The molasses and spices in these molasses ginger cookies yield a rich, moist, chewy cookie while turbinado sugar creates a sugary, crispy shell – a texture and taste for all ginger cookie lovers.
Last year one of my brother-in-laws brought a big batch of ginger cookies when he came out for Thanksgiving. They were a huge hit and were really the BEST ginger cookies we’d ever eaten! We liked these cookies so much that I made four batches for Christmas to share with friends and family.
The original recipe is Allrecipes Big Soft Ginger Cookie. The first time I made these, I followed the recipe, but because we live a little above 5000 ft. in elevation, the cookies came out sugary and flat. To adjust for elevation, I added more flour and more time to the bake time. The recipe below is for high elevation. Sea level amounts and times are in parentheses.
Molasses Ginger Cookies
The original recipe can be found at Allrecipes.
- 2 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour or bread flour*
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup Turbinado sugar*
- flour for forming
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl (I use a stand mixer), cream together the softened butter and 1 cup white sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and molasses.
Gradually mix the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. If it becomes too dry, add another tablespoon water*.
Pour Turbinado sugar into a small bowl.
With a light dusting of flour on your fingers*, shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in the Turbinado sugar.
- Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 14 minutes for high altitude* (8 to 10 minutes for sea level) in the preheated oven. Depending on the size of your oven, you may need to bake one sheet of cookies at a time in the center of the oven.
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
If you have one, a stand mixer works great for this recipe. Use it to cream together the wet ingredients and to mix in the dry ingredients.
Flour – You can use either unbleached AP and bread flour. When you use bread flour, you might need to add a second tablespoon of water if the batter becomes too dry during mixing.
Use lightly floured fingers to shape – Just a touch of flour on the fingers keeps the dough from sticking to your fingers.
Turbinado Sugar – I did increase the amount of turbinado sugar called for in the original recipe. I like to provide an overall coating to each cookie. This increase really gives a nice crunch to the outer shell when biting down into a soft center.
Bake time – High altitude baking requires longer bake times. 14 minutes is perfect for 5000 ft. The 8 – 10 minutes is for sea level baking.
Except for bread, the majority of my baking is done during the holidays and even then, it’s not a lot. Every year I do bake a cranberry bread and sometimes a batch of biscottis. This holiday season has already started off with a couple of batches of these ginger cookies and I see at least one more batch before Christmas. Below are links to my other favorite holiday treats.
Hi!
Is this recipe good to use when making Gingerbread Men/Women? My nieces are coming over next weekend and thought this recipe looked good for something like that. Thanks!
Andrew, I have no idea. Because I’m not a big baker, shaping cookies is something I’ve never done. Therefore, I can’t say for sure if the recipe would work for that. I would love for you to give it a try and then send me a picture of the results. What a nice uncle to make your nieces special cookies! Cheers, MJ
Thank you so much for the reminder. So many things are different this year but great cookies never go out of style ! 🙂
One of my most favorite cookies of all-time!! They are so good and have the perfect texture.
interesting about cooking at altitude. i knew water took longer to boil… merry festive season.
Loved this recipe when you first made it but so glad you added helpful hints for baking at altitude. You know that really is an issue and things do not come out as planned. I would love to make a batch but would need to hide it under the broccoli so the boys would not get to them first! No one ever looks under the broccoli.
I love a good old fashioned cookie recipe like this, MJ! Your cookies look just beautiful! Thank you for sharing and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Community. Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year!
I made exactly two batches of cookies this holiday season and neither were truly “Christmas” cookies. (Didn’t even get Biscochitos made this year, either. Sad face.)
I actually managed to get 3 batches of these made, and tomorrow I’m making biscottis. Truthfully, I’ve never been a fan of Biscochitos, so I’ve never made them. Hope you had a wonderful holiday!
These are the ultimate winter cookie for me both in flavor and texture! Beautiful! 🙂
Thanks so much Anne!
Thank you for this nice recipe, MJ! I’ve made this recipe about three times now and every time they turn out absolutely delicious! Have you ever added chunks of sugars ginger? I kind of want to try it as a variation, but at the same time, don’t want to risk what is already a fantastic cookie!
Hey Mason. Sorry for the late reply. I’ve been taking some time off but now I’m back. I’m thrilled that you’ve been making these cookies! I think I made 3 batches during the holidays as well. 🙂 No, I haven’t tried adding sugered ginger in them, but what a great idea. I just got a 2 pound bag of crystalized ginger today and now I want to try them in these cookies. I think if you mince the ginger and then maybe cut the powder ginger amount in half, it might make an equally delicious cookie. My husband has been asking for another batch. I wonder if he would let me experiment. 🙂 He loves these cookies! Thanks for your comment and hope to hear from you again in 2019!
MJ these cookies look perfect! I love gingerbread cookies but these look even better – so tender and flavorful. I have all these ingredients on hand so I think I’ll make a batch this weekend. They look delish!
They look perfect! I even have molasses (I use them only for one cake and ANZAC biscuits but they’re absolutely obligatory!). You’ve just given me an additional idea of sweets for Christmas.
Thanks so much Sissi! I love molasses so much that sometimes I just pour some into a spoon and eat. It’s good stuff. 🙂
Ginger cookies are some my favorite ever and yours look just perfect! I always wonder when reading about cooking at high altitude and things like that, I had never knew it made a difference before…
Thanks so much Adina! I didn’t know it made a difference either until I moved to NM back in the 70’s. My breads never came out right so I started doing research. The changes one has to make are small, but necessary in most cases.
Ooh, I luv ginger cookies that are soft and chewy on the inside and have those crispy exterior edges – this one sounds like a total winner! I make a gluten free version but I must say your rise is impressive. Must add it to the list to try. So interesting about the high altitude baking, every once in a while someone will inquire about that very thing on one of my cookie posts – I guess it really makes a difference! Thanks for your notes on this.
These look perfect! I just made a batch of my favorite chewy molasses spice cookies yesterday and they are similar. So yummy and perfect for the holidays!
Thanks Amy! Hope you had a fabulous holiday!
Ginger is a favorite ingredient at Andersen casa – sweet, savory, and cocktails! I far prefer chewy cookies, and these look so delicious. My husband has made pfefferneuse every year since we married in 1980, and he has decided to skip it this year. He makes them chewy rather than crunchy! I’m sad. Maybe I’ll have Mark take a look at your recipe (of course the high elevation adjustment has to be addressed!). Merry Christmas MJ!
Thanks so much Tamara! I had no idea was pfefferneuse cookies were until I looked them up. They look fabulous! Now I’m know I’m going to be giving those a got. I did include a link to the original recipe which is for sea level, as well as included sea level data in parentheses. Hope Mark give them a try.
Oh one of my fave cookies to eat one after another without realizing there are no more. And I do prefer moist to snap! They look awesome.
Thanks Evelyne! With these cookies you get a little of both moist and crunch, not really a snap, but the sugary crust is crispy. 🙂
At Christmas, there MUST be molasses cookies. Maybe it’s the warming spice? They just taste better right now. These cookies look absolutely perfect – soft, chewy, and crisp on the edges. Mmmm.
I’m with you there Judy! Of course I love molasses any time of the year, but they do taste better around the holidays. ) Thanks!!
These cookies look wonderfully delicious! I love how they’re chewy inside and crispy outside. Definitely a must make cookie during the holiday season!
Thank you so much Kelly! Hope you get a chance to try them.
I can see you are keeping busy!! Your molasses ginger cookies look so delicious!! Love the soft cookie texture with the sprinkling of turbinado sugar. My husband would love these and have them all eaten in a heartbeat!
Yes, I am keeping busy. This time of year, I don’t get out much because of the cold, so staying inside and cooking is just ideal. 🙂 These are dangerous cookies in that they disappear very quickly. 🙂 Enjoy Jan!
Soft and chewy Ginger Cookies are an all-time favorite of mine. We don’t have molasses here, but we have a similar syrup I can try. Thanks for sharing a great recipe as well as those fantastic images of the cookies.
Thank you so much Ron! You don’t have molasses?! Is it a pure cane syrup or sorghum? I know that’s available in the southern US which would work as well. Hope you enjoy!
Really like ginger as a cookie ingredient. These look delightful — really good flavor. Haven’t had this type of cookie in a couple of years — time to make a batch again. Using your recipe — it looks excellent. Thanks!
Thanks John! I didn’t use to be a ginger cookie lover until I tried these. I love ginger, but just not in a cookie. However, the molasses with the ginger was a totally different experience. I’m addicted. Hope you give this recipe a try. Enjoy!
We are huge fans of SOFT and CHEWY cookies. These would be a hit at our house and love the fact that you don’t have to ice them. Bonus, right there!
Thanks Bobbi! My husband is the soft and chewy cookie lover and I like the more crispy kind, so this recipe is perfect because it has both. The problem is they just disappear way to quickly. 🙂
thanks for the recipe modification for higher altitude. i too live above 5000 feet i(in colorado) and not everyone thinks about doing that. recipe is just in time for christmas.
You are most welcome DOC! It’s amazing what a difference just a little extra flour and a little longer baking time makes to the outcome of a cookie. Hope you enjoy and Hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas holiday!
My family also adores Molasses Cookies! what a fabulous recipe, the crunch from the Turbinado sugar really adds a sweet texture to these cookies.
Thanks so much Deb! You know, for me, there are two things that make these cookies perfect – the molasses and the coating of turbinado sugar. I just love crunching into a soft center. 🙂
Molasses cookies are one of my top favourite holiday cookies. These look thick, chewy and wonderfully delicious, MJ.
Thanks so much Angie! Molasses cookies are now my favorite as well. 🙂 So good!
This is one of my all-time favorite cookies MJ! I’m sure that your recipe is just the best! I need to try this one! Thanks for sharing and I hope that you’re enjoying the holidays!
Thanks so much Roz! This particular recipes has become my favorite cookie. I wasn’t always a ginger cookie person, but the molasses in this recipe just changed the whole experience. Happy Holidays my friend!
Delicious looking cookies. I’m already making gingerbread men cookies or I’d make a batch of yours instead.
Thanks Darlin! What fun to make gingerbread men cookies!
I thank you for this one ! Never made any cookies with molasses so as soon as I make them ( for Christmas gathering ) I will let you know how it worked ! Thank you MJ !
You are most welcome! I love baking with molasses, so I hope you do give these a go. You’ll be surprised how much flavor molasses imparts. Please do let me know how you and your friends like these. Last year I took a plate to my doctor’s office and two people called to tell me they were the best cookies ever. 🙂
Hello MJ ! It’s 6.55 p.m. here and I have just finished one batch of cookies carefully following your instructions… we started to eat them and love the taste … it was so easy to find molasses in my neighbourhood 🙂 Will take to work one plate to surprise the gang 🙂 Thank you. Great ( as usual ). Merry Christmas !
Thank you so much for letting me know! I’m glad you like them and hope you work gang enjoyed them as well. Merry Christmas to you as well!