The Best Molasses Sugar Cookies

I have cookie baking on the brain these days. If I had to choose my very favorite, I would have to say it’s molasses sugar cookies. The combination of sweet and spice mixed with a rich, buttery taste is amazing. Dunking them in coffee or a cold glass of milk is the best. And, they taste delicious straight out of the oven or chilled in the fridge. 

Why I’m Crazy About Holiday Baking

Holiday baking runs deep in my family. My mom, sisters, and I would spend weekends making confections from homemade fudge to German stollen and coffeecakes, to Russian teacakes and date balls. Not to mention cut out cookies, springerle, and spritz cookies we would pump out in star-shapes from giant pastry tubes. The entire house was filled with a potpourri of baking scents and spices all swirled in together. We tuned into the Christmas station on the radio and were happily covered in flour and sugar for hours. There were no complaints about the dishes we would have to do when all those recipes were made and boxed up. And taste testing was a given!

When my mom passed away, my sisters and I attempted to keep the cookie baking tradition going, and we were successful until we had our own families. Fast forward to today, and I’ve passed my homemade holiday cookie baking joy to my daughters. We make sure we plan a cookie baking weekend together each December no matter what. We want to enjoy this special time together, even with holiday parties not on the calendar this year. Plus, we’ll just have more cookies to enjoy on our own. ?

What’s Special About These Molasses Sugar Cookies

Beyond their perfect holiday flavor, it’s just nice to make a recipe that’s jotted down on an index card, just like a recipe I shared this summer, my mom’s epic Concord grape pie. I like seeing my mom’s handwriting, and knowing there are old (and probably buttery!) fingerprints along the edges tells me this molasses sugar cookie recipe was much loved. Making these cookies brings a smile to my face because it’s tied to so many happy memories of growing up in a rural, small town. Another great thing about this recipe is you can easily roll the dough into balls and freeze them for small-batch baking. Trust me, when you have a problem with cookies disappearing quickly in your house, this is a good thing!

How to Make Molasses Sugar Cookies

The ingredients in these molasses sugar cookies are pretty standard baking fare. You’ll need butter, brown and white sugar, an egg, baking soda, all-purpose flour, salt, and ground cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The only special ingredient is molasses, which can be found in the baking aisle of your local grocery store. I have not tried this recipe with the blackstrap variety. I stick to classic molasses. Now, to be upfront, my mom’s recipe calls for shortening but I just can’t cook with that stuff anymore, so I substituted butter instead. However, there is no judgment from me if you want to use shortening, though. I also hand-mixed everything just like she used to do, which creates a loftier cookie than using a mixer.

Molasses Sugar Cookie Ingredients

• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (or shortening if you prefer)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling dough balls
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses (the original variety)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose, unbleached flour
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Melt butter or shortening in a 3 or 4-quart saucepan over low heat.

• Let cool for 5 minutes and then add the sugars, molasses, and egg, stirring well. Make sure you don’t skip the cooling part or you will risk cooking the egg you add. And then you’ll be very unhappy.

• Sift the remaining ingredients together well. I use a fork to do this. Pour the melted mixture into your dry ingredients. Stir together until uniform in color and thick.

• Chill the dough for 1 hour so it’s not sticky.
• Roll the chilled dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in additional granulated sugar.
• Place the dough balls two inches apart on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. I like this brand that has lines on it for easy spacing.

• Bake for 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on racks for 5 minutes before eating.

These molasses sugar cookies are great on their own, but they are also delicious crumbled on the top of vanilla ice cream with a bit of salted caramel sauce. I hope they become a favorite of yours, too. If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think in the comments. I hope you enjoy all of your holiday baking endeavors this season!