Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Soft gingerbread cookies are one of my favorite holiday traditions; they’re delightfully nostalgic and supremely delicious!
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Molasses Cookie Recipe
Years ago at a holiday party I had a soft gingerbread cookie that was incredible. When I got home, I knew I had to make it ASAP. It took some time to nail the recipe down, but now I can confidently say that this is the best molasses cookie you will ever eat. Perfectly soft and chewy with just the right amount of cozy spice, this cookie is like taking a bite of Christmas!
I feel like there is a stigma about gingerbread cookies being difficult to make, but this gingerbread cookie recipe absolutely debunks that myth. Extremely easy to make (but hard to stop eating) these cookies are both tasty and impressive. Make them for your annual cookie exchange or holiday party – they’re sure to be the star of the show!
Ingredients in Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Brown sugar – Just brown sugar to keep these cookies nice, soft, and chewy.
- Salted butter, softened
- Margarine softened – You can use all butter if they don’t want to use margarine. But if you’re using margarine, it is very important to use margarine that is near an 80% vegetable oil spread or the cookies will spread too thin.
- Egg
- molasses
- vanilla extract
- All-purpose flour
- Ground ginger – Feel free to adjust seasonings to your liking!
- Cinnamon
- baking soda
- salt
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture – I suppose this is an optional step, but I love the little extra mmmm it adds.
How to Make Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, combine the butter, margarine, and brown sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy. This will take about 2 minutes.
- Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, molasses, and vanilla. Blend until thoroughly combined.
- Incorporate the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Mix until a cohesive dough forms.
- Next, divide the dough into your preferred portions. For small cookies, scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. If you’re aiming for medium-sized cookies, use 3 tablespoons of dough. For larger cookies, go with 1/3 cup of dough.
- Take each dough portion and roll it in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, making sure the sugar adheres well to the cookie dough.
- Bake in your preheated 350°F (180°C) oven for 8-15 minutes depending on cookie size until the cookie dough spreads and the center is no longer wet or glossy. For small cookies, this typically takes 8-10 minutes, 9-11 minutes for medium cookies, and 12-15 minutes for large cookies.
- After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack.
- Enjoy your warm and freshly baked treats!
What’s the best way to store leftover gingerbread cookies to keep them soft and fresh?
Once cooled, store your cookies in an airtight container on the counter for 3-5 days! These cookies also freeze really well and can be stored in a resealable freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Are there any mix-ins I can add to customize the molasses cookies?
Sure thing! Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would taste yummy here! You can also try adding in white chocolate chips or even drizzling the top with melted white chocolate.
Recipes Similar to Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Soft Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup (308g) brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (111g) salted butter, softened
- 1/2 cup (111g) margarine, softened *You can use all butter if they don't want to use margarine. It is very important to use margarine that is near an 80% vegetable oil spread or the cookies will spread too thin.
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup (60mL) molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups (380g) all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cinnamon and sugar mixture
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).
- In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer or using an electric hand mixer, combine the butter, margarine, and brown sugar until the mixture becomes light and fluffy.
- Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl, then add the egg, molasses, and vanilla. Blend until thoroughly combined.
- Incorporate the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Mix until a cohesive dough forms.
- Next, divide the dough into your preferred portions. For small cookies, scoop out 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough. If you're aiming for medium-sized cookies, use 3 tablespoons of dough. For larger cookies, go with 1/3 cup of dough.
- Take each dough portion and roll it in the cinnamon and sugar mixture, making sure the sugar adheres well to the cookie dough.
- Bake in your preheated 350°F (180°C) oven until the cookie dough spreads and the center is no longer wet or glossy. For small cookies, this typically takes 8-10 minutes, 9-11 minutes for medium cookies, and 12-15 minutes for large cookies.
- After baking, let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack. Enjoy your warm and freshly baked treats!
do you use light molasses or dark?
I use the original or ‘light’ molasses.
These turned out so good!!! We LOVE this recipe!!
She says to add an egg in the instructions, but there isn’t an egg listed on ingredients for the recipe, so that threw me off a bit…I didn’t know how many to add! But reading through I think it was just supposed to be one.
Gonna add this recipe to our list of favorites!
So delicious! One of our favorite cookies now. The gingerbread flavor is subtle and not overly spicy so you get notes of the other sweet, salty, caramely flavors.