These Chewy Iced Molasses Cookies are at the top of my list of Christmas baking favorites. They have a fabulous soft and chewy texture and are filled with the classic flavors of molasses, cinnamon, and ginger.
These cookies are filled with nostalgia for me. They remind me so much of the gingerbread boys my mom baked each and every Christmas season. I loved those boys! I have vivid memories of walking home from school on a cold December day to my very warm and cozy house, all lit up with Christmas lights (Mom loved those lights!), and the smell of molasses and cinnamon greeting me as soon as I opened the door.
But, the fabulous thing about this recipe is that you get all that nostalgic flavor with far less work. Unlike Mom’s gingerbread boys, there is no rolling or cutting of the dough involved. No intense decorating either. Once they cool they’re topped with a simple but perfectly delicious powdered sugar icing and you’ve got one incredibly delicious batch of cookies on your hands.
I can pretty much guarantee they will disappear in nothing flat.
The dough is easy, peasy. So easy, in fact, that I’m skipping the step-by-step and heading straight to the baking! But, one important note – the dough should be refrigerated for at least an hour after you mix it up so it will be easier to handle. Then just roll it into small 1″ balls and place them a couple of inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the balls before baking.
Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 12 to 14 minutes until the edges are set. The key to them being soft and chewy is to be sure you do not overbake them so be vigilant and watch them closely towards the end of the baking time.
Allow the cookies to cool completely and then top them with the simple powdered sugar icing.
To see the entire process in action, watch the fun video at the end of this post.
If you are a fan of the flavors of gingerbread you are going to love these cookies! I hope you’ll give them a try and that they warm your heart as much as they did mine.
Chewy Iced Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup unsulphured mild-flavor molasses
- 1 egg
For the icing:
- 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 2 ½ to 3 tablespoons milk, as needed
Instructions
For the Cookies
- In a medium bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed for about 1 minute until thoroughly combined and creamy. Add molasses. Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg until. Gradually beat in flour mixture just until combined. Cover and chill dough about 1 hour or until easy to handle.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Roll cookie dough into small 1-inch balls. Place about 2-inches inches apart on prepared cookie sheet. Flatten balls slightly with the palm of your hand.
- Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until edges of cookies are set, being careful not to overbake. Cool on cookie sheets for 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely before icing.
For the Icing
- Add the powdered sugar, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon milk to a small bowl and stir until combined. Stir in additional milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until icing reaches spreading consistency.
- Once cooled, spoon some of the icing on top of each cookie and spread out with the back of a spoon. Allow icing to set. Cookies will keep well for several days in an airtight container.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
Adapted from Better Homes & Gardens
I have a question before making these, is there any difference in the recipe for High Altitude?
Valerie the first time I made these they were like archway cookies and today they are a little firmer but not a lot. What do you think that I might have done to make them a little different. But they are so good anyways just didn’t come out the same.
If they are too firm, try taking them out of the oven a minute earlier.They will continue to firm up a bit as the cool so you want to be sure they aren’t overbaked. Hope they turn out a little chewier for you next time!
This is the same as my grandmothers’s recipe that nobody thought of to ask for before it was too late. 😪 Delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad the recipe reminds you of your grandmother’s! Thanks, Kathy. 🙂
They turned out perfect. Not too sweet, great consistency. I ran out of milk and had to use coffee creamer for my frosting, ha ha. But it was tasty.
I wanted to love this recipe – I have to say the dough is YUMMY. I found the baked cookies to be wafer-thin and didn’t look at all like the pictures. I followed the recipe precisely so not sure what happened. Also, I checked “4 dozen” when I went to print the recipe and it made about twice that amount of cookies rolling them into 1 inch balls.
I’d want to be sure that you chilled the dough? If that wasn’t the issue then I’d suggest not flattening the balls of dough at all before baking. As you can see from the video and images in the post, the cookies will flatten but should not be wafer thin.
Really delicious, chewy molasses cookies. I used full flavor molasses because that’s what I had on hand, and loved the flavor. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Just made these and they taste lovely but the texture isn’t as cake-like as I wanted in an old fashioned iced molasses cookie. I will have to adjust the recipe for a more cake-like texture but they are yummy
Thank you! This will be a new year round favorite!
Can I freeze and thaw to serve at a later date? I have two Christmas events but don’t want to bake two separate times.
Sure! Just freeze them before icing for the best result.