Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies Recipe

This Molasses Cookies recipe belongs in your recipe box. It is after all one of the most treasured of old fashioned Christmas cookies and is a staple for the holidays.  A cherished classic molasses cookie recipe, with a nice crisp mouth feel and perfect spice that brings the feel of yesteryear to your celebrations! When planning your baked goods for the holiday season, these old fashioned molasses cookies are a must include.

Molasses Cookies an Old Fashioned Christmas Cookie

As a child, I remember my mother making a lot of different old fashioned Christmas cookies and candies.  My parents have always had a fondness for both antiques and local history. It sort of made sense that I would come home from school to a mother covered in flour, with an old cookbook in hand making batches of cookies.

This recipe for Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies is just the sort of thing she would make, especially since it doesn't call for butter.  My parents had a tight budget, so if you ran out of something you made due, until your shopping trip. We lived in a rural area & it took a bit of time and gas to get to the grocery store.

The molasses cookies are crisp, akin to a ginger snap, but not a s pungent. In contrast, some old fashioned molasses cookie recipes are known for their soft texture and chewy bite, often described as soft molasses cookies or fashioned soft molasses cookies. The use of brown sugar in these recipes helps create that soft texture by adding moisture and tenderness. Whether crisp or soft, old fashioned molasses cookies are beloved for their rich flavors and the warm spices—like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves—that make them a classic, comforting treat.

How to Make Molasses Cookies

The full printable old fashioned Molasses Cookies recipe can be found below.

Ingredients You Need

• 1 egg large
• ⅔ cup oil 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup molasses unsulphered
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ¼ cups flour unbleached , but all-purpose is fine
• sugar and cinnamon for rolling (granulated white sugar, demerara sugar, or brown sugar can be used)
• Optional: add a pinch of black pepper for extra spice

You will also need two baking sheets, preferably lined with parchment.

Method

1. Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F and lining baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner for easy clean up. You can bake right on an ungreased cookie sheet if you prefer.
2. Next whisk together the egg, sugar and oil. You can use a stand mixer to mix the wet ingredients until creamy or simply whisk by hand.
3. Then mix in the molasses, spices, salt and baking soda. Of course we need lots of spices, to team up with the molasses and bring an authentic old fashioned flavor to the cookies.

   

4. Now add your four to the molasses mixture, mix well. You will end out with a stiff dough. The cookie dough is made stiff, so it can easily be rolled into balls.

   

5. Sprinkle your counter or a large shallow bowl with white sugar and cinnamon. Then shape each cookie by rolling one tablespoon sized balls of the dough on the sugar. Tip: For even-sized cookies, use a cookie scoop or measuring spoon to portion the dough.
6. Arrange the molasses cookie dough balls on liner or directly on baking sheets.  They will flatten out and develop the traditional crinkled molasses cookie appearance while baking and cooling.
7. Bake for 12-13 minutes, until crackled and lightly browned at the edges.
8. After baking, transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely for best texture.

Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies Recipe

Molasses Cookies are an old fashioned cookie recipe, that belongs in every recipe box. Molasses cookies are the favorite Christmas cookie of Santa you know.

4.82 from 16 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: cookies

Cuisine: American

Keyword: molasses cookies, old fashioned christmas cookies, old fashioned molasses cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes minutes

Total Time: 28 minutes minutes

Servings: 36

Calories: 100kcal

Author: Robin Gagnon

Equipment

• large baking sheets
• stand mixer (optional)
• silicone baking sheet liner or parchment paper (optional)

Ingredients

• 1 egg large
• ⅔ cup oil
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup molasses unsulphered
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 ¼ cups flour unbleached , but all-purpose is fine
• sugar and cinnamon for rolling

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Beat egg in a large mixing bowl, then whisk in oil & sugar.
• Add the molasses, spices, salt and baking soda, mix well.
• Now, add the flour and mix well. It will make a stiff dough.
• Sprinkle a rolling surface with sugar and a little cinnamon (use a shallow bowl if you prefer)
• Roll 1 tablespoon size scoops of the dough into balls and coat in the cinnamon sugar.
• Place on a parchment lined or ungreased baking sheet, approximately 3" apart.
• Bake 12-13 minutes, until golden brown and crinkled on top.
• Cool the cookies on a wire cooling rack before packaging or serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 100kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 56mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 5IU | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.6mg