Clove
Ginger Spiced Dark Molasses Sugar Cookies
Popular on Food52
85 Reviews
kcinmn
September 19, 2023
I have been making these since the recipe was first published in 2010 and they are spectacular! A hit at both work and at the church bake sale - I found out after a few years of bringing them that the women working the bake sale would set them aside to purchase themselves (so of course I just shared this recipe with them!) I leave out the candied ginger, and I chill the dough before baking which always gives me the perfect chewy cookie.
Gail G.
November 10, 2022
I am not a phenomenal Baker by far. But I got ambition to make my favorite cookie and that is the Ginger cookie. This cookie turned out delicious!!! I followed it to a tee and only added a small dash of Cayenne pepper.
Yum
Yum
t
December 6, 2021
Just made these to go with some homemade eggnog and they are a hit, soft, crispy, flavorful and pretty. I didn't use theandied ginger just because I didn't have any and subbed Chinese 5 spice for the allspice, because it's what I had on hand. Will definitely make these again
Taylor S.
January 7, 2020
One of the best ginger/molasses cookies I've made. They spread out quite nicely, and one minute makes all the difference between chewy and crispy. They are excellent either way!
Kari2011
January 11, 2019
I've made this cookie many times, but this Christmas season, my brain must have been on holiday which means I messed up the recipe that resulted in deliciousness!
My goof was this - 1/2 cup more butter than the recipe called for and an addition of baking powder, probably between 1/2 teaspoon to 1 whole teaspoon. I tried to take it out, but wasn't successful in getting it all. The addition of the baking powder resulted in a little more cakey cookie that also was a little more savory. A perfect little bite to go with coffee.
My goof was this - 1/2 cup more butter than the recipe called for and an addition of baking powder, probably between 1/2 teaspoon to 1 whole teaspoon. I tried to take it out, but wasn't successful in getting it all. The addition of the baking powder resulted in a little more cakey cookie that also was a little more savory. A perfect little bite to go with coffee.
Pragna H.
December 23, 2018
Hi there! Are you able to share the weight measurements for this recipe? I want to make sure I get the right amount of flour, molasses, and brown sugar. Thanks much!
Kristine
December 21, 2018
Hands down the best cookies I've made this year! I've been looking for ginger cookies for a long time and these are so good!
Did everything as written, only increased baking time to 15 mins (at 12 they barely felt set)
Did everything as written, only increased baking time to 15 mins (at 12 they barely felt set)
Miachel P.
December 8, 2018
Loved this recipe. I subbed out all-purpose flour for whole wheat pastry flour, and the cookies came out fluffy and delicious. Not the "chewy center" texture I expected, but I'll definitely repeat!
Like another reviewer mentioned I was also hesitant taking the cookies out of the oven so early because they looked soft, but they definitely firm up after resting out of the oven.
Like another reviewer mentioned I was also hesitant taking the cookies out of the oven so early because they looked soft, but they definitely firm up after resting out of the oven.
Martin
December 2, 2018
How pronounced is the molasses in this cookie? Just came off another gingerbread cookie with the same amount of molasses. While I wouldn't mind tasting a hint of molasses, if it's one of the dominant tastes then I wouldn't enjoy them. Anyone know if this is so, and if yes, then if it can be changed?
TasteFood
December 2, 2018
The molasses is somewhat prominent, but the ginger and spices nicely balance it. You might try upping the brown sugar to 1 cup and reducing the molssses to 1/4 cup as an alternative.
Martin
December 3, 2018
Thanks a lot for the answer. Is it possible to reduce the molasses without upping the sugar? Or will this compromise the cookie?
Mica G.
October 7, 2018
Just made these and they turned out amazing! Super fluffy and soft on the inside, with a nice bite on the edges. I added a bit more ginger & cinnamon because I love spice and iced them with a light cream cheese frosting for a lil extra sumn sumn
VF
June 10, 2018
These are the perfect mix of spices and sugar. They hold up well in a sealed container and the dough freezes well.
SweetArlene
December 4, 2017
I just made these cookies for the first time and they are simply amazing. I didn't have crystallized ginger so I just grated some fresh ginger. These cookies are definitely going on my Christmas cookie gifts this holiday season! The flavors are outstanding and the crunch of the sugar on the outside, combined with the soft center, make these my new favorites.
Sarah D.
December 9, 2016
These were fantastic! Soft, chewy and looked beautiful. My sister (who lives 1,700km away) requested I make her a batch and send her way. I cooked them for about 10-11 minutes, makign sure to keep an eye on them during the last minute. This recipe is my go-to for molasses cookies!
saramarsh
October 1, 2016
Followed the recipe exactly and they were flat and no cracking! Took them out so as not to burn them, and while the flavor was fantastic, they look pretty ugly.
I used a cookie scooper, flattened them a bit with the back side of a spoon, and put them in, at 10 min. I could see they weren't raising or cracking..I'm not sure what went wrong :(
I'd love to make these again, so if anyone can shed light, or had a similar problem and you were able to remedy it, please let me know.
I used a cookie scooper, flattened them a bit with the back side of a spoon, and put them in, at 10 min. I could see they weren't raising or cracking..I'm not sure what went wrong :(
I'd love to make these again, so if anyone can shed light, or had a similar problem and you were able to remedy it, please let me know.
missperry42
December 21, 2023
I recently had the same problem. I've made these cookies in the past and had no trouble with the crinkle top. This time half of my batch had a crinkle top and half did not, even though it was identical. Maybe it was something with mixing the dough? or with flattening them. They were not flat but I could not get them to crinkle.
Gtpublic
December 6, 2015
I consider myself a good baker and something is very wrong with this recipe. I hate giving this kind of review because when ever I read a review like this I usually think that the person can't read a recipe or doesn't have much baking experience, specially when there are so many good reviews.
The flavor of this cookie is fabulous but the balance of dry to wet is off. I put my batter in the refrigerator for an hour but the batter was still way too soft. The size of the ball in the recipe is an inch and a half. That makes a very large cookie. Did you mean an 1 1/2" when the cookie is flattened? My cookies were huge and spread out covering the entire cookie sheet and were very greasy? Not presentable for the party I intended to bring them to.
This cookie may have worked as a ice box cookie. An hour in the refrigerator was certainly not enough. I hate it when recipes are not clear or inaccurate. Disappointed in food52 specially for a community pick.
The flavor of this cookie is fabulous but the balance of dry to wet is off. I put my batter in the refrigerator for an hour but the batter was still way too soft. The size of the ball in the recipe is an inch and a half. That makes a very large cookie. Did you mean an 1 1/2" when the cookie is flattened? My cookies were huge and spread out covering the entire cookie sheet and were very greasy? Not presentable for the party I intended to bring them to.
This cookie may have worked as a ice box cookie. An hour in the refrigerator was certainly not enough. I hate it when recipes are not clear or inaccurate. Disappointed in food52 specially for a community pick.
mrslarkin
December 6, 2015
Sorry to hear that! I've made this cookie many times, and it always works for me. One of my favorites.
TasteFood
December 6, 2015
I am also sorry to hear that! I have no idea why your batter was so wet. Could it be that you added 3/4 pound butter instead of 3/4 cup? (As much as I bake, I've done that before.) I will be making these again soon and will be back to comment.
Gtpublic
December 6, 2015
I used a stick and half of butter which is 3/4 of a cup. Also the size of the cookie was huge. A one and half inch rolled ball is very large.
mrslarkin
December 6, 2015
Did you make 24 balls, Gtpublic? I think that's how many the recipe makes, right TasteFood?
Micki
December 6, 2015
Hmm, that is strange. I made them last night and they turned out perfectly as they always do (making these since 2013). However, I left my batter outside for 1.5 hours in probably -4 Celsius...so a bit colder than the fridge. Maybe that's why. Sorry to hear it didn't work. They aren't greasy cookies at all so something is off.
Gtpublic
December 6, 2015
Thanks everyone for your input. Although they looked very strange I brought them to tonight's party because they actually did taste good. I think the problem with my cookies was that the dough was not cold enough when I rolled them into balls. One hour in the frig was not long enough. I think I had about 20 cookies but when they cooked it just formed one giant cookie which I cut into squares. I think I will try this again with a longer chill time.
Veronica H.
December 5, 2015
These are so tasty! Didn't have candied ginger, so I substituted 2.5 tbsp of a mixture that was half grated ginger, half sugar.
kumalavula
January 14, 2015
ginger molasses can only be improved by adding what? cardamom!
these were easy to put together and came out of the oven soft but became harder as they cooled. the aroma wafting out of the oven was pretty amazing as well.
these were easy to put together and came out of the oven soft but became harder as they cooled. the aroma wafting out of the oven was pretty amazing as well.
em-i-lis
January 14, 2015
These are delicious! I made them on sdebrango's recommendation, and, as usual, she didn't lead me astray. Fantastic!
happycao
November 26, 2014
I just made this, it's still cooling, but it didn't have that crinkley top! :( Is it because I made it too small, about a big tablespoon each?
kzmccaff
November 24, 2014
I made these cookies last night--and froze most of them to bake for my holiday baking extravaganza. I doubled the recipe and was just under the recommended amount of molasses, but they turned out great! I did half with the candied ginger and half without. I'll report back on which I prefer, but I tried the version with the ginger and really enjoyed it--not too much at all!
Petite F.
November 6, 2014
Awesome cookies and loved the bits of ginger...adds a nice kick! I used the unsulphured molasses by Plantation (Whole Foods) and it came just like yours :)
Thanks for the recette!
Thanks for the recette!
Connor S.
September 4, 2014
Tasty and easy recipe. Like strawberrygirl, I used demerara sugar for coating the cookies. Also, you probably don't need to chill the batter for an hour, I just left it in the fridge for 40 min. Cookies go really well with Sweet Corn and Black Pepper Ice Cream (https://food52.com/recipes/23232-sweet-corn-and-black-pepper-ice-cream)
strawberrygirl
January 17, 2014
I made these as part of this year's mountain of holiday baking, and they were a big hit. I left out the candied ginger this time (and increased the ground ginger to compensate) but will probably try it next time I make these. The dough freezes really well - we actually just baked up the last of the frozen holiday cookie dough tonight. I formed the balls and then froze some before the step of rolling in sugar. I didn't fully thaw them before baking, just left them out on the counter for 10-15 minutes to soften up enough to roll them in sugar, and then added an extra minute or two to the baking time. Demerara sugar for rolling looks really pretty and adds a nice crunch.
KellyAnneP
December 16, 2013
I've made these a bunch of times and they always get great reviews! One note - the dough freezes really well. I put it in the fridge a couple hours before baking to thaw.
Lisade
December 15, 2013
Came out great, and I made them with spelt flour. The 12 minute cooking time seemed too short as the cookies were extremely soft, but they firmed up once out of the oven.
sfmiller
December 14, 2013
These were the hit of the holiday cookie plate last year. A neighbor has already asked if I'm making them again this year, and my ginger-phile wife is insisting that I make enough to hoard a few dozen for ourselves. The candied ginger is NOT optional, as far as we're concerned. Really, really good.
rachel W.
December 11, 2012
I made these over the weekend...a few tweaks here and there and they are BEYOND FAB. Everyone went nuts for them. Thank you so much!!
Here is my post on them, as well as photos as to how they came out!
http://feastoffashions.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-spirit.html
Here is my post on them, as well as photos as to how they came out!
http://feastoffashions.blogspot.com/2012/12/christmas-spirit.html
em-i-lis
May 21, 2012
these sound amazing. can you make/freeze the dough a few days in advance of cooking them?
TasteFood
May 21, 2012
I have made the dough up to 1 day in advance of baking without any problem. You will need to let the dough sit for a while to warm up a bit before forming the cookies. As for freezing, I haven't tried, but I bet it will work. If you try, please let me know how they come out!
em-i-lis
May 21, 2012
Thanks a ton for letting me know this, TF. if i freeze and cook, i'll definitely let you know. btw, when you say serves 24, is that 24 cookies? or is serving size more than 1 cookie/person?
TasteFood
May 21, 2012
That would be 24 cookies, because my family would have a fit if they were allowed only 1 cookie each :)
thirdchild
February 20, 2012
This exact recipe was used by my grandmother, who frequently made cookies for our family. My children enjoyed them also. Where does it come from?
Pure V.
December 21, 2011
Brought an allergy-friendly version of these to a dessert potluck party and everyone loved them! I substituted the flour with gluten-free all-purpose flour + 1 1/4 tsp xanthan gum, a "flax egg" (1T ground flax seed + 3 T hot water), and commercial vegan butter. I'll be baking these for holiday seasons to come!
EmilyC
December 16, 2011
These cookies are so, so good. I love the gentle spice -- so many gingerbread cookies are too assertively spiced for my taste -- and the texture is great. Love this recipe!
AntoniaJames
December 15, 2011
A&M, how did you get yours so dark? Mine were much lighter in color (more like the photo posted by TasteFood). I followed the recipe exactly. I did bake a few that were darker, but they ended up crispy all the way through, because they were baked too long. Is it just the lighting in the FOOD52 photo?.
mrslarkin
December 15, 2011
AJ, fyi I've made these many times myself, and they're never as dark as A&M's photo. Always much closer in color to TF's.
EmilyC
December 16, 2011
One thought...I didn't use unsulphured blackstrap molasses but I'll bet it would result in a darker cookie.
pdconant
December 17, 2011
Yes, blackstrap molasses resulted in cookies the color shown in the photo above.
Matilda L.
November 8, 2011
These cookies were delicious--I was too impatient (must. have. cookies. NOW.) and skipped the refrigeration step. They ended up flatter than the photo, but as dark, rich, spicy and delicious. They're definitely going on the Christmas 2011 cookie tray!
brdwilliams
October 7, 2011
These cookies make a WONDERFUL ice cream sandwich! I made sandwiches with a dollop of Half Pint vanilla ice cream from my local farmers' market (http://halfpinticecream.com/) between two cookies, and they were a huge hit! Once the ice cream softens a bit, it can be spread it like frosting to create a clean edge on the sandwich. I froze the sandwiches overnight for the best consistency. I want to try it again with lemon ice cream. Mmmm.....
helicopterina
April 25, 2011
ROUND OR FLAT QUESTION -- do you flatten out each ball on the sheet before baking, or just pop in the tray as is? and btw, this recipe looks fantastic and i can't wait to try 'em
helicopterina
April 27, 2011
oh dear. just made a batch and i've already eaten 5. FIVE! within 10 minutes.
they are AWESOME. and can i just say that i'm totally embarrassed about asking the flat v. round question b/c now i see that you already address that in your recipe. oy.
gotta go. cookie number 6 is callin' my name...
they are AWESOME. and can i just say that i'm totally embarrassed about asking the flat v. round question b/c now i see that you already address that in your recipe. oy.
gotta go. cookie number 6 is callin' my name...
thirschfeld
December 18, 2010
I have my nieces coming over to make Christmas cookies. This one is on the list. Can't wait to make it.
thirschfeld
December 19, 2010
Definitely my kind of cookie. I added the candied Ginger and I used muscovado sugar, which all combined, gave the cookie a really deep flavor that I like. It will go into the cookie rotation for sure. All the girls liked them too, even the we ones.
monkeymom
April 1, 2010
These are one of my favorites. I will not bake them anytime soon for fear I will eat them all.
aargersi
March 31, 2010
Yum - molasses ginger cookies rock - the candied ginger should be mandatory :-) I want one right now ... please?
WeeklyGreens
December 20, 2011
I didn't use the candied ginger. Now I'm going to have to make them all over again. Thanks a LOT. Ha ha. :-)
TheWimpyVegetarian
March 30, 2010
I was hoping someone would do a molasses ginger cookie (my favorite cookie in the world)!! I don't really have one that I created - the one I use is a very slight modification of a recipe in one of Alice Medrich's cookbooks which calls for the finely diced candied ginger in it. It's personal preference for sure, but I love the inclusion of them!
TheWimpyVegetarian
March 30, 2010
Oops I meant to add that since I don't have my own recipe, I'm looking forward to trying yours.
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