These soft and chewy cookies are sweetened with molasses and brown sugar and spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. This is a must-make Christmas cookie recipe!
December would be incomplete without molasses crinkles. In the spirit of the holiday season, I've been sharing recipes inspired by classic family Christmas recipes, like my Easy Vegetarian Breakfast Casserole and Vegan Cinnamon Rolls.
It's only natural that molasses crinkles are next up in this nostalgic recipe series.
Cookies were a constant in my childhood. Every week or two my mom made a fresh batch, varying between chocolate chip, oatmeal chocolate chip, and chocolate-chocolate chip. But when Christmas came around she kicked it up a notch: sugar cookies (of course), powdered sugar coated chocolate crinkles and, of course, molasses crinkles.
Molasses crinkles are sweetened with brown sugar and molasses and spiced with cloves, cinnamon and ginger.
They're chilled before baking, then rolled in granulated sugar, giving them their classic sugar-coated cracked look, or "crinkle" look.
In a few words: they're rich and delicious, and anything but your classic cookie. They are:
- Soft and chewy
- Brown sugar and molasses sweetened
- Cinnamon, ginger and clove spiced
- Sugar coated
Step by step instructions
Molasses crinkles are made like any other traditional cookie recipe:
- Start by creaming together room temperature butter and brown sugar. Brown sugar gives these cookies a rich, more caramel flavor than granulated sugar would. It also contributes to the golden brown color of the molasses crinkles.
- Mix in molasses and one egg. It's best if your egg is also room temperature but it's okay if it's not.
3. Stir together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients using a wooden spoon so as not to overmix the dough.
4. Chill for half an hour before baking. Roll into 1.5" balls (about the size of a ping pong ball) and coat in granulated sugar.
5. Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set and browning. The cookies will be puffy when they come out of the oven. While they chill they flatten and get their "crinkled" appearance.
Recipe tips and FAQ
- Add sprinkles to the sugar for a festive appearance. Add 1 tablespoon of sprinkles to each cup of sugar.
- Freezing instructions: Let cookies cool to room temp. Place in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. You can place a piece of parchment paper between layers of cookies to prevent them from sticking but I usually don't find it necessary.
- Vegan options: I recommend checking out my vegan gingerbread cookies recipe which is very similar. It uses coconut oil and an egg substitute.
Chilling the cookies contributes to their crinkled appearance. It also makes the dough easier to work with and less likely to spread while baking.
So, no, you don't have to chill the cookie dough but I do think it improves the final product.
Yes. I freeze the entire container of cookie dough in a freezer safe container. Let it thaw for 24 hours in the fridge before using.
You can also roll the cookies into balls and freeze them for easy access. Let thaw in the fridge or bake for an additional 2-3 minutes. The cookies will likely be a bit puffier with this method than unfrozen cookies.
Yes! I tested these cookies with room temperature coconut oil and found that it provides a similar texture. Coconut oil is soft enough when pressing it with a finger leaves a dent.
Looking for more Christmas desserts?
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Classic Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup butter room temperature
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 2 and ¼ cup all-purpose flour see note #1
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- Cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and molasses, mixing well.
- Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl: flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Add to creamed mixture a little bit at a time. Mix well.
- Chill for at least half an hour or up to 24 hours. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Shape dough into 1.5 inch balls (about the size of a ping pong ball) and roll in granulated sugar. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet 3 inches apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes. Immediately remove from baking sheets to cool.
Notes
- For the most consistent results, use the “spoon and level” method for measuring out flour. Simply use a spoon to add flour to your cup measure until overflowing, then use the back of a knife to level off the excess flour.
- Freezing instructions: Let cookies cool to room temp. Place in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
- Vegan options: I recommend checking out my vegan gingerbread cookies recipe which is very similar. It uses coconut oil and an egg substitute.
This recipe was originally shared December 2nd, 2018. It was updated with new photos and FAQ on December 15th but the recipe and method remain the same.
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