Old-Fashioned Chewy Molasses Cookies

Why you’ll love it

• Chewy for days: they stay soft long after baking.
• Bakery-style crackly tops from a roll in sugar.
• Freezer-friendly dough for fresh cookies any time.

Quick facts

Ingredients

For the dough

• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (200 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup (85 g) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

For rolling

• 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated or turbinado sugar

Step-by-step method

1. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves.

2. Cream the butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the molasses and vanilla, scraping down the bowl.

3. Make the dough. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients and mix just until no flour streaks remain. The dough will be soft and sticky.

4. Chill. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour, until firm enough to roll.

5. Shape. Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls (about 30 g), roll them in the sugar and place 2 inches (5 cm) apart.

6. Bake. Bake one sheet at a time 9–11 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are crackled but the centers still look soft. Cool on the pan 5 minutes, then move to a rack.

How to know it is done

Take the cookies out when the edges look set, the tops have crackled all over and the centers still look slightly puffy and underbaked. They firm up as they cool; overbaking makes them crisp instead of chewy.

Tips for the best result

• Use regular unsulphured molasses; blackstrap is bitter and will overpower the cookies.
• Don’t skip the chill: it keeps the cookies thick and makes the dough easy to roll.
• Grease your measuring cup before adding the molasses so it slides right out.

Variations and substitutions

• Extra gingery: add 2 tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger to the dough.
• Orange-spice: add 1 tsp finely grated orange zest with the molasses.
• Sandwich cookies: fill two cooled cookies with cream cheese frosting.
• Butter swap: use 3/4 cup vegetable shortening for a taller, softer old-time cookie.

Storage and reheating

Keep in an airtight container at room temperature up to 5 days; add a slice of bread to keep them extra soft. Freeze baked cookies up to 3 months, or freeze unbaked dough balls (without sugar) and bake from frozen, rolling in sugar first and adding 1–2 minutes. Warm for 5 seconds in the microwave for a fresh-baked feel.