The Best Molasses Cookies You Will Ever Eat (Seriously!)

Today I’m sharing my favorite cookie recipe, adapted from Dorie Greenspan’s wonderful book Baking: From My Home to Yours.  I make these all through the fall and winter and everyone loves them.  Everyone.  

Ingredients

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

3-4 twists of the pepper grinder

1  1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter at room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap!)

1 large egg

         About 1/2 cup sugar for rolling

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice and pepper and set aside.  Beat butter on medium speed until smooth,  Add the brown sugar and molasses and beat for two minutes.  Add the egg and beat for one minute more.  Reduce mixer speed to low add add dry ingredients just until they disappear.  To avoid overmixing, stir in the last bit of remaining dry ingredients by hand.

Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic.  Freeze for 30 minutes or refrigerate for at least an hour.  Dough may be refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Center a rack in the oven and line baking sheets with parchment.  Working with one batch of dough at a time, roll about a tablespoon of dough between your palms until you have a smooth round ball.  Roll the ball in sugar and place on cookie sheets about two inches apart.  You should be able to roll about 15 cookies from each batch of dough.

Bake cookies for about 11 – 13 minutes at 350 degrees until the tops feel set to the touch.  They should be chewy, not crispy.  Use a spatula to peek under the cookie.  The bottom should be set and slightly firm but not hard.  Transfer cookies to a rack to cool.

They are soooo good, either fresh from the oven or cooled.  I may or may not squirt a dollop of whipped cream on them when no one is looking 😉 FYI…delicious.

I’ve found that they keep well for up to a week.  They don’t dry out quickly like other cookies, which is helpful when you’re making large batches around the holidays.  I often double the recipe and keep some in the fridge or freezer, making a few when I need Christmas gifts for teachers, bus drivers and neighbors.  I’ve even frozen the balls of dough which makes it super easy to cook a small batch as needed.

If you make these, let me know how they turn out!  Do you have a favorite go-to cookie recipe for the holidays?

Happy Baking!