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    Home » Recipes » Cookies » Other Cookies » Ginger Molasses Cookies

    Ginger Molasses Cookies

    ★★★★★ from 23 reviews
    54 Comments
    By Erin Clarkson on Dec 11, 2020 (updated Apr 12, 2022) This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    Ginger Molasses Cookies are soft, chewy, and spicy, and rolled in a ginger sugar. They come together super quickly, and are the perfect holiday (or any time) cookie!

    Ginger Molasses sugar cookies on sheet pan

    Ginger Molasses Cookies

    Hi and happy #cookiefriday! I made these a few weeks ago and couldn’t wait to share the recipe so sent it out to my email list a little early , which was fun! I might do it a little more often - you can sign up on the side bar, I promise that I really suck at sending them out frequently so I couldn’t spam you even if I wanted to, but it was a fun way of getting a recipe out to people a little early before I wrote up the blog post. (Update from December 2020 - I have a wee email list going now where I send a new recipe each week! You can sign up here or in the side bar! I would love to have you)

    These were somewhat procrastination cookies - I think I was meant to be working on something that I didn’t want to, and really had a hankering for a ginger cookie, so I developed these over a Saturday. They are super simple - it’s basically a sugar cookie, elevated with a little molasses, a lot of ginger and a teeny bit of cardamom, and then rolled in ginger sugar just before baking, making them soft and chewy and a little crunchy on the edges, with a super yum ginger sugar coating. I’m very into them. There’s no resting time which means that they come together really quickly, and I can promise you they will disappear almost as quickly - they are so delicious. Happy Friday and happy weekend! x

    • cookie dough balls on pan
    • ginger cookies on wire rack

    How to make super easy Ginger Molasses Cookies

    These cookies are soft, chewy, and super easy to make. There is no chill time when making them, so you can have them ready to go in no time at all. 

    All it takes is a few simple steps - creaming together the butter and sugars, adding in the egg, then incorporating the dry ingredients and mixing to combine. The soft dough is then scooped and rolled into balls, then rolled in a spiced sugar mixture. 

    The cookies then have a quick wee spin in the oven until they are super puffy and perfect, and left to cool just for a bit, leaving you with spicy, super delicious, chewy ginger molasses cookies.

    close up of ginger molasses cookies on rack

    What goes into Ginger Molasses Cookies?

    • Brown Sugar - This gives flavour but also helps to keep the cookies thick and on the chewy side. The ratio of brown to white sugar (and leavener) controls the spread and texture of a cookie, so these are the things I usually play around with when developing!
    • Granulated Sugar - This gives spread! Super spread out cookies usually have a higher ratio of granulated to brown sugar (along with less flour and more butter). #Science.
    • Molasses - Just a wee bit to help give a super deep and toasty flavour.  Make sure you've got unsulphured. If you're in NZ, use treacle.
    • Spices - I popped loads of ginger in these, along with a wee bit of cinnamon and some cardamom. There's also ginger in the sugar that the cookies are rolled in before baking.
    • The other usual suspects - Our friends Egg, flour, butter, and baking soda!
    • close up shot of ginger cookies on sheet pan
    • side shot sugar cookies

    A few wee tips for Ginger Molasses Cookies

    • These are massive. If you want them a little smaller, a 2 Tbsp ball of dough would work perfectly too - just bake them for 9-11 minutes instead of the longer time.
    • To me these are a delicious amount of ginger, but if you really want a super spicy cookie then feel free to increase it (I love that really strong ginger taste too).
    • If you don't have cardamom on hand, you can add a little more cinnamon.
    • If you like your cookies a bit crunchy, up the baking time a minute or two
    • If you like your cookies really soft, you can increase the flour quantity to 340g for a cookie that is a little puffier.
    • These won’t look done when they come out of the oven / will look all puffed up, but they settle on the tray!
    • If you're in Nz (or the UK) and can't get molasses, treacle will work great. 
    ginger molasses cookies stacked on rack

    For more Ginger recipes, check out:

    • Gingerbread Sheet Cake
    • Oaty Ginger Crunch
    • Ginger Caramel Slice
    • Gingerbread Layer Cake
    ginger sugar cookies on sheet pan corner shot

    Made this recipe and love it?

    I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!

    A note on salt and oven temperature

    It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.

    All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.

    Why is this recipe in grams?

    I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking!

    Recipe for Ginger Molasses Cookies

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    Ginger Molasses Cookies

    ★★★★★ 5 from 23 reviews
    • Author: Erin Clarkson
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 15 minutes
    • Total Time: 30 minutes
    • Yield: 12 large cookies 1x
    • Category: Baking
    • Cuisine: American
    Print Recipe
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    Description

    Ginger Molasses Cookies are soft, chewy, and spicy, and rolled in a ginger sugar. They come together super quickly, and are the perfect holiday (or any time) cookie!


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 225g unsalted butter, at room temperature
    • 200g dark brown sugar
    • 100g granulated sugar
    • 30g molasses (if you are in NZ or can’t get molasses, use treacle)
    • 1 egg, at room temperature
    • 1 tsp Vanilla Bean Paste
    • 310g All-purpose flour
    • ½ tsp baking soda
    • 1 tsp salt
    • 4 tsp ground ginger
    • 1 tsp cinnamon
    • ½ tsp ground cardamom
    • For rolling- 100g sugar and 1 tsp ground ginger, combined

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350°f / 180°c. Line 2-3 baking sheets with parchment paper (you may have to bake these in several batches depending on how many trays your oven can tolerate).
    2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and molasses together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla bean paste and mix to combine. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices in a small bowl. Add to the mixer and mix on low until just combined.
    3. Using a ¼ cup spring-loaded cookie scoop (4 Tbsp - or you can roll together 2 2 Tbsp pieces), scoop balls of dough onto the prepared baking sheets. Each ball should weigh about 65g. I like to do 6 on each sheet. Roll each ball of dough between your hands to form a ball, then roll in the ginger sugar before placing on the baking sheet. Leave any mixture that you are not baking off just yet in the bowl and scoop just before baking.
    4. Bake the cookies for 13-14 minutes or until puffy and set around the edges. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan for 5 minutes - the cookies will deflate slightly as they cool. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat the baking process with the remaining cookie dough.
    5. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.

    Keywords: Ginger Molasses, Ginger Molasses sugar cookies, ginger cookies

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @cloudykitchen on Instagram and use the hashtag #cloudykitchen

    Key Ingredients

    • Ginger
    « Sourdough Cinnamon Rolls
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    Reader Interactions

      Leave a comment & rating, or ask a question Cancel reply

      If you made this recipe then I would love for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! If you have recipe questions please feel free to leave them below too!

      Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

      Comments

    1. Robert And Beth Anne Hering

      November 06, 2020 at 10:29 pm

      Could you please put the ingredients into US measurements?

      Reply
      • Erin

        November 06, 2020 at 10:34 pm

        Hi! I am in the US too 🙂 If you mean cups, I don't post in cups as they are not accurate. You are welcome to google the conversions yourself (I test in grams so that's all I would be doing too) if you would like to make the switch. King Arthur has a pretty good conversion guide on their site, but I do not provide my recipes in cups. Grams are by far the most accurate way to bake and a scale is a great investment. Let me know if you would like a recommendation!

        Reply
      • Melissa

        December 16, 2020 at 5:59 pm

        Great recipe! The texture of these cookies is perfection! We made 48 regular size cookies instead of the 12 big cookies and used vanilla extract because I don’t have the vanilla bean paste. Still came out so good, will definitely make these again!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Erin

          December 16, 2020 at 6:04 pm

          Yayyyy so glad you enjoyed! Thank you so much for the review, I appreciate so much x

          Reply
      • Meg

        April 28, 2022 at 8:21 am

        Delicious! Soft, chewy and super fast to make. Made as written and turned out great even at high altitude.

        ★★★★★

        Reply
    2. Taylor

      December 02, 2020 at 8:58 pm

      I just made these and halved the recipe-- huge mistake!! My family was elbowing each other out of the way to eat these straight from the oven. Another instant favorite from you, Erin!! Next time I'll be doubling the recipe.

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 03, 2020 at 5:00 pm

        Yayyyyy so glad you love! x

        Reply
    3. Lorena

      December 03, 2020 at 9:19 pm

      I can’t find vanilla bean paste. Do I just sub vanilla extract?

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 03, 2020 at 9:39 pm

        Yep 🙂

        Reply
    4. Autumn

      December 05, 2020 at 7:03 pm

      These cookies are delicious and easy to make! They are perfectly chewy and have great flavor. I did add a little more cinnamon and ginger because I like extra warmth. I loved getting to weigh out the ingredients using my scale.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 06, 2020 at 9:29 am

        Yayyyy I'm so glad that you like them!

        Reply
      • Enie

        December 15, 2020 at 2:08 am

        Do they freeze well? Any tips for that storage ? They look amazing and want to make these right now!!

        Reply
        • Erin

          December 15, 2020 at 12:33 pm

          Hiiii I haven't tried freezing them! You could probably freeze the rolled out dough (maybe put the sugar on just before baking), or you could also potentially freeze the baked cookies. I haven't tried either because my husband is OBSESSED with these and they disappear too quick! hahah x

          Reply
      • Karina

        December 16, 2020 at 10:58 am

        Hey!

        Can I used gluten free all purpose flour for this recipe?

        Reply
        • Erin

          December 16, 2020 at 2:49 pm

          Hi! I don't know sorry! I don't have any experience baking with gluten free flour. You can try but I have no idea how it is going to come out!

          Reply
    5. mary

      December 09, 2020 at 7:11 pm

      I made these last year to take to my family Christmas and they were very popular. The addition of the cardamom really adds an interesting dimension. Pulling up the recipe to make them again this year to drop off on porches since we won't be celebrating together. 100% recommend!

      P.S. I made them with a small scoop for bite sized cookies and they still worked out perfectly.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 10, 2020 at 9:49 am

        Hi! Yayyyy I love to hear that! Tiny is great too! They never last long around here 🙂

        Reply
      • Mayanka

        December 11, 2020 at 8:20 pm

        Hi Erin,
        In the end when you roll the cookie balls in the sugar is the white sugar in granulated or powder form?

        Thanks,
        Mayanka

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Erin

          December 12, 2020 at 9:52 am

          Hi! It's granulated 🙂

          Reply
    6. stacy

      December 11, 2020 at 1:36 pm

      These are the best ginger molasses cookies I've ever had 🙂

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 12, 2020 at 9:52 am

        Yayyy they are my fave too! x

        Reply
    7. Lisa

      December 13, 2020 at 9:07 am

      This is my new favorite cookie recipe! So good and flavorful. Followed as written and I love that all your recipes are in weight/grams!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 13, 2020 at 9:43 am

        Eeee yay I am so happy that you love them! They are a forever fave in our house x

        Reply
      • Kelsea

        January 17, 2021 at 7:11 pm

        My new favorite cookie. SO good and perfect with a cup of coffee. My dad is a big fan of ginger snaps and he loved them!

        ★★★★★

        Reply
        • Erin

          January 20, 2021 at 8:09 am

          Yayyy so glad you love! They are a fave in my house too!

          Reply
    8. Adele La Trobe

      December 17, 2020 at 9:07 pm

      I have now nick named this cookies crack because they're soooo addictive! So easy to make, whipped up a double batch for Christmas presents and everyone loved them!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 18, 2020 at 7:52 am

        Ah yayyyy so glad you love!

        Reply
    9. Lily

      December 20, 2020 at 10:11 am

      Made these as part of our Christmas cookie lineup and they were a hit! Perfectly chewy and very tasty. Thank you, Erin!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 20, 2020 at 11:07 pm

        Eeee I am so glad that you like them!

        Reply
    10. Kate

      December 21, 2020 at 10:57 am

      Made these recently and they were so easy and so delicious!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 21, 2020 at 11:00 am

        Yay I am so stoked you love them! 🙂

        Reply
    11. Tegan

      December 21, 2020 at 12:33 pm

      The BEST Christmas cookies. Love them! Such a great flavour and the best texture.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 23, 2020 at 9:31 am

        Yay so glad that you love them!

        Reply
    12. Amy G

      December 21, 2020 at 10:31 pm

      One of the best cookies we’ve ever had. We made these to give to friends for Christmas and they said the same thing. I took all the credit of course but the real credit is due to you for creating such a great recipe!
      My son, husband and grandma loved these. A winner!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        December 23, 2020 at 9:27 am

        Yayyyy they are are our favourite too!

        Reply
    13. Candace

      December 23, 2020 at 5:15 pm

      These cookies are amazing! Such a perfect amount of sugar and spice.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    14. MVV

      January 06, 2021 at 12:50 pm

      Holy Moly are these cookies wonderful. Perfect texture: chewy middle, every so slight crisp on the outside. Cardamon amount is perfect too - just a hint after the ginger/ cinnamon wears off. Def. adding these to my holiday cookie presents.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        January 07, 2021 at 8:27 am

        Eeee I'm so glad you loved!

        Reply
    15. Nikki

      January 17, 2021 at 3:09 pm

      So easy to make and so good!!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        January 20, 2021 at 8:12 am

        They are a fave of ours too!

        Reply
    16. @nutritiontraveller

      February 13, 2021 at 7:32 pm

      These were amazing! Left them in a little longer (~17 mins) to make them nice and crispy on the edges. Also forgot to roll them in sugar, but honestly I think I would prefer them without. Thank you for another great cookie recipe, Erin!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        February 14, 2021 at 1:26 pm

        Oh hiii! Yay so happy you love! They are an absolute fave of ours! Hope you are well! x

        Reply
    17. Karen

      May 08, 2021 at 11:41 am

      This is my third time making these as they are divine! This time they are for my mother and daughter for Mother’s Day!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin

        May 08, 2021 at 11:48 pm

        Ahhh so happy that you love them! They are a fave of ours x

        Reply
      • Mindy

        October 11, 2021 at 5:07 pm

        Hey! So keen to make these. I prefer slightly less sweet than your average cookie muncher though - could I reduce the sugar amount a smidge without impacting texture? Would you recommend taking a bit off each type or just one? Thanks 🧡

        Reply
        • Erin

          October 16, 2021 at 8:07 pm

          Hi! I've only made these as written sorry so you'd have to experiment with that yourself. Sugar does affect texture so just keep that in mind! 🙂

          Reply
    18. Emily

      November 06, 2021 at 5:33 pm

      I love all of your recipes and this is no exception! These ginger molasses sugar cookies the perfect balance of crispy and chewy. I couldn't decide if I preferred the soft squishy middles or the crispy edges.

      I also love that you post all of your recipes in grams! Not only is it more accurate, but I love that I don't have to dirty anything except a single measuring spoon because I just weigh everything in one bowl. Absolute perfection all around! Thanks!

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    19. Kirsten

      December 02, 2021 at 10:20 pm

      These cookies were very good. They were not as molasses forward as I was hoping for, but they are an excellent ginger/spice cookie. They were soft and had a lovely chewy texture that lasted for a few days. I ate the last cookie four days after I baked the batch and it was still very good.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    20. Katherine

      December 09, 2021 at 10:34 pm

      So delicious. I'm not much of a baker but he's turned out so well. The kids think they are the best biscuits/cookies I have ever made.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin Clarkson

        December 09, 2021 at 11:00 pm

        Yay I am so happy to hear! x

        Reply
    21. Rosi

      December 20, 2021 at 10:02 pm

      Great recipe 😋

      Reply
    22. Miriam

      April 13, 2022 at 6:38 pm

      So delicious! Probably the best biscuits I’ve even made

      ★★★★★

      Reply
    23. Anna

      May 07, 2022 at 5:49 am

      Love this recipe! Made it numerous times now and it never disappoints! Thank you

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Erin Clarkson

        May 07, 2022 at 5:00 pm

        You are so welcome!

        Reply

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    Erin Clarkson Cloudy Kitchen

    HI, I'M ERIN

    My recipes range from quick & easy all the way to complex & impressive. I love the science and process of recipe development almost as much as baking itself. I specialize in rigorously tested recipes that are fun, reliable, and accurate.

    More about me →

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