Description
These Bakery Style Molasses Cookies offer a perfect balance of spiced warmth and rich sweetness with a chewy texture and a slightly crisp sugar-coated exterior. Perfectly suited for holiday treats or cozy snacking, these cookies combine traditional spices like ginger and cinnamon with deep molasses flavor for a classic, comforting cookie experience.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter (softened)
- 1 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Coating
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Prepare Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set this mixture aside for later use.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to cream together the softened butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy, which should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add Wet Ingredients: Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract into the creamed butter and sugar mixture until the batter is smooth and fully combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the sifted dry ingredients to the wet mixture, mixing on low speed just until a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix to maintain a tender texture.
- Chill the Dough: Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This chilling step helps enhance the flavors and prevents the cookies from spreading too much during baking.
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
- Shape the Cookies: Scoop about 1 tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball with your hands. Roll each ball in granulated sugar to coat thoroughly, then place them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving approximately 2 inches of space between each cookie.
- Bake: Bake the cookies in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will appear slightly soft and may look a bit underbaked in the center upon removal, but they will firm up as they cool.
- Cool and Serve: Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, enjoy these flavorful molasses cookies!
Notes
- Chilling the dough is essential to prevent the cookies from spreading too much and to deepen the flavor.
- For softer cookies, slightly underbake and allow them to set while cooling.
- Storing cookies in an airtight container keeps them fresh for up to a week.
- For extra flavor, you can sprinkle a little coarse sugar on top before baking for added crunch.
