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Old-Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies That Stay Chewy

Old-Fashioned Soft Molasses Cookies That Stay Chewy

Tender, warmly spiced molasses cookies with crackled sugar tops and soft, chewy centers. The cookies are easy to prepare and taste wonderfully nostalgic.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 1 minute
Servings: 30 servings
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Cookie Dough
  • 3/4 cup (170 g) Unsalted butter or shortening, softened
  • 1 cup (200 g), plus extra for rolling Granulated sugar
  • 1 Large egg
  • 1/2 cup (160-170 g) Unsulphured molasses
Dry Ingredients
  • 2 1/4 cups (270-285 g) All-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon Ground ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon Ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt

Method
 

Step-by-Step
  1. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Cream the softened butter or shortening with 1 cup sugar until light and smooth. Beat in the egg, then mix in the unsulphured molasses.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the molasses mixture, mixing only until a soft dough forms.
  4. Chill the dough for 30–60 minutes if it is sticky or difficult to handle, especially if you want thicker cookies.
  5. Shape the dough into 1- to 1 1/2-inch balls and roll each one in extra granulated sugar. Arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
  6. Bake for 8–12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft and puffed. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Notes

Do not overbake; the cookies firm as they cool while keeping chewy centers. Use regular unsulphured molasses, such as Grandma’s Original, rather than blackstrap molasses, which is considerably more bitter. Store cooled cookies in an airtight container.