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Soft molasses cookies

Name: Soft molasses cookies
Yield: About 30 cookies
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 280 g All-purpose flour Plain; 7.5 mL Baking soda; 10 mL Ground ginger; 7.5 mL Ground cinnamon; 1.25 mL Ground cloves; 1.25 mL Fine salt; 170 g Unsalted butter Softened; 100 g Brown sugar; 50 g Caster sugar; 80 mL Molasses Unsulphured; not blackstrap; 1 Large egg; 65 g Caster sugar For rolling

Makes: About 30 cookies
Heat: 175°C conventional
Baking time: 11–12 min

Cooling and chilling are additional.

United States · Cookies

Soft molasses cookies

Chewy ginger-spiced cookies with a sugar crust.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Dry	All-purpose flour	280 g	Plain
Dry	Baking soda	7.5 mL
Dry	Ground ginger	10 mL
Dry	Ground cinnamon	7.5 mL
Dry	Ground cloves	1.25 mL
Dry	Fine salt	1.25 mL
Cream	Unsalted butter	170 g	Softened
Cream	Brown sugar	100 g
Cream	Caster sugar	50 g
Wet	Molasses	80 mL	Unsulphured; not blackstrap
Wet	Large egg	1
Coat	Caster sugar	65 g	For rolling

Tools & alternatives

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Baking trays	Use an existing pan of the same dimensions, depth and material where possible. A different size changes thickness and cooking time; do not fill a smaller pan with the full batch.
Parchment	Use a reusable baking liner rated for this heat, or grease the tray only if the method allows it. For sticky dough or meringue, keep a proper nonstick liner.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Time & temperature

Baking temperature: 175°C conventional
Baking time: 11–12 min

Cooling and chilling are additional.

Makes: About 30 cookies
Heat: 175°C conventional
Plan for: Allow mixing, baking and complete cooling; chilling times are shown below.

Method

01 · Mix dry
1 min
Use: Dry
Whisk dry group.
Ready when: Spices even.
01 Mix dryWhisk the flour, leavening and spices until even.
02 · Cream
3 min
Use: Cream
Beat butter and sugars until creamy.
Ready when: Lighter.
02 CreamBeat the butter and sugars until lighter and creamy.
03 · Combine
1 hour
Use: Mix dry, Cream, Wet
Beat in egg and molasses, then mix in dry group. Chill covered.
Ready when: Scoopable.
03 CombineMix in the egg, molasses and dry ingredients, then chill covered.
04 · Shape
10 min
Use: Combine, Coat
Heat oven to 175°C. Roll 30 g balls in sugar; space well apart.
Ready when: Even balls.
04 ShapeRoll 30 g balls in sugar and leave spreading room.
05 · Bake
11–12 min
Use: Shape
Bake until edges set and tops crack.
Ready when: Soft centres.
05 BakeBake until the edges set and the tops crack, keeping centres soft.
06 · Cool
Until cool
Use: Bake
Rest on trays, then rack.
Ready when: Chewy.
06 CoolRest on the tray, then move to a rack to cool.

What to look for

Stage	Look / feel for	Needs attention
Bake	Soft centres.	Follow the cue as well as the time.
Cool	Chewy.	Follow the cue as well as the time.

Troubleshooting

If you see this	Likely cause	What to do now	Next time
Excessive spreading	Warm dough or tray.	Chill the remaining dough and use a cool tray.	Use the stated ingredient weights.
Dry or hard cookies	Overbaking.	Store airtight once cool.	Check the first tray early.

Keep airtight for up to 3 days.; For a crisper ginger cookie, flatten smaller 20 g portions and bake until the rims are well set, checking from 10 minutes. Let cool completely before judging crispness.

Ingredient choices & substitutions

No brand is specified.

Ingredient	Alternative / ratio	Adjust handling	Likely outcome
All-purpose flour	Plain wheat flourEqual weight	Do not use self-raising flour.	Similar crumb.

Match the ingredient’s function and weight. See the flour, gluten, yeast and salt guide.

Other approaches to this recipe

Cook / recipe	Use	What differs

The working ingredients and method form one recipe. Different formulas are compared without averaging their quantities or rise schedules.

Recipe

Soft molasses cookies

Chewy ginger-spiced cookies with a sugar crust.

Include step photos when printing

Ingredients

Group	Ingredient	Amount	Preparation
Dry	All-purpose flour	280 g	Plain
Dry	Baking soda	7.5 mL
Dry	Ground ginger	10 mL
Dry	Ground cinnamon	7.5 mL
Dry	Ground cloves	1.25 mL
Dry	Fine salt	1.25 mL
Cream	Unsalted butter	170 g	Softened
Cream	Brown sugar	100 g
Cream	Caster sugar	50 g
Wet	Molasses	80 mL	Unsulphured; not blackstrap
Wet	Large egg	1
Coat	Caster sugar	65 g	For rolling

Tools & alternatives

Tick the tools you have ready. Choose the recommended tool or its workaround; keep the specified pan size and heat rating.

Recommended Tools Regular Baker	Casual Baker Workarounds Hacks
Digital kitchen scale	Borrow a suitable scale for the gram amounts. Use measuring cups only where a volume is provided; fluff flour, spoon it in and level without packing.
Measuring spoons and a marked jug	Use standard measuring spoons for small volumes and a kitchen measuring jug for liquids; eating spoons vary in size.
Mixer with paddle or beaters	Use a sturdy spoon and bowl for softened butter mixtures, or a hand mixer. Cream until lighter; do not replace beating with a quick stir.
Baking trays	Use an existing pan of the same dimensions, depth and material where possible. A different size changes thickness and cooking time; do not fill a smaller pan with the full batch.
Parchment	Use a reusable baking liner rated for this heat, or grease the tray only if the method allows it. For sticky dough or meringue, keep a proper nonstick liner.
Cooling rack	Set a clean, cool wire trivet over a tray. Let air reach underneath; a flat plate can trap steam.

Timing & recipe details

Makes: About 30 cookies
Heat: 175°C conventional
Allow: Allow mixing, baking and complete cooling; chilling times are shown below.

How do I make it?

Mix dry
1 min
Whisk dry group.
Whisk the flour, leavening and spices until even.
Ready when: Spices even.
Cream
3 min
Beat butter and sugars until creamy.
Beat the butter and sugars until lighter and creamy.
Ready when: Lighter.
Combine
1 hour
Beat in egg and molasses, then mix in dry group. Chill covered.
Mix in the egg, molasses and dry ingredients, then chill covered.
Ready when: Scoopable.
Shape
10 min
Heat oven to 175°C. Roll 30 g balls in sugar; space well apart.
Roll 30 g balls in sugar and leave spreading room.
Ready when: Even balls.
Bake
11–12 min
Bake until edges set and tops crack.
Bake until the edges set and the tops crack, keeping centres soft.
Ready when: Soft centres.
Cool
Until cool
Rest on trays, then rack.
Rest on the tray, then move to a rack to cool.
Ready when: Chewy.

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

What you notice	Likely cause	What to do
Excessive spreading	Warm dough or tray.	Chill the remaining dough and use a cool tray. Use the stated ingredient weights.
Dry or hard cookies	Overbaking.	Store airtight once cool. Check the first tray early.

Useful recipe notes

Keep airtight for up to 3 days.

For a crisper ginger cookie, flatten smaller 20 g portions and bake until the rims are well set, checking from 10 minutes. Let cool completely before judging crispness.

See the detailed method and ratios in , or follow ingredients through the .

Ingredient proportions & recipe details

Soft molasses cookies at a glance

Makes: About 30 cookies
Heat: 175°C conventional
Baking time: 11–12 min

How do the ingredient proportions compare?

Percentages compare each listed weight with the combined flour weight (100%). These are ingredient ratios, not dough hydration; milk, eggs and fillings contain other ingredients as well as water.

Formula component	Grams	Flour = 100%
All-purpose flour	280 g	100%
Unsalted butter	170 g	60.7%
Brown sugar	100 g	35.7%
Caster sugar	50 g	17.9%
Caster sugar	65 g	23.2%

Method

01 · Mix dry

02 · Cream

03 · Combine

04 · Shape

05 · Bake

06 · Cool

What to look for

Troubleshooting

How do I make it?

Mix dry

Cream

Combine

Shape

Bake

Cool

What can go wrong, and how can I fix it?

Soft molasses cookies at a glance