Soft, chewy, and spicy.
These soft molasses cookies are like taking a bite of Christmas.
Elaborate Christmas cookies really aren’t my thing (although I will spend a little extra time to make homemade peppermint patties on occasion…), so I lean heavily on these simple molasses cookies when I need to bring sweets to an event or party. Sucanat, an unrefined cane sugar, pairs beautifully with the rich blackstrap molasses in this recipe, making them a wholesome, yet satisfying option.
You can also easily plop these old-fashioned soft molasses cookies in a quart-sized mason jar and tie with a red ribbon if you need a thoughtful, homemade Christmas gift on the fly.
Soft Molasses Cookies Recipe
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- 1 cup sucanat or rapadura (where to buy)
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted (where to buy)
- 1/2 cup blackstrap molasses (where to buy)
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose. Whole wheat or spelt might work as well.)
- 1 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. ground cinnamon (where to buy)
- 1 t. ground ginger
- 1/2 t. sea salt (this is the salt I like)
- Coarse sugar– optional
1. Mix sugar, butter, coconut oil, molasses, and egg in a large bowl until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. For extra crunch, dip the top of each dough ball in coarse sugar.
3. Bake 8-10 minutes in a 375 degree preheated oven.
Kitchen Notes
- Blackstrap molasses is a less-refined form of molasses. I prefer to use it in my baking, but you could also you regular molasses if you like.
- Don’t overbake or they will lose their softness! I leave mine slightly undercooked.
- If you can’t find sucanat or rapadura, you could also use regular brown sugar.
Soft Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sucanat
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
- 1/2 cup molasses (I used blackstrap molasses- a less refined version)
- 1 egg
- 3 cups flour (I used unbleached all-purpose. Whole wheat or spelt might work as well.)
- 1 1/2 t. baking soda
- 1 t. ground cinnamon
- 1 t. ground ginger
- 1/2 t. sea salt (I use this one)
- Coarse sugar– optional
Instructions
- Mix sugar, butter, coconut oil, molasses, and egg in a large bowl until smooth
- Stir in remaining ingredients
- Place rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet
- Optional: Dip the top of each dough ball in coarse sugar
- Bake 8-10 minutes at 375 degree preheated oven. (Don’t overbake or they will lose their softness!)
I like the sound and look of these!
These sound wonderful but was wondering if I could sub coconut sugar for the other two mentioned?
Jill, I’ve been making these for many years. They are my Gram’s recipe and look just like yours! They are a family favorite.
Those cookies look wonderful. Thank you for sharing and you have a great week.
I love a soft cookie! The pumpkin ice cream sandwich cookies look yummy!
Wow! And cookie sandwiches too. I bet the pumpkin and molasses go really well together!
Sounds delicious! I love soft molasses cookies.
I can't find your email address, but I was wanting to contact you about possibly doing a review/giveaway of my book, Real Food Basics. Please contact me if you're interested. Thanks! http://www.modernalternativemama.com
Looks good!
I'd love for you to stop by What's Cooking Wednesday tonight (and each week) to share one of your recipes!
Hope to see you there!
Cristi
http://thekingscourt4.blogspot.com/
Yum! I have modified this recipe too but those ice cream sandwiches look divine.
I know I am super late to tell you thanks for linking this delicious cookie recipe to the Hearth and Soul Hop – but I just wanted to let you know that I have these bookmarked for my girls' "cookie party!" Thanks!
This looks great! Molasses is high in magnesium to boot!
I saw your recipe and had to try it out today, along with buttermilk soaked bisquits (making them for tomorrow). The cookies are to DIE for! I love them. I did add some crystalized ginger to it though, which gives this lovely little extra to it. I will use this recipe more!
Oh yay! SO glad you liked the cookies- you’ll have to let me know how the buttermilk biscuits turn out! 🙂
My grandmother had several recipes for molasses cookies in her old cookbook, they must have been very popular in the old days. Her recipe for gingerbread had molasses in it, but no ginger. I think I was in my 50’s before I realized most people put ginger in there, haha. I found some old Welsh recipes done that way, too, and her grandmother had Welsh ancestry. Funny, eh.
I was just wondering if it would work to substitute sprouted flour in these. They look amazing!
I would think that sprouted flour would work just fine. Enjoy! 🙂
Lydia – I made mine with sprouted flour (wheat/spelt). I also let them soak for 24 hours before baking and used a little sourdough starter in the dough to boot. I used a little extra flour to absorb the starter and also because the dough seemed awfully soft. Other adjustments were using coconut sugar instead of sucanat and adding chopped candied ginger that I had saved from making water kefir. They are fabulous! I’m not sure I’m gonna have any left to share with my family tonight after dinner. That’s what they get for leaving me all by myself when I’m making cookies like these. 😀
I just took out the first batch of these and YUM! I’m taking them to a church function tonight and am so happy they turned out! I used 2 cups of organic whole white wheat flour and 1 cup of organic unbleached ap flour and they turned out great! I baked them for exactly 8 minutes and they were perfect, crisp on the outside and still soft and chewy on the inside! I did roll half of them in regular sugar and half not (for those like me who want to avoid it at all costs!). I’ll definitely be making these again and again!
Yay! Love comments like this– they are one of my favorite cookie recipes. 🙂
Made them today. Was trying to mult-itask, baking 3 different things at once and fielding my 4 young kids and I forgot to put the egg in – still turned out great. Yum!!!!!
Hehe– good to know Angela– I know how that goes with kids in the kitchen!
These cookies are SO good! I also rolled half in regular sugar (I don’t have flaky sugar), and I do think they looked better. This cookie recipe is what made me subscribe to your blog. I’ve never been able to make soft molasses cookies without some parts being undercooked, or just making them crunchy. I’m scared to make another batch. These were gone in about two days between my husband and I. Yikes!
Yay– so glad you enjoyed them! I know– I have a really hard time not eating the whole batch myself!
Absolutely delicious!!!!! Thank you for the new recipe. My whole family LOVES them.
Yay! So happy to hear this!
May I substitute sugar for sucanat and corn oil for coconut oil?
Thank you for your thoughts.
I made the French bread today and it was a big success!
Hey Paul– If you are going to substitute, I’d use brown sugar in place of the sucanant. As far as the coconut oil sub– I’d stick with a solid oil- I’m afraid a straight liquid oil will cause a mess. So glad you enjoyed the French Bread!!
Thanks for letting me know! Sure, I can use brown sugar. May I use xtra butter instead of coconut oil?
Yup- the butter should be just fine!
When I was young my dad would buy dark molasses cookies . Now I can not find them anywhere. Does anyone have a recipe for the dark molasses cookies ? Thank you!
Yum! I make a similar recipe and at Christmas time dip the tops in green and red colored sugar. One of our favorites.
Thank you for the lovely recipe. Will try it soon……
I just finally got around to making these cookies….. OMG, I just got the first batch out if the oven. Needless to say I am going to have to triple the recipe because I inhaled six in a matter of minutes….. excellent cookies. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. Merry Christmas.
Yeah– it’s hard to stop at just one… or five… huh? Glad you like them!
Wow, those look soooo good!
Sounds great BUT how many does it make ?
I made 36!
Please, can some one tell me how many cookies does this recipe make? Thank you.
I was able to make 36 total. Also in case anyone else is wondering this too, I used a gluten free flour and coconut sugar. 9 min was perfect! Gluten free can tend to be drier but they were still soft. So yummy!
Jill, thank you for creating and sharing your Soft Molasses Cookie recipe. I just baked them and they are delicious!
do these freeze well?
This recipe is wonderful! No one has tasted them and not loved them!