These chewy ginger molasses cookies were a long-lost blog post on my site, hidden in the archives! I’ve recently re-tested and updated the recipe as well as all the tips and tricks to make these. They are homely, warming cookies ā perfect for a cold autumnal or wintery day with a warming mug of cocoa or tea. In addition, including molasses (or black treacle) in these cookies gives them a lighter texture with an adult, caramel flavour. The dough is scooped into balls and rolled in granulated sugar before baking for that pronounced outer crunch before diving into the chewy centre. Double up a batch of the dough and keep it frozen (wrapped in parchment, and then in a sealable food bag) for up to a month, or in the fridge for 5 days. Allow to come to room temperature before scooping and baking.
What makes these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies so special?
Molasses cookies have got to be the epitome of the colder months. Soft and chewy, with a definite bite from the granulated sugar. They’re subsequently one of my favourite cookies to make because they’re simple, but packed full of flavour. I prefer my cookies flatter, larger and chewy, rather than puffed up and cakey. Here’s why I love these:
- Flour:Ā there’s a little less flour in this recipe to bake a flatter cookie.
- Spices: A beautiful blend of all those Christmassy flavours ā ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg ā and in my opinion, what every single ginger molasses cookies needs in it!
- Butter. Always use unsalted for the best results. A brown butter molasses cookies is something I’m keen to develop which would be unreal.
- Sugar. You want a little brown sugar but not too much that the flavour is overly sweet and overpowering. Here I use a mixture of light brown and granulated.
- Egg: Always choose free-range. I use Clarence Court’s Burford Browns regularly for their rich, golden yolks.
- Vanilla:Ā A hint of vanilla will bring all the flavours of this chewy ginger molasses cookie together.
- Molasses or black treacle:Ā Generally, adding too much liquid will create a messy, flat cookie that has no bite to it, but if you don’t put enough in, your cookies will be cakey. I tested this recipe with less treacle and less egg, which created a cakey cookie. The additional yolk and amount of treacle or molasses in this recipe is just enough to bring the dough together and undoubtedly gives them a fuller flavour.
You’re ready to rumble. At any rate, these cookies are so good you won’t be able to eat just one!
How to make these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies:
- Whisk the dry ingredients together.
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Add the wet ingredients.
- Mix the wet and dry ingredients together in thirds.
- Chill cookie dough.Ā Want more depth of flavour? Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Can’t wait? Bake straight away!
- Scoop cookie dough into balls.Ā You want about 50g of dough for each cookie.
- Generously roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar.Ā This will give them a beautiful crunchy exterior.
- Bake.Ā The cookies will puff up as they bake then gently sink back down, creating beautiful crinkles and cracks. Want more crackles? Bang your baking tray on the kitchen counter a few times to help the cookies develop those tell-tale cracks on top.
See how I made these over on Instagram!
Ginger molasses cookies
Ingredients
- 355 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Pinch fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 170 g unsalted butter
- 150 g light brown sugar
- 100 g granulated sugar + extra for rolling
- 115 g black treacle
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C / 350F. Line three baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and spices then add the salt and mix to combine.
- Beat the butter on medium speed with an electric whisk until smooth and creamy, then add the sugars, whisking until light and pale.
- Add the black treacle and beat again until well combined.
- Add the egg, yolk and vanilla extract then beat to combine.
- Add the flour mixture in thirds, mixing until the mixture starts to form a dough. Stop your mixer, and using a spatula, scrape round the edges of the bowl so everything has been completely combined and the dough is a uniform colour.
- Using a cookie scoop of 50g, scoop balls of dough and then roll them in a bowl of granulated sugar. Place each cookie scoop a few inches apart on your baking tray as they'll spread a little in the oven. N.B. If you don't have a cookie scoop, simply weigh out 50g of dough and roll it in between the palms of your hands to form a ball.
- Put the tray in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the centre.
- Hereās how I make these cookies crinkly: remove the tray from the oven and gently tap the tray against your counter top. Keep repeating this tapping motion and you'll see the cookies will deflate slightly and cracks will begin to appear on the surface.
- Pop them back in the oven and give them 3 more minutes, then take them out and let the cookies cool completely on the tray.
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