Molasses Cookies are one of my all-time favorite cookies. They are perfect for the holidays and freeze well!
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make Molasses Cookies, you will need the following ingredients:
- Flour
- Ground Ginger
- Baking Soda
- Cinnamon
- Cloves
- Butter-Flavored Shortening
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Molasses
- Sugar
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
Storing and Other Tips
If you manage to not eat the whole tray of cookies immediately, these Molasses Cookies store well. Once cookies have completely cooled, here is how you can store them:
- Counter: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 4 days at room temperature. If you want to try and get the cookies to last even longer without becoming crumbly cookies, add a slice of bread into the container of cookies. The bread will give the cookies something to draw moisture from.
- Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container in a single layer for up to 7 days in a refrigerator.
- Freezer: You can freeze pre cooked cookie dough for cookies later. Just roll out and freeze for 30 minutes, and then transfer to an airtight, freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. To store cooked cookies, let them cool completely before you put them in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months.
The story behind the cookies
In honor of the release of our holiday cookbook, 12 Days of Christmas with Six Sisters’ Stuff, we hosted a recipe contest to find YOUR favorite holiday recipes.
After a lot of baking, cooking and sampling we chose 12 of our reader’s favorite recipes.
Today we are featuring this Molasses Cookies recipe from LeAnn Kelly of Virginia.
These cookies are a family favorite at her house, and her son requests them every year without fail.
Could I use butter instead of shortening?
These cookies are so soft and chewy, and that is mostly because of the shortening.
If you do make this recipe using butter, I recommend using butter at room temperature.
If the butter is melted, the cookie dough will be too soft, which will lead to sticky dough. You will then have to add more flour, and your cookies will taste bland.
We recommend using shortening for the texture and it’s chemical properties, when combined with other ingredients and baked. It will create soft and chewy cookies, that your guests will rave about.
Enjoy More Delicious Classic Cookie Recipes
There’s nothing like homemade cookies that the whole family will love. Check out our comprehensive collection of cookie recipes here.
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 ½ cups flour
- 4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cloves
- 1 ½ cups butter-flavored shortening
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 ℉. In a medium bowl stir together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
- In a large bowl beat shortening for 30 seconds. Add the 2 cups granulated sugar; beat until combined.
- Beat in eggs and molasses until combined.
- Beat in half of flour mixture. Stir in remaining flour mixture.
- Shape dough into about 1 ½ to 2 inch balls and roll in 2 Tablespoons sugar.
- Place balls 2 ½ inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes or until cookies are light brown and puffed. (Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy.)
- Cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
I followed the recipe as is and after I added the flour, the dough ended up being loose. I had to drizzle in oil until to became dough like again. Not sure what I did wrong.
Is there anyway to save it if you forgot to roll the dough balls in sugar before baking them?
You could try sprinkling sugar on after removing from the oven, but a lot of it would fall off.
Do you have to use butter flavor shortening? Can you use regular shortening instead?
I’m sure you will be fine with regular shortening, the butter flavor shortening adds a buttery flavor.
Do I use the same amount of butter, if I’m using butter, as shortening? Thanks!
Yes, the same amount.
I just made a very similar recipe and made them into a sandwich cookie with buttercream icing. They were a hit at our cookie exchange!