Today I have a different kind of ginger molasses cookie. My soft ginger molasses cookies are the perfect soft gingerbread type cookie to make during the holidays. Pair these with a cup of hot chocolate or other hot beverage and you’ve got the ultimate winter snack.
Ginger molasses is one of my favourite kinds of cookies and I created these to be similar to the giant ginger molasses cookies Starbucks used to have. One of my favourite memories at Christmas was getting a ginger molasses cookie and hot chocolate from Starbucks and then driving around looking at Christmas lights with my cousin. When they stopped selling these cookies, I decided to just make it myself and they are so good!
I love anything with ginger and I’m not going to lie, I also really enjoy these cookies for breakfast, especially if I’m feeling a bit sick. Ginger is so soothing on your belly and throat and a nice sweet treat is always a little pick me up when you feel crappy. If you’d prefer a chewy version, then check out my chewy ginger molasses cookies.
If you’d like a different kind of holiday treat, then check out my Christmas scotcheroos which are a delicious no bake treat. My orange chocolate chip pecan cookies are one of my favourite flavour combos or my cranberry jam filled Christmas tree puff pastries are such a delicious Christmas morning breakfast!
What Kind of Ginger Should I Use?
I recommend ground ginger in this recipe. Fresh ginger will lose some of it’s flavour and will also add a little moisture to the cookie.
You could try adding finely chopped stemmed ginger for an even more gingery cookie but I haven’t tried this so I’m unsure exactly how they’d turn out.
What Type of Molasses?
I typically use fancy molasses cause that’s what’s in my usual stores but just make sure you don’t use blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap will not work in most baking recipes as it is much stronger.
How to Freeze and Bake No Chill Cookie Dough
If you’d like to freeze the dough for these soft ginger molasses cookies to save time in the future, follow these simple steps.
- Prep the dough as instructed.
- Roll the dough into balls.
- Place in an airtight container or bag.
- Label with type or flavour of dough, date, bake time and baking temperature. This makes life much easier when you pull the bag out of the freezer in a couple months and have forgotten what it is. (If you’re using a reusable bag, you can just write this information on a piece of masking tape or something similar.)
- Store in freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to bake, preheat your oven and place balls on baking sheet.
- Add 1-2 minutes to bake time as baking from frozen and enjoy!
How to Properly Measure Flour
So when it comes to measuring flour, the most accurate and easiest way is to use a kitchen scale. I always use a scale and could never go back to measuring in cups. It’s such a hassle and way more dishes!
If you don’t own a scale, there are a couple steps to properly measure flour as it becomes compacted just sitting in the bag or container. I highly recommend you follow these as just scooping flour out of the bag can potentially lead to at least an additional 1/4 cup of flour. This equals dry and dense baked goods which is not what anybody is going for.
1. Fluff the flour by giving it a mix with a whisk or fork.
2. Spoon the flour into your measuring cup.
3. Level the excess flour off using a butter knife. (With the back of the knife level to the top of the measuring cup, run it over top, pushing the excess flour back into it’s container.)
4. Repeat until you’ve measured the amount the recipe calls for.
Baking Tips
- For best results, ensure all your ingredients are room temperature. This allows your ingredients to incorporate into each other leading to a much better bake and texture.
- Don’t overbake these! When the edge of the cookie starts to feel firm, take them out. If you overbake, they won’t be a soft cookie once they cool.
- I don’t recommend using fresh ginger as it will add more moisture to the dough and will likely lose a lot of it’s flavour when cooked.
- I create my recipes based off weights so I recommend measuring by weights if you own a scale. It’s actually so much easier and makes for much less cleanup. I wish I had baked by weight from the beginning, I could never go back now.
More Holiday Recipes
Today’s song is one of my favourite all time favourite songs and the Christmas season has me missing home. Celtic music is a very big part of Newfoundland and music is a big part of gatherings and Christmas time. Here’s Dirty Old Town by The Dubliners. Happy baking!! **Disclaimer: Liv’s Little Muffins owns no rights to this song.
Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup (170g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup (120g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup (85g) molasses
- 2 1/2 cups (300g) all purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar (for rolling the dough in)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Line or spray a baking sheet. Add the 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling into a small bowl and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or large mixing bowl, add the butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. Cream together for 3 minutes.
- Add in the egg and mix until incorporated. Add in the molasses and mix until incorporated. (It's okay if your dough looks a little curdled after adding the molasses, this is normal)
- Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper and salt. Mix on low speed until incorporated.
- Scoop 2 tbsp size cookies. Roll each dough ball into a circle and coat it in the granulated sugar you set aside earlier. Bake for 10-11 minutes, the edges should just start to feel firm. This will ensure a nice soft cookie.
- Transfer to a wire rack to fully cool and store in an airtight container for up to 3 days and enjoy!
