šā¤ļøš Soft Molasses Crinkle CookiesĀ are the BEST molasses cookies youāll ever make! Ultra chewy, easy to make, and you can really taste the spices. Make these for Christmas, or just because!
Easy Molasses Christmas Cookies
I have a recipe forĀ Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar CookiesĀ and a recipe forĀ Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies,Ā and I love them both. Youād think Iād just be happy and leave well enough alone. No, that would be too easy. I took myĀ favorite elementsĀ from both of those recipes and rolled them into these cookies.
- TheyāreĀ supremely softĀ on the inside, in a tender, almost falling-apart way.
- The tenderness is encased by aĀ chewy exteriorĀ with a chewiness and textureĀ boost from the cinnamon-sugar coating.Ā The texture from theĀ sugar granulesĀ is exquisite, and the fineĀ grittinessĀ just melts away.
- I use coconut oil, meaning there’s not a drop of butter in this recipe. I promise they don’t taste like coconut at all!
- I used 1/3 cup of molasses for only 17 medium cookies. Many recipes use 1/4 cup for 2 dozen, so these areĀ very molasses-intenseĀ cookies.
- The cookies areĀ boldly spiced with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg, plus theyāre rolled in a cinnamon-sugar coating before baking.
These are undoubtedly the best ginger/molasses cookies Iāve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing these! Iāll have to make them again since Iām going to eat these lol
Melissa
Ingredients You’ll Need
To make traditional molasses Christmas cookies, you’ll need:
- Egg
- Dark brown sugar – I usedĀ dark brown sugar, which has twice the molassesĀ content that light brown sugar has. A tip, if you ever run out of brown sugar, is that you canĀ stir molasses into white sugarĀ until you get it as brown as you like
- Coconut oil
- Unsulphered molasses – I used aĀ robust molassesĀ because I wanted a bold flavor. Use your favorite, with a caveat thatĀ blackstrap is likely going to be too pungent and bitter, but suit yourself
- Vanilla extract
- Spices – With the robustness of the molasses and the intensity of the dark brown sugar, the only way for me to go with the spices was to use a heavy hand. If you prefer milder-spiced cookies, dial the spices back, possibly evenĀ halvingĀ them
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda
- Granulated sugar
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How to Make Molasses Crinkle Cookies
I made the molasses spice cookies using my stand mixer, but in retrospect, thereās no reason you canāt just whisk the batter together. A nice time-saver not to do mixer dishes.
- Stir together the wet ingredients.
- Add the spices and the dry ingredients.
- Scoop the dough into balls and chill for at LEAST 3 hours before baking them. Don’t skip chilling! The coconut oil mustĀ re-solidify,Ā or your cookies will spread intoĀ oily, molasses puddles.
- Just before baking the dough balls, roll them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
- Bake just until the edges are set and the tops are beginning to set. Cool on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Soft Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer Fitted with a Paddle Attachment
- 1 (2 inch) Medium Cookie Scoop
- 1-2 Baking Sheets
- 1 Wire Rack
Ingredients
Cookies
- 1 large egg
- Ā¾ cup dark brown sugar, packed (light brown sugar may be substitued)
- Ā½ cup coconut oil
- ā cup unsulphered molasses (I used robust molasses
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract, yes tablespoons, not teaspoons
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- Ā½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- pinch salt, optional and to taste
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
Cinnamon-Sugar Coating
- Ā½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or use large mixing bowl and hand mixer; or simply whisk together in a large bowl), combine the egg, brown sugar, coconut oil, molasses, vanilla, and beat on medium-high speed until well-mixed, smooth, and glossy about 4 minutes.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, optional salt, and beat on medium-high speed until combined and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Stop, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the flour, baking soda, and mix until just combined, about 1 minute.
- Using a medium 2-inchĀ cookie scoop, form heaping two tablespoon mounds (I made 17). Place mounds on a large plate, cover with plasticwrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or up to 5 days, before baking. Dough will be very soft, mushy, limp, and is not suitable for baking; it must be chilled so the coconut oil re-solidfies. Do not bake with warm dough because cookies will spread and bake thinner and flatter.
- Preheat oven to 350F, line baking sheets withĀ Silpats, or spray with cooking spray; set aside.
- Cinnamon-Sugar Coating: Add granulated sugar and cinnamon to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Roll each ball of dough through the coating, liberally coating all sides. After all cookies have been coated, I like to go back and double-dip each mound, to get an extra-thick coating.
- Place coated mounds on baking sheets, spaced at least 2 inches apart (I bake 8 cookies per sheet).
- Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, or until edges have set and tops are just beginning to set, even if undercooked and soft center. Do not bake longer than 9 minutes for soft cookies because they firm up as they cool; bake for 9-10 minutes if you like firmer cookies (The cookies shown in the photos were baked with dough that had been chilled overnight, allowed to come to room temp for 10 minutes while rolling them through the coating mixture, and were baked for 8 1/2 minutes).
- Allow cookies to cool on baking sheets for about 5 minutes before removing and transferring to a rack to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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More Easy Christmas Cookies:
Soft & Chewy Molasses Gingerdoodles ā These soft molasses cookies taste like a cross between chewy gingerbread cookies and crinkly snickerdoodles. An unbeatable holiday cookie recipe!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies ā Between the molasses, pumpkin pie spice, and pumpkin pie spice extract that I used, these pumpkin chocolate chip cookies beautifully showcase the flavors of fall!
Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookiesā These pumpkin oatmeal cookies are bursting with chocolate chips in every bite! Theyāre thick, hearty, perfectly chewy, and not at all cakey.
PumpkinĀ White Chocolate Chip Cookies ā Soft, chewy, loads of white chocolate, and so much pumpkin flavor! A pinch of salt balances the sweet white chocolate for a salty-and-sweet treat!
Chai Cookies ā The chai spices give the cookies so much depth of flavor. Cozy, comfort-food cookies that warm you up inside!
Soft Butter Pecan Cookies ā Buttery soft dough with big chunky pecans in every bite! Salty-and-sweet and so hard to resist!
Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies ā Chocolate is used three times for a fun twist on the traditional. No mixer required!
Soft Batch Dark Brown Sugar CookiesĀ ā One of my favorite cookie recipes of all-time, and partly inspired these molasses spice cookies.
They rose minimally but they taste ok… They all ran together into one giant blob. Very greasy. Maybe too much coconut oil? I use 1/2 C.
It’s impossible to say what went wrong or where. Were you using a high quality flour like King Arthur? Was your baking soda fresh? Were you baking on a Silpat? If you have answered no to any of those questions, that could be the issue. Sorry they spread out on you…I have made them many times and am not sure what to say. Also, are you 100% you measured everything properly (sounds like a dumb question but I get people all the time who accidentally grab a 1/2 cup measure when they meant to grab 1 c…it happens)
I am in the process of making these now! I used coconut oil and my cookies have melted in the oven to a soup consistency… What did I do wrong? I melted the coconut oil first and refrigerated them for 5 hours…
In my book, molasses cookies are the quintesential holiday cookie!
These cookies scream Christmas! I don’t think I am going to wait that long though to sample. Lovely!
I still haven’t touched the jar of coconut oil (hopefully it’s still decent!). This is a sign…a beautiful molasses-filled sign.
It lasts a long time (not years and years) but a good long while :)
I love, love, love these.
These cookies look beautiful! I can only imagine how wonderful they taste :) I am loving these flavors
Have you ever tried making these with a gluten-free flour? I adore all things molasses and ginger, but have recently found it necessary to begin a gluten, dairy, soy, and yeast free diet. I know there are GF flours out there, but at the moment, all I have on hand is almond flour.
No I have not tried. If you do try a GF flour, I would up it by 1/4 cup or so, just for some extra structural insurance. I would not use almond or a nut-based flour. I would use a grain-based GF flour blend. LMK!
I’ve been baking with coconut oil a lot more lately because I’ve just realized how well it works without really adding an unintended coconut taste, but I never thought it would work so well with cookies! I thought for sure they would hit the oven and melt into coconut puddles; but these are gorgeously thick! They sound fabulous, and if they’re anywhere near as good as your molasses chocolate chip cookies, then they are fabulous. :)
I have to try these!! They look perfect and I love molasses and gingerbread cookies! Love this post.
I love buying a pint of pumpkin ice cream and making ice cream sandwiches with it + gingersnaps. Then the gingersnaps get soft from the ice cream. :) But I bet these would make an even better ice cream sandwich! They look SO good, Averie!
I’ve never made (ice cream) sandwich cookies with gingersnaps but I have come to realize it’s a pretty popular idea and thanks for the reminder! I need to try it with these!
These are seriously chewy awesome on the inside, Averie! I made these today and doubled the recipe. They look just like the photos and the boys said they were so chewy that when they dipped them in milk they just came apart, which is the goal! Wonderful and easy recipe. I love how Christmasy these cookies are! :-)
I am so thrilled you already made these, Michele, and that you made a double batch right off the bat. YAY for teenage boys :) Glad they turned out just like the photos and yes, they are falling-apart-soft and I bet in milk they were like sponges!
OMG I must make these immediately! I love love love molasses, and I agree on the gingersnaps – amazing flavor but crunchy is so not my thing for cookies. Also, about the chilling the dough – is that the key to getting coconut things not to spread like crazy?
It’s the key to getting ALL cookies to stay thick and not spread. 100% of my cookie recipes I chill and recommend readers do the same but with coconut oil stuff, it’s not optional at all. If you don’t, you’ll have an oil slick! LMK if you try them!
I love these Averie! I love baking with molasses!
These cookies are so perfect for this time of year! I’m imagining the soft texture right now. I’ve made those Ina cookies before and loved them too!
Oh good to know you’ve made that Ina recipe! I have seen it tons and have almost made it a few times over the years but always went in my own direction, but glad to hear it’s a keeper. But these are my fave ever molasses cookies!
it’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas…:P
LOL and so true!