These soft and chewy molasses crinkle cookies are sweetened with molasses and brown sugar and spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. This is a must-make Christmas cookie recipe!
December is incomplete without molasses crinkle cookies. In the spirit of the holiday season, I've been sharing recipes inspired by classic family Christmas recipes, like my vegetarian breakfast casserole and dairy-free cinnamon rolls.
It's only natural that molasses crinkles are next up in this nostalgic recipe series. They are soft and chewy, coated in sugar, and filled with warming spices. This is the ultimate Christmas cookie!
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 cookies.
But when Christmas came around she kicked it up a notch: sugar cookies (of course), powdered sugar-coated chocolate crinkle cookies and, of course, these molasses crinkles.
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Why this recipe works
- Family recipe: This is the same molasses crinkle recipe that my mom made and that I grew up eating during the holidays. This recipe has been made hundreds of times!
- Warmly spiced: Cinnamon, cloves, and ginger are paired with molasses and brown sugar for a warming and complexly flavored cookie.
- Crackly appearance: I try to avoid chilling cookie dough as often as possible, but this recipe does require chilling because chilling the dough makes the classic crackled appearance.
- Festive: The original molasses crinkles recipe just calls for rolling the cookie dough in granulated sugar to give it that classic crackled appearance, but I love adding holiday sprinkles to the sugar to give it that extra holiday pizzazz.
Ingredients
- All-purpose flour, baking soda, salt: Nothing fancy here, just classic baking ingredients.
- Light brown sugar: This contributes to the soft and chewy texture of the molasses crinkles.
- Molasses: This adds rich flavor and also makes the cookies chewy. Choose regular molasses, not blackstrap molasses.
- Spices: Cinnamon, cloves, and ginger are integral to the flavor of these cookies. Don't skip any of these ingredients!
- Granulated sugar: The cookie dough is rolled in white sugar, giving it a sparkly appearance.
Step-by-step instructions
Molasses crinkles are made like any other traditional cookie recipe:
- Cream the butter: Start by creaming together room-temperature butter and brown sugar. Brown sugar gives these cookies a richer, more caramel flavor than granulated sugar would. It also contributes to the golden brown color of the molasses crinkles.
- Add molasses and egg: Stir in until just combined. It's best if the egg is also room temperature, but it's not a deal breaker if it's straight out of the fridge.
- Dry ingredients: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.
- Add to the dough: Slowly mix in the dry ingredients, just about ½ cup at a time, so as not to overmix the dough.
Not pictured: Chill the molasses cookie dough for half an hour. This prevents the molasses crinkles from spreading too much while baking and it also contributes to the crackled appearance.
5. Roll the dough: Roll into roughly 1 to 2 inch balls. I use a ping pong ball as a reference. Coat the dough in granulated sugar, rolling to distribute evenly.
6. Bake the cookies: Line the cookie dough up on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F 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.
Expert tips
- Use room temperature butter. If you forgot this step, you can slice the butter into 1-tablespoon pieces and microwave it in 5 to 10-second increments. The butter is room temperature when pressing it gently creates an indent.
- How to measure flour: 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 until overflowing, then use the back of a knife to level off the excess flour. Better yet, use a scale to measure flour by gram weight. One cup of flour weighs 120 grams.
- When to remove from the oven: The cookies will look slightly underdone when they are removed from the oven. The key is to see browning at the edges, and the edges should also appear set. The center of the cookie will look soft.
- Let the cookies rest for at least 5 minutes on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely. The cookies continue baking when they are removed from the oven, so moving them immediately to a cooling rack will cause them to crumble!
- Always bake cookies on the middle oven rack. This ensures that the cookies bake evenly.
- Make it extra festive: Add sprinkles to the sugar for a festive appearance. Add 1 tablespoon of sprinkles to each cup of sugar.
- Vegan options: I recommend checking out my vegan molasses cookies recipe which is very similar. It uses coconut oil and an egg substitute.
FAQ
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 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.
I have not tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I imagine it would work with an equal amount of all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. I recommend Bob's Red Mill brand.
Storage tips
Make ahead dough: This dough can be made up to 48 hours in advance. Just cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use it. Note that it will be a bit harder to roll at first, but should soften up after several minutes at room temperature.
Storage: These cookies are best within a few days, but they do freeze well. Store them at room temperature in a closed container.
Freezing the cookies: Let the molasses crinkles cool to room temperature. 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.
Freezing the cookie dough: I have tested this and it works well. 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 molasses crinkles dough 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.
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Recipe
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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 for rolling
Instructions
- Using a hand or stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together 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 about ½ cup at a time. Mix well.
- Chill for at least half an hour or up to 48 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 on the middle oven rack, until the edges are set and golden. The center will appear slightly underdone. Let rest on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.
Notes
- How to measure flour: 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 until overflowing, then use the back of a knife to level off the excess flour. Better yet, use a scale to measure flour by gram weight. One cup of flour weighs 120 grams.
- 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.
Mary Lou Carlson says
Whoops, the granulated sugar is just for rolling... noting for next time.
Mary Lou Carlson says
Hi, Cassidy! Good morning - the molasses cooky dough is chillin now. I'm feeling nostalgic this month and decided to make Molasses Crinkles, which my Mom baked many times as I was growing up in the 60s. We're also in the Midwest... my best friend came to the Chicago area when her father was transferred to that city from San Antonio. We read a lot too, and like antiques and needy cats, though mine would probably revolt if leashed. I'm sure the cookies will be yummy ~ thanks for posting. I mixed white sugar in just before adding the other dry ingredients.
Cassidy Reeser, MS, RD says
Nice to meet you, fellow Midwesterner and cat person! I'm happy to supply a nostalgic recipe, as these cookies are for me. I hope they turned out alright with the extra sugar. I'm updating the ingredients with "for rolling" just in case someone else runs into this problem.
Willow reep says
This recipe is a family favorite!
For those seeking a dish that combines ease of preparation with impressive results, this recipe is highly recommended. Incorporating it into your family gatherings could foster new traditions and continue the legacy of shared culinary experiences. Enjoy cooking and creating memories!