Fresh Ginger Molasses Cookies (soft & chewy!)

Close up of chewy ginger molasses cookies.

Fresh Ginger Molasses Cookies (soft & chewy!)

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.

Prep Time: Weighing the dough balls takes far less time than scooping.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Diet Vegetarian

Keyword Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Prep Time 35

Cook Time 10

Resting Time 2

Total Time 2 45

Servings cookies (35 grams each)

Calories 135kcal

Author Traci York

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.

Video

Notes

*Fresh Grated Ginger: use a microplane to grate your ginger. There's no need to peel it. While some of the skin will get into the freshly grated ginger, as you grate, most of it will fall away on top of the grater.

Kitchen Tools: For accurate oven temperature monitoring, I recommend an external digital oven thermometer. Weigh your ingredients using a digital kitchen scale for the best outcome (affiliate link).

Nutrition