I am very picky with my cookie recipes. It has got to be the perfect mix of chewy and crisp, without being too puffy or too deflated, definitely not too dry, and not too gooey. These cookies are the bang-on perfect harmony of soft with crispy edges, and moist but still firm. Plus, they will make your house smell like the holidays are right around the corner!
With the warm notes from the molasses and the kick from a blend of 5 spices, the flavour in this cookies is both pleasant and surprising. They’re a favourite for those who prefer desserts that are not overly sweet, as the spices balance them out quite nicely.
They are fairly simple to make, with a few key steps. The recipe starts off by creaming softened butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla, as in most cookie recipes. Then the eggs are added, followed by the molasses. The dry ingredients come last; flour, baking soda, salt, all spice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg. Then, the “chocolate chip” of the cookie – chunks of ginger. Now, the cookies would probably be pretty good without this last step. But I beg that you do not skip out on picking up some crystallized ginger – it is the SHINING feature. While I don’t think I could handle eating chunks of ginger on its own as it packs quite the punch, within the cookie it provides a bright bite that counters the sweetness so well. Another critical step in this recipe, is chilling the cookie dough. Otherwise, it will spread into one big sheet cookie. Yummy, but not super convenient!
Here is a quick video showing all the steps:
Happy baking!
Spiced Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup molasses
- 4½ cups flour
- 4 tsp baking soda
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp all spice
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ cup crystallized ginger finely chopped
Instructions
- Using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars until light and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add in eggs and vanilla extract, beating until smooth. Pour in the molasses, and beat until fully combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the chopped ginger, and toss the bowl to coat the ginger chunks with flour.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture in increments, beating until fully combined.
- Roll the dough into balls approximately the size of a small ice cream scoop. The dough is sticky, so it's easiest to wet or grease your hands with butter/oil slightly first. Place the dough balls into a container (it's ok if they are touching and stick together slightly). Place the container in the fridge for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 °F, and prep a cookie sheet by lining it with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Grab each dough ball and give it one quick roll with your hands to smooth out any rough edges before rolling in a bowl of sugar to coat.
- Place dough balls on the prepared cookie sheet – they will spread, so make sure to space them out.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed up in the middle and the edges have crisped up.
- Remove from the oven, and allow the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes to set before transferring them to a wire rack or flat surface to finish cooling.