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Molasses Cookies

Molasses cookies are deeply spiced, sugar-crinkled, and chewy at the center with crisp edges. This recipe chills the dough for 30 minutes, then bakes until the tops are wrinkled and the centers still look slightly underdone.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 11 minutes
Chill 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 1 minute
Servings: 36 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 110
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.25 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 0.5 tsp cloves
  • 0.25 tsp allspice
  • 0.25 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar
  • 0.33 cup molasses not blackstrap
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
For rolling
  • 0.33 cup granulated sugar

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan

Method
 

Mix the dry ingredients
  1. Whisk all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, black pepper, and salt until evenly combined, with no visible spice clumps.
Cream the wet ingredients
  1. Beat unsalted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until fluffy, about 2–3 minutes, then scrape the bowl.
  2. Beat in molasses, then add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing just until smooth.
Combine and chill the dough
  1. Fold the flour mixture into the wet ingredients until just combined, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain.
  2. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes to firm it up for rolling.
Shape and bake
  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Scoop dough into 1-1/2 tablespoon balls, then roll generously in granulated sugar so they look lightly sparkled on top.
  3. Bake for 9–11 minutes at 375F until the tops are crinkled and the centers look underdone.
Cool to finish the texture
  1. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes, so the cookies set and firm into a chewy center with crisp edges.

Notes

For the best crinkle effect, don’t overbake—pull the cookies when the tops look wrinkled but the centers still seem a bit soft. Store airtight at room temperature for up to 5 days or refrigerate up to 7 days; freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. For a dairy-free swap, use a plant-based butter stick in the same amount.