A holiday classic that’s perfect for any time of year, my Fresh Ginger Molasses Cookies are rich in flavor and irresistibly soft. Made with both ground and fresh ginger, plus a hint of black pepper for a mellow kick, they offer a delightful balance of spice and warmth. Ground cinnamon and a touch of cardamom add depth, while brown sugar, molasses, and butter create a chewy, melt-in-your-mouth texture.
A Classic Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookie
If you love ginger, and soft and chewy cookies, you’re in for a treat! My ginger forward, soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies have a crinkly texture, and ultra rich flavor. I’ve included ground and freshly grated ginger to bring out the spicy notes in this cookie and also added just a touch of black pepper, which offers a bit more bite.
When I was in pastry school, ginger molasses cookies were a top seller year-round at the campus café, stocked with treats made by pastry students. They’re especially perfect for the holidays—sparkly, nostalgic, and packed with the warm, rich flavors of molasses and ginger.
This Recipe Is
- soft and chewy
- ginger forward
- mix ahead, bake later
If you enjoy making homemade cookie recipes, and appreciate the spicy flavor of ginger, you’ll love this rich and flavorful molasses cookie recipe.
About the Key Ingredients
- Ground Spices: we’re using warming ground ginger, cozy cinnamon, cardamom and black pepper. I found this bend of spices balances the forward flavor of ginger, but doesn’t overpower it.
- Baking Soda: there’s quite a bit in this recipe, 2 teaspoons, so don’t be alarmed! It reacts with the acidic ingredients in the cookie: molasses, brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, which helps the cookies rise and also, spread just enough.
- Unsalted Butter: choose a high-quality butter for best flavor. Set the butter out on the kitchen counter the night before so it can soften to room temperature. Or soften refrigerated butter in the microwave in about 8 seconds. Room temperature is the optimal temperature to render the butter soft and perfect for mixing.
- Fresh Grated Ginger: creates a sharp, spicy flavor. Grate the fresh ginger on a microplane, there’s no need to peel it.
- Unsulphured Molasses: gives these cookies their signature color and soft, moist and chewy texture. I’ve not tested this recipe with blackstrap.
- Apple Cider Vinegar: another acidic ingredient that reacts with the baking soda. It tenderizes the dough and aids in creating a chewy texture.
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How to Make Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies
step by step
For this recipe, the cookie dough needs to chill for at least two hours. This allows the flavors to develop and the flour to hydrate, creating a flavorful and tender cookie and also, this cookie dough is easier to handle when chilled.
Good To Know
Sugar Coating:
For a sparkling finish, I tested three types of sugar: sparkling sugar, cane sugar, and turbinado sugar. Cane sugar gave the cookies the prettiest, most eye-catching shimmer, creating a lovely contrast. While the others worked, turbinado sugar blended too much with the cookie’s color, and the texture of sparkling sugar felt a bit too coarse for my liking. Cane sugar delivers the perfect balance of sparkle without overpowering the softness of the cookie.
Baking:
Baking your cookies for exactly 10 minutes is key to achieving an ultra-tender, chewy texture. Set a timer and resist the urge to bake them longer; over baking can lead to a denser bite. For the best results, I found that baking one sheet pan at a time yields the most beautiful crinkles and gives them a pillowy appearance.
Cooling:
When you first pull the cookies out of the oven, they’ll look slightly undercooked, especially in the cracks where they’ll appear moist. Don’t worry! Let the cookies cool on the pan for 5 minutes—this allows them to finish baking and set perfectly.
Character:
Each cookie will have its own unique character. While they bake, they’ll form craggy and irregular fissures that make them all the more charming. No two will look exactly the same.
Traci’s Tips
- Rest the Dough: while these cookies need at least a two hour rest in the fridge, if you can give them 24 hours, even better. I’ve baked three days later with good results.
- Ginger molasses cookies actually get better with age. If you can, bake them a day ahead to enhance both their texture and flavor.
- Kitchen Tools: For accurate oven temperature monitoring, I recommend an external oven thermometer. Weigh your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for best outcome (affiliate link).
Fresh Ginger Molasses Cookies (soft & chewy!)
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons (265 grams) All Purpose Flour
- 2 teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1/2 teaspoon Fine Sea Salt
- 6 tablespoons (85 grams) Unsalted Butter room temperature, I use organic valley brand
- 1/2 cup (115 grams) Organic Cane Sugar plus more for rolling the cookies in
- 1/2 cup (105 grams) Light Brown Sugar packed
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) Fresh Grated Ginger packed, about 1 1/2 inch fat piece, no need to peel* (see note)
- 1 Large Egg
- 1/3 cup (105 grams) Unsulphered Molasses
- 2 teaspoons Apple Cider Vinegar
Instructions
Mix the Dough
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, black pepper, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add the butter and sugar. Mix on medium speed, about 1 minute. The mixture will be somewhat crumbly. Scrape the bowl down. To the butter mixture, add the fresh ginger, egg, molasses and vinegar. Mix on medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. The mixture will look broken. Scrape the bowl down.
- To the wet ingredients add the dry ingredients all at once. Mix on medium until a dough forms, about 30-45 seconds, stopping to scrape the bowl all the way down once. The dough will be thick and sticky.
- Scrape the dough onto parchment or wax paper, patting it down to about a 2 inch thick disk. Wrap snugly. Refrigerate for at least two hours, or up to three days.
Get Ready to Bake
- Arrange an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 Fahrenheit (177 Celsius). Line sheet pan(s) with parchment paper. Set aside.
- Scoop the dough with a spring loaded #40 cookie scoop (about 1 1/2 tablespoons each), packing the dough firmly into the scoop, or you can use a digital scale to portion the dough to 35 grams each. Use your hands to roll the dough into balls.Tip: at this point the dough balls can be frozen. Freeze on a parchment lined sheet pan. Once frozen, transfer the balls to a storage bag or container with parchment paper stacked in between layers of balls. Thaw at room temperature for about 45 minutes or until the balls are soft. Then proceed. Gently roll each ball in cane sugar and transfer to the parchment lined sheet pans, spacing at least 2 inches (5 centimeters) apart. No need to flatten or refrigerate the dough balls.
Bake
- Note: baking one sheet pan at a time produces a more evenly baked cookie. Bake at 350 Fahrenheit for 10 minutes (set a timer!). If baking two sheet pans at a time, rotate the pans top to bottom, front to back half way through baking, adding 30-60 seconds more to the bake time.
- The cookies are done baking when they're crackly on top, puffy, edges are set, yet still look moist in the cracks. Remove from the oven and place the pan on a cooling rack. Let the cookies rest on the pan for five minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
- Store in a lidded container for up to four days at room temperature. They'll soften and become more chewy as they set.
Delicious cookie with a nice chew. My sweetheart made with last week and added some chopped candied ginger to them. We both loved them! Thanks so much, Traci.
Hi Tom! Thank you for your note, candied ginger tip and sending a smile!
Have you tried these with gluten-free flour?
Hi Deb! I have not.
I made them with Gluten free flour, and they were amazing, a huge hit
Best news ever, Deb! Can you tell us what flour(s) you used? Thank you for your note!
I used Ardent Mill’s all purpose gluten free flour, bought at Costco here in Canada
Thank you for your tip, Deb!