mill Baking Flour with Xanthum Gum to replace gluten. They came out great with a nice buttery, molasses flavor.

KKR

This is not a chewy cookie. Crispy on edges and very cakey in middle. A suggestion was baking soda instead of powder.

Ev :)

Made these and turned them into ice cream sandwiches w/ strawberry ice cream and they were SO good. I rolled them in ginger sugar instead of regular and it helped bring out the ginger flavor which was a little lacking originally. I halved the recipe and ended up with 17 cookies so keep that in mind if you're expecting two dozen from the whole recipe. Without ginger sugar I would add more ground ginger into the dough so you get enough ginger flavor.

Meghan

These were flat, had a weird texture and taste. I went over the recipe so many times to try to figure out where it went wrong, but I followed every step correctly. I won’t make these again.

KM in NW

These were not chewy, but cake like, and they tasted bitter. I followed the recipe carefully as I was looking for the perfect ginger molasses cookie. I won't make this again.

Ruth

Not a lot of flavor and too cakey. I was expecting more of a chewy/crisp hybrid.

Making cookies and wondering…_

In the beat the butter/sugar step, how will this be “pale” if you are using molasses?

Amy

I added chopped candied ginger and they were a big hit!

Joyce, Highlands, NC

Great flavor. Definitely keep the dough cold. The balls spread so space them far apart.

Joyce

Happened to have candied ginger on hand, and based on comments, I chopped it fine and added it into the sugar roll. Nicely gingery and quite delicious.

Mona

I enjoy these cookies, but mine didn't get chewy. What did I do wrong? Did I beat the batter too long and hard? Thank you!

Natalie

These are very cakey, not chewy the way you might expect a ginger molasses cookie to be. Not terrible, but not what I was looking for.

krista

strange, cakey cookies that close to burnt on the bottom while remaining practically raw in the center despite only cooking for 12 minutes at 325. I’ve never had a ginger molasses cookie like this in my life, almost certainly wouldn’t make these again

sarah

I would not make these again. I make a lot of cookies and these were very lackluster. Molasses overpowers this recipe. Baking time should be longer and higher temp. Not enough spices.

llamakana

This is a cakey cookie, not my preference but fine as is.

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