Last updated on October 27th, 2019
(I updated this recipe in 2019. Click here to see the new version.) Welcome to my wild, crazy, and impulsive world. Last night, just when I was preparing to head upstairs to watch television, I suddenly decided to check my Twitter feed. And there, in a tantalizing tweet from Bon Appetit magazine, was a photo of Molasses Cookies. “Hey,” I said to myself (I knew it was me talking because I recognized the voice), “You should make these cookies right now, and then binge-eat them while binge-watching “Stranger Things.” I did as I was told. And the strange thing? I have no regrets!
These brown beauties are easy to make! They’re delightful to smell, too, and deliriously-delicious to eat. In the following step-by-step, you’ll find Bon Appetit’s recipe, described in my own words:
To start, tip 2 cups of flour into a bowl.
Will gluten-free flour work for these cookies? I don’t know. But if you do, please post a comment below!
While thinking happy thoughts, add 2 teaspoons of baking soda…
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon…
1 teaspoon ground ginger…
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom…
And 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Thoroughly whisk these dry ingredients.
Now crack one large egg into a separate bowl…
And violently beat it to smithereens. I’m talking about the egg, not the bowl.
Next, one at a time, whisk in 1 stick (1/2 cup) melted and cooled butter…
1/3 cup ordinary granulated sugar…
1/3 cup molasses, which you can find in any two-bit supermarket…
And 1/4 cup dark brown sugar.
Now trade your whisk for a stout blue spoon…
And use it to stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Non-comformists can stir the dry ingredients into the wet.
Pop the dough into the fridge for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, lick the blue spoon. Also, arrange racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and heat the oven to 375°F.
Now put some sugar (about 1/2 cup or so) in a small plastic bag. If you don’t have a bag, just pour the sugar into a pie plate.
Using the palms of your hands, form tablespoon-size clumps of dough into balls.
Then shake the balls in the bag, or roll them in the pie plate until all are coated with sugar.
Then arrange the balls about 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. The balls will flatten themselves as they bake.
Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies puff and their tops develop attractive cracks — 8-10 minutes.
Let the biscuits cool on their baking sheets for about 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks for further cooling.
I won’t tell you how many cookies I ate while watching back-to-back episodes of “Stranger Things.” (Anyone else hooked on this series?) But I can tell you that the remainder were polished off with my morning ration of Cafe au Creme.
Do give these molasses marvels a whirl. Honestly, they’re so quick and easy to make that you can make them on the spur of the moment! (If you’re looking for another great autumn-y dessert? Check out my Apple Fold Over Pie.)
xKevin
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Here’s the printable:
Easy Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for coating
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. In a separate medium-size bowl, whisk together the egg, butter, sugar, molasses and dark brown sugar. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir with a stout spoon just to combine. Chill the dough in the fridge for 20 minutes.
- While the dough is chilling, arrange racks in the upper and lower third of the oven, and heat the oven to 375°F. Also, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Pour some granulated sugar (about 1/3 cup) into a small bag or pie plate. Tear off tablespoon-size clumps of dough, and roll them, between the palms of your hands, to form balls. Drop a few balls at a time into the bag of sugar, and shake the bag to the coat the balls. If your sugar is in a pie plate, simply roll the balls in the sugar to coat them. Space the balls
about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. - Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies puff and their tops develop cracks -- 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks for further cooling. Enjoy with coffee, tea, or fine champagne.
Delores says
Yup !! Another winner
Mary in Iowa says
Oh, perfect frosty weather for warm, gingery cookies. I had to laugh, though, because I know I will deviate from this recipe. Whenever I ran out of brown sugar when my kids were growing up, I added 2 T. molasses to 1 C. granulated sugar, and voila! Brown Sugar! We ended up liking the flavor better than commercial brown sugar which is, essentially, the same thing. Refineries spray molasses, a byproduct of sugar refining, back onto the refined white sugar to produce brown sugar. So, this recipe with white sugar, molasses, and brown sugar is really all brown sugar. 🙂 Happy Autumn!
Angie says
Would blacktop molasses work well in this recipe?
Angie says
Argh….autocorrect -_-
Of course I mean blackSTRAP molasses.
Meg says
Do you flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar or palm of your hand before baking or do they flatten themselves while baking?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Mary – Thanks for sharing your formula for light brown sugar. For dark brown sugar, I’ve read that the molasses component should be increased to 1/4 cup for each cup of white sugar. Sound right to you?
Hi Angie – Blackstrap molasses is too bitter, salty, and dry for this recipe. I’d use ordinary molasses.
Hi Meg – The little balls flatten as they bake. Enjoy the cookies!
Leisa Joan says
I will give these a whirl…my oldest daughter at college loves the Dancing Deer Molasses Clove cookies. I wonder if these are similar. Oh, we’re on the final episode of ST. Love it!
Brenda Johnson says
What a testament to friendship… Kevin popped in with a bag of these delights for me! They are everything a molasses cookie should be! Chewy texture, warmly spiced, rich molasses flavor with crunchy tops from their roll in the sugar bag!!! So very delicious!!! A real treat, perfect for cool fall weather!!! Thank you for sharing Kevin!!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Brenda – Thanks for taste-testing these easy cookies!
MaryEllen Warkentin says
I make a very similar molasses cookie which is made in the same way…….delicious!!
C. says
My DH makes these but we call them ginger snaps. Minus the cardamom.
His DM made the for yrs! She’s passed but we still make them.
Neighbor beg for them. LOL
LynnAnn says
Hi Kevin
I’m making these cookies this morning while my piano gets tuned. I wish you were my neighbor. Thank you for the recipe can’t wait to get your cookbook
you should consider a book signing at your beautiful house.
Faithful follower from Connecticut.
Elizabeth says
I think I will try these with a gluten free all purpose flour mix & see what happens. I may also decrease the sugar to see if that works & sub in cocoanut sugar for the brown sugar. Keeping my fingers crossed!
Mary W says
I’m going to make them this afternoon – but will try less ground ginger and add 1/4 cup crystallized ginger bits. (I love ginger.) I don’t have any cardamon but hope the ginger bits will make up for it. This sounds delish!
Mary in Iowa says
Yes, the 1/4 C. molasses to 1 C. sugar sounds about right for dark brown sugar. Or experiment with 3 T. to a cup and evaluate.
On another note, for some time now I have been required to sign in every time I comment. Is this something new, or does your provider suspect I’m an agent, disguised as human, sent from Planet Fauxrinitor to disrupt posts and spread fake news?
kjs says
Hi Kevin: I see we have similar eating and viewing habits! Congratulations on your cookbook.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Mary – I haven’t made any changes to the comment forum here. I’ll ask my tech why you’re having to sign in every time. Meanwhile, I hope the weather is nice on Planet Fauxrinitor!
Karen Thomas says
Your timing couldn’t be better, Kevin! I have to make cookies this coming week for an event next Saturday, and I was looking for just the perfect recipe for a crisp autumn day. I can’t wait to try these!
Paula says
This sounds very similar to the molasses cookies we’ve made for years. Look up “Elevator Lady Spice Cookies,” by Peg Bracken. The recipe dates from the 1950s. In April 2017, Anna Hezel wrote for Bon Appetit that it is “one of history’s best-smelling cookie recipes.” Mrs. Bracken’s recipe used ground cloves rather than cardamom, but everything else is very similar. The best recipes ever have that good ol’ molasses in them! http://www.denverpost.com/2010/08/03/peg-bracken-got-real-got-us-cooking/
Pat says
Nice flavor! I made them with sugar substitute (white and brown) and very dark molasses. They came out tasting good but did not flatten in the oven, so I’ll know better next time.
Annie says
Just bought some molasses…perfect timing!! Thanks Kevin!!
Marjie T. says
Looks yummy. I will try them but use sorghum in lieu of molasses. I think it adds a more complex flavor and is perhaps a tad sweeter. Thanks for sharing!
Barbara says
Love these cookies. My husband is hooked on “Stranger Things” to
Weird for me.
Marian says
HI Kevin,
Have you ever used grated fresh ginger root for these cookies?
Like Mary, I have used molasses/sugar combo for two reasons; more iron and the brown sugar is so pale looking that it is hardly worth buying.
Thank-you for your generous nature and tasty recipes!
Regards, Marian
Iris says
Made these today using gluten free flour-Bob’s Mill 1 for 1. The batter turned out a little dry, so I sprinkled a little water on it and mixed so
that I could form the balls without crumbling. So next time I will use
slightly less flour. They are delicious and addictive. (I like the addition
of cardamom rather than cloves).
Cary Bradley says
Yum! These are verrrry close to our family’s favorite ginger snaps. Think we do more ginger and no cardomom, but that cardamom sounds genius. Our recipe is straight from Joy o’ Cooking (the old 1970s version). Could easily see you eat whole batch. We do too! Thanks!
Carol Johns says
I have made a cookie very nearly the same recipe, using gluten-free flour. They were outstanding. The assertive flavors in molasses cookies help mask any “off” flavors from the altetnative baking flour.
Marie says
Just started 2nd season of stranger things love it, don’t tell me what happens. Making cookies tomorrow, thank you Kevin:))
gloria miller says
Thank You for listening to your inner voice-
And Thank Everyone else for so many great tips as well.
Great Blog!!
Happy November!
G
Beverly, zone 6, eastern PA says
I love the sugar-in-the-bag strategy. I always placed sugar in a flat, wide bowl but it was the most tedious aspect of Molasses Cookies. Naturally, Kevin, you are chock full of great ideas. Does your brain ever turn off? Do you lie awake at night from cranial overstimulation, seeing ideas fly past your eyelids? This tempting recipe will appear shortly in our cookie jar.
Deb says
Stranger Things-I’m addicted! Limiting myself to three episodes at a time once a week to make it last. Probably going to have to ration these cookies as well…going to make them for my next session!
Lee Lawrence says
Just finished my Stranger Things binge. Satisfying ending? Now I will make the cookies, perfect with fresh squeezed apple juice and raking leaves. Peace and love. Lee
Tiffany says
Yes Gluten Free Flour will work in this recipe. Make sure you use either of these GF flours as they are the best of the bunch available:
Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Flour
-or-
King Arthur Measure For Measure Gluten Free Flour (new item)
Either of these GF flours will measure our exactly as regular wheat flour and the results will be the same. Only thing to remember is that the cookies will not remain as fresh as gluten containing cookies, therefore, I prepare cookie balls (using cookie scoop) and freeze on cookie sheet and then put into freezer zip top bag and then I can make as many as I wish at a time.
Francisca Beaver says
My daughter is up at college two hours away. She wanted us to come up because she is not feeling well. Her plan? To sit on the sofa, have tea and watch Stranger Things with her. So making these cookies and bringing them along just seemed the perfectly right thing to do. She loved them.
Deb B says
We love molasses cookies and I can’t wait to try this recipe! We’ve been watching “Stranger Things” too – just finished the first season and barely started the second. We’re trying to pace ourselves by watching two episodes at a time which isn’t easy. It won’t be easy limiting ourselves to one or two of these cookies at a time either! Thanks for the recipes!
Barb Hulse says
Kevin – I have sorghum molasses – is that ok to use? If not, I can always get the boring kind at the store.
Carol (Lee) King Platt says
Hi honey!
I’m so excited about your book! Years ago when mine came out, I felt so amazingly happy, proud and sort of dazed.
NOW can you book a program for the Connecticut Unit of the Herb Society in America’s big deal annual Symposium? We’ve been waiting so patiently… Please contact me!
❤️❤️❤️
Carol (Lee) King Platt
Ps of course you must do a book signing. We want your books.
Cathy from Altadena says
HI Kevin, want to make the batter this morning, can I refrigerate the dough longer than 20 minutes? Say a few hours, I have to volunteer at the local hospital today, was planning to bake tonight in time for a treat after dinner.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Cathy from Altadena – I refrigerated my cookie dough for 20 minutes. If you chill yours for longer, say, several hours, your cookies might — MIGHT — lose some of their puff. But I suspect they will still be wonderful to eat. Let me know how yours turn out for you.
Dianetg says
Just made this recipe for the first time in 2018. (Multiple 2017 iterations!) They are just the perfect cookie to start Fall baking. Thought the long hot summer would never end. Yippee for Fall and cookies!! Thank you Kevin xoxo
Dianetg says
Kevin – I am giggling to myself because my comment from last October (2018) is the one directly above me on my iPad. I guess October must be Molasses Cookie month at my house! My daughter is returning home from a trip and my plan is to surprise her with one of her favorite cookies. I have been loving your blog for years and your cookbook is now splattered as all good cook books should be! Keep up the great work.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Dianetg – I owe you two notes of thanks: first, for buying my cookbook, and next, for giving these cookies a glorious review!!!! xKevin
Ellen Collins says
Hi, Kevin! These cookies look great and I will definitely be making them within a few days. I do have a question about the salt. Does it have to be kosher salt or can my usual salt be used? I guess I don’t really know the difference between the two and so am hesitant to just make the substitution.
BTW–I love that green bowl!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Ellen – Kosher salt has a coarse texture. Feel free to substitute regular table salt. And do let me know how the recipe works out for you!