Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

There’s something about fall that makes me want to start baking more. The weather is cooler and you can feel a definite chill in the air that wasn’t there even just a couple of weeks ago. It makes me want to bake with all of the warm fall spices that I love. I started easing my way into fall baking with my Pumpkin Banana Bread, but now I feel like I’m fully committed. These Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies are ones that I make every year.

I love baking these with my holiday cookies and giving them to friends and family. It’s a classic cookie that I have been making for years. I originally found the recipe from Tracey’s Culinary Adventures, which is actually a Cooks Illustrated recipe. No matter where it originated, it’s a deliciously soft and chewy cookie that everyone loves!

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The recipe and ingredients

This is a fairly simple recipe to make and no chilling is required. The dough will be a little soft, but it’s meant to be like that. Be sure not to over work the dough. Like any dough, if you over mix it, it can become tough.

I like to err on the side of caution when baking these cookies. They are better slightly under baked rather than over baked. These are Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies after all! That being said, if you like your cookies a little on the crisp side, you can bake them for slightly longer.

The original recipe calls for separate spices but I have simplified things by using pumpkin pie spice. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own. I included a recipe below in the notes.

I have made these cookies with many brands of molasses in the past. There isn’t a huge difference to me but you can use what you like. I happened to pick up this brand, but only because it was the largest bottle available. Molasses can last for a long time when stored properly and so I like to always have a bottle on hand. You never know when you will be craving some molasses cookies!

I highly recommend using a cookie scoop, your cookies will always be uniform and cook evenly. I even like to use my cookie scoops when making other recipes. It’s so nice to be able to use it to portion out muffins. I’ve also used it for meatballs as well.

Not a molasses cookie fan? You should try my White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Blondies instead!

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Amy

These Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies are soft with the perfect blend of spices. The perfect cookie filled with warm fall spices.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 35 cookies

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 12 tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg yolk, room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses, see notes for measuring tip
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Whisk together flour, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in medium bowl until combined.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, add the butter, granulated sugar, and, brown sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract, mix on low until just combined. Add in the molasses and beat on medium speed, until fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything in combined evenly. Beat for another 20 second on medium if necessary to incorporate everything together.
• Add in 1/2 of the flour mixture and mix on low until just combined. Add the remaining flour and mix until fully incorporated. Being careful to not over mix the dough. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed and at the end to ensure no flour remains at the bottom. Give one final mix if needed to fully incorporate any remaining flour. The dough will be soft, but that's how it should be.
• Place the 1/2 cup of sugar for rolling in a medium bowl. You want to make sure your bowl isn't too small otherwise the dough balls will be harder to roll.
• Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, get a scoop of dough and roll with your hands into a ball. Roll the dough ball in the granulated sugar to coat and set on the prepared baking sheet. Space the cookie about 1 1/2-2 inches apart. Repeat with the remaining dough and once you have one sheet filled, bake for 8-10 minutes rotating half way through cooking.
• You want the cookies to look soft in the middle as they will continue to cook when you take them out of the oven. Do not overbake, otherwise your cookies will be crispy instead of chewy.
• Cool the cookies on baking sheet for 3 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

1. When measuring molasses, I like to spray the measuring cup with nonstick cooking spray.  This helps the molasses not stick to the measuring cup, making it easier to dump out.
2. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, you can make your own.  1 tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ground ginger, 1/4 tsp ground cloves, and 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg.
3. These cookies freeze really well.  Once they have cooled completely, I like to place them in a freezer bag.  We like to eat them frozen out of the freezer, but you can allow them to thaw before eating them.

The nutrition facts below are based on the recipe above.  This is only an estimation and intended for informational purposes only.

Keyword cookies

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