Ginger molasses cookies are soft, chewy spice cookies made with molasses, dark brown sugar, and a warm mix of ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg. They bake up with crinkled tops and soft centers, then get dipped in a thin glaze of powdered sugar and heavy cream that sets up firm. The dough goes straight from the mixing bowl to the cookie scoop with no chilling, and once the glaze dries, the cookies stack neatly in a tin for holiday gifting.
These iced ginger molasses cookies are my grandma’s recipe, and every batch takes me right back to her kitchen at the holidays. As a young girl, I helped her mix the dough, and then she baked the cookies. Once they cooled, I got to dip them in the icing. That was my job, and I felt so grown up that she trusted me with it. We always made an extra batch or two for her freezer so there’d be a cookie waiting whenever I came over. I still pull out this recipe during the holidays. It reminds me of her, and I enjoy sharing that memory with my own grandkids now.
Main Ingredients Needed For Ginger Molasses Cookies
Here’s a quick overview of the key ingredients for this recipe. For the full list of ingredients and exact measurements, jump to the recipe card.
For the Ginger Molasses Cookies
- All-purpose flour: This gives the cookies their structure and that soft, chewy middle. Spoon it into your measuring cup and level it off instead of scooping straight from the bag, since packed-in flour makes a dry cookie.
- Baking soda: This is what helps the cookies spread and crack into those crinkled tops. If your box has been open a while, grab a fresh one.
- Spice blend (ground ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg): These three together are the whole warm, holiday flavor of the cookie. Ginger brings a gentle bite, cinnamon adds warmth, and nutmeg rounds it out. Use ground ginger, not fresh, and if your spices have been in the cabinet since last Christmas, give them a sniff before you measure.
- Salted butter: This is Grandma’s recipe, and it calls for salted butter, so that’s what I use. Let it soften on the counter so it beats up smooth with the brown sugar.
- Dark brown sugar: Dark brown sugar has more molasses in it than light brown, and it’s a big reason these chewy ginger molasses cookies stay soft in the middle. Check the label so you don’t grab light brown by mistake.
- Large egg: One large egg is all it takes to hold this thick dough together.
- Molasses: I use regular unsulphured molasses. It gives these cookies their deep color, their moisture, and that old-fashioned flavor. Look for it on the baking aisle near the syrups.
For the Icing
- Powdered sugar: This is the base of the glaze. Whisk it well with the cream so you don’t end up with little lumps on top of your cookies.
- Heavy cream: This thins the powdered sugar into a smooth glaze. Add it a little at a time, somewhere between 3 and 5 tablespoons, until the icing is thin enough to dip but still coats the cookie. If it thickens up while you’re dipping, whisk in a few more drops.
How To Make Ginger Molasses Cookies
These bake up with crinkly tops and soft, chewy middles, and dipping them in that thin, sweet glaze was my job as a little girl. Now my grandkids do the dipping.
Make Ahead Tips for Iced Ginger Cookies and Holiday Gift Tins
Holiday baking gets a whole lot easier when you’re not trying to do it all in one afternoon. Iced ginger cookies are one of the easiest to get ahead on, since you can scoop the dough a day or two early or bake and freeze them plain and ice them later.
- Scoop the Dough Ahead: Mix up the dough, scoop it into dough balls with your cookie scoop, and tuck them in the fridge for a day or two. When you’re ready, set them on your lined cookie sheet, bake, and ice. You get fresh cookies, and the messy part is already done.
- Bake and Freeze: For a longer head start, bake the cookies, let them cool completely, and freeze them plain in a freezer-safe container. Don’t ice them first. When you’re ready to serve, let them thaw on the counter for a few hours, then dip them in a fresh batch of icing. You’ll find the freezer storage time in the recipe card notes.
- Packing Them for Gift Tins: Once the icing dries completely, it sets up hard, so you can stack these cookies without smearing the glaze. That makes them a natural fit for a holiday cookie tin. Fill one for a neighbor, a teacher, or a friend from church, and you’ve handed someone something homemade without a frantic night in the kitchen. If you want to add a little something extra, a Cookie Mix in a Jar tucked in beside it lets them bake a batch of their own later.
Kitchen Essentials I Use In This Recipe
A few good baking tools make a batch of these go so much smoother. These are my baking favorites, the ones I reach for over and over.
Baking Essentials
Questions When Making Ginger Molasses Cookies
Gingerbread cookies are usually rolled out and cut into shapes, so the dough is firmer and the cookies bake up flatter and sturdier for decorating. Molasses cookies like these are scooped and baked, so they stay thick and chewy in the middle. Both lean on molasses and warm spices, so they taste like close cousins.
Regular unsulphured molasses is what I use, and it gives these cookies their warm, sweet molasses flavor. I’ve made them with blackstrap, too, and honestly, I couldn’t tell much of a difference. So if blackstrap is what’s in your pantry, go ahead and use it. And if you love that deep blackstrap flavor, my Blackstrap Molasses Cookies are built around it.
Overbaking is the biggest mistake, and it’s the one I’ve made myself. The cookies are still good, but they come out hard and crisp instead of soft and chewy. The other one is flattening the dough balls before baking, and you don’t need to. Scoop them, set them on the cookie sheet, and they’ll spread and crinkle on their own in the oven.
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
For the Ginger Molasses Cookies
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ cup salted butter, softened
- 1 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 egg, large
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
For the Icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Prepare the Oven and Dry Ingredients
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, and salt until well combined.2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon sea salt
Mix the Cookie Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and dark brown sugar with a hand mixer on high speed until fully combined.½ cup salted butter, 1 cup dark brown sugar
- Add the egg and molasses. Beat on high speed until the mixture is smooth and well combined.1 egg, ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing on low speed until all the flour is incorporated. The cookie dough will be thick.
Scoop and Bake the Cookies
- Using a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the dough and place each scoop onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until the tops are crinkled, the edges are set, and the centers are still soft.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and place the baking sheet on a wire cooling rack for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies directly to the wire rack and allow them to cool completely before icing.
Prepare the Icing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and heavy cream, adding the cream gradually until the icing is smooth. The icing should be thin enough for dipping but thick enough to coat the cookies without running off.1 cup powdered sugar, 3 to 5 tablespoons heavy cream
Ice the Cookies
- Pour the icing into a shallow plate or bowl. Carefully dip each cooled cookie into the icing, one at a time, coating the tops evenly.
- Place the iced cookies back onto the wire cooling rack and allow the icing to dry completely before serving or storing.
Gina’s Notes and Tips
- No Chilling Required: The cookie dough is ready to scoop and bake immediately after mixing. There is no need to refrigerate it.
- Cookie Scoop Size: Use a 3-tablespoon cookie scoop for evenly sized cookies.
- Crisper Cookies: For a crisper cookie, bake an extra 1 to 2 minutes.
- Icing Consistency: The icing should be smooth and thick enough to cling to the cookies when dipped.
- Thickened Icing: If the icing becomes too thick while dipping, whisk in a few additional drops of heavy cream until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Easy Dipping: A shallow plate makes it easier to dip the tops of the cookies evenly.
- Scoop the dough into balls and refrigerate them for a day or two, then bake and ice as directed.
- Gift Tins: Once the icing has dried completely, it sets firm, so the cookies can be stacked for storing or packing into gift tins.
- Room Temperature: Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezing: Freeze the baked cookies plain, without icing, in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw on the counter for a few hours, then ice before serving.
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Please consider Leaving a Review!Showing Hospitality With Ginger Molasses Cookies
A Holiday Movie Night is one of the easiest ways I know to fill the living room, with a stack of favorite Christmas movies, a pot of Easy Hot Chocolate on the stove, and a big platter of these ginger molasses cookies set out where everyone can reach. Pile every blanket and throw pillow you own onto the couch and the floor, set out mugs with marshmallows and peppermint sticks, and let folks help themselves while the opening credits roll. Wrap up a few cookies for everybody to take home, too, so the evening lasts a little longer. Before you send the invitations, ask the Lord to bring to mind someone who might otherwise spend those long winter evenings by herself, and save her the best seat in the house. I love that Paul tells us to seek to show hospitality in Romans 12:13, because seeking means we go looking for the people who need a place with us instead of waiting for them to find their way to our door. Pass the cookies, start the movie, and let the evening run long, y’all.
