Last updated on November 7th, 2019
These Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies have a crisp edge and a soft, fragrant center. I like to serve them for Afternoon Tea during autumn leaf-peeping season, but they are equally delicious any time of the year with a mug of coffee, a glass of milk, or a flute of Prosecco or Champagne. The cookies are a cinch to make. Watch me make a blissful batch for you, then scroll down to get the printable recipe:
As mentioned, I ate 3 of these cookies before I ended the above video. Not mentioned: I ate 15 additional cookies while editing the video. (Oink.)
Think you’ll give these Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies a whirl? You can let me know by leaving a comment below. And if you do make the cookies, please post your review below! Your thoughts are very important to me.
Nutrition News Flash: Yesterday, because several readers asked for it, I uploaded a recipe nutrition calculator. Big surprise — the above Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies ain’t exactly low-cal. On the other hand, they are exceedingly high in taste!
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And here’s the printable recipe:
Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
The dry 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
The Wet Ingredients
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick; 113g) butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
For dusting the cookies
- 1/2 cup sugar, poured into a small plastic bag
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Whisk thoroughly and vigorously to remove any lumps. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir just to combine (the dough will be very stiff). Chill the dough for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to the upper and lower third positions. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Also, line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- 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, shaking the bag to coat the balls. Continue to form and coat the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through, until the cookies puff, their edges crisp, and their tops develop attractive cracks -- 10-12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks for further cooling. Enjoy with coffee or tea!
Nutrition
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Linda Kalbler says
Good morning Kevin
Cookies look wonderful will be making them this afternoon
I made the salmon from last week. Although I am not a fan of mustard I did use it and my husband loved it. Veggies were very good.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Linda – So glad your husband enjoyed the Maple Salmon Sheet Pan Dinner. Let me know how the cookies turn out for you!
Cheryl says
Hi Kevin,
Where I grew up, the local bakery made very large soft molasses cookies that were fantastic. I’ve never quite replicated them, but love trying.
I’ll be making these today, as they look and sound delicious! Thanks for the recipe.
Paula Deming says
I grew up with a very similar cookie, from Peg Bracken’s “I Hate to Cookbook.” They are wonderful to have with a glass of milk for dunking. The difference from your recipe is that Mrs. Bracken’s cookie has slightly different proportions of wet ingredients and uses shortening; and it calls for ground cloves rather than cardamom. I can also eat 18 of these. 😉
Lynda D. says
Hi Kevin. Would like to try these cookies also but my husband has to go gluten free and I don’t want to end up eating the whole recipe (as yes, I could:-). Wondering if I substituted gf flour for regular flour, would the little suckers turn out ok?
Love u too in Jesus name.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Cheryl – Let me know how the cookies work out for you!
Hi Lynda – I’ve not tried these cookies with GF flour. If you do, please report back!
BJ says
These are on my list for this coming week. It’s going to be cool, so we will enjoy with coffee and hot tea. We can’t wait.
Barb says
I will be trying this recipe soon! All butter and plenty of spice – what’s not to like! I will cut back on the sugar a bit so they are “healthier.”
Danella on the Canadian west coast says
Mmmm….yumm…my favourite kind of cookie…spicy, crisp and yet chewy. Great with a cup of tea. Another great post Kevin. Thank you!
Susan says
Oh , Kevin. Those sound fabulous. I am definitely going to try and make them. Thank you so much. By the way, your cookbook is on my Christmas wish list! Yippah! Love your videos. Susan
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi BJ – These cookies are terrific on a cold, wet day. If you make them, I hope you’ll post your review!
Hi Barb – Enjoy!
Hi Danella – Yes, great with a cup of tea.
Hi Susan – Thanks so much for watching the video!
Sheila says
Hi Kevin- I made these this afternoon, and they are my new favorite cookies. I really love your information and your fun and cool attitude! Really lucky that I happened to find your site. Thanks!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sheila – So happy you tried — and loved — the cookies. Thanks for the 5-star review!
Cheryl says
Hi Kevin,
I did make these today and they are gone!
Delicious, and loved by all. I will definitely be making these again and again! A true keeper, thanks!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Cheryl – Music to my ears. Thanks for the 5-star review!
susan gortva says
these are my favorite cookies. even better than florentines with my own candied orange peels minced. I love how they melt in your mouth.
Eunice says
My favorite cookies…I love your posts. Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to do this.
Rose says
Dear Kevin, I can’t wait to make these cookies. Thank you. Love you too!!!
Lisa Schuit says
I haven’t made them yet but am giving them 5 stars. They look delicious! Ive made enough molasses cookies in my time to know they’re going to be good before I even make them.
I got a good chuckle from your bloopers!!
Do you have a recipe for these type of cookies that I can roll out and cut?
Thanks for posting!
Lisa
Katherine says
I bake these for the seniors in my building. The crisp edges and slightly chewy centers are the perfect texture. The appearance of these cookies is modest after the bling of holiday cookies and I love watching people’s faces light up when they taste that great flavor profile. I make them through step 3, then freeze the shaped dough. I take out as many as I need (although we run out every time because they are so good) and bake them from frozen, adding about 2-3 minutes to the baking time. It’s hot tea weather now but I’m looking forward to serving these with fresh fruit in the summer. Thanks for working on this recipe for us.
Katherine says
Goops, I forgot to add the stars to my comment.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Katherine – Your cookie-receiving mates must adore you. Thank you so much for the 5-star review.
Andrea says
Cookies were fantastic!! Great spice balance, mine were a little higher and cake like…they look perfect like the picture and that never happens!!’
I will share this recipe and will be making again soon and for xmas!!
Thanks.
I found your site when o googled weed control without roundup. I feel like a discovered a treasure chest!!
Vinegar worked so well !
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Andrea – I’m so glad the cookies (and the vinegar) worked out for you!
Dianetg says
Hi Kevin – though I’d let you know I am about to make these cookies for the fourth time since you first published the recipe . Popular demand pressure is very high in my house. Fall is creeping over Cape Cod and ‘its the season for molasses cookies! Thanks for all your wonderful hints and recipes!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Dianetg – Fall is indeed the time for these cookies. I’m so glad that you and yours enjoy them!
John Root says
I just finished making these today. I did not have any butter, but had some olive oil based Becel margarine in the fridge and some runny peanut butter that we bought by mistake. So I actually used 4 TBL margarine and 4 TBL runny all natural peanut butter. The rest is exactly as Kevin says. OMGosh. The house smell great. They tasted great. Now I am energized to go back to my painting….a portrait of the son of a former student. I think the son is about the same age {or even older} that I was when I met my former student. WHERE does the time go?
The cookies are wonderfully MOREish. LOL
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi John – I’m so glad you made do with what you had on hand — and that the final product was a delicious success! Happy eating — and painting!
Jane wasniewski says
Kevin, I want to make these cookies and I ran to the store this am and they’re out of cardamom. Should I go to another store or can I substitute something else, thanks for your help
Toni O'Brien says
I’ll be making these as my donation to the lunch counter at our quilt show.. They will touch the taste buds like the gorgeous autumn leaves and beautiful quilt work touch the soul in late September! What a combination!