Chock full of spices, molasses, and candied ginger... I feel I have a duty to warn you that these Chewy Molasses Cookies with Candied Ginger are absolutely and utterly addictive. They're slightly crispy on the outside, while chewy on the inside and they're calling your name this weekend!
Our Key Ingredients
Candied Ginger
Candied ginger is made of ginger root that has been cooked until softened, and then lightly coated in sugar. Sprinkling roughly chopped bits of candied ginger into this cookie dough adds such a delightful surprise and texture when biting into each and every cookie, not to mention the intense burst of spicy-sweet flavor. I like to incorporate the candied ginger bits as I would chocolate chips, right before the dough is completed and ready to be chilled.
Molasses
Molasses is a sweet, syrup that's incredibly dark and known to flavor countless holiday baked goods and the classic ginger molasses cookie. It's made during the extraction of sugars from sugarcane and sugar beets and was known to be used quite often as a sweetener in the past when sugar was rather hard to come by!
Cinnamon Sugar
When adding spices to sugar, I usually use a ratio of 1 part sugar and 1/10 part cinnamon. So, for example, I tend to weigh 100 grams of sugar then add ten grams of whichever spice(s) I prefer. It's a great way to coat sugar cookies, doughnuts, sprinkle on creme brûlées, or garnish on top of various baked goods!
How to make Chewy Molasses Cookies with Candied Ginger
- First off, whisk together your dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sea salt, and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter and sugars in your mixing bowl, and using the paddle attachment, cream until you reach a fluffy, rather pale color. Make sure to take a second to scrape down the bowl before then adding your egg then the molasses.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients in three separate stages, mixing until your ingredients have fully combined. At this point, the dough will seem quite sticky! Place into an airtight container let the dough rest in the fridge for an hour or so until firm and chilled.
- Before getting ready to scoop each cookie, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking tray with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, roll your chilled dough into small balls. Place the cinnamon sugar into a small bowl, and one by one, coat each cookie completely in sugar.
- Place your preferred number of cookies onto a baking sheet and bake for about 11 minutes. Remove from the oven once you start to see some slight cracks on top and let cookies sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Chilling & Freezing The Dough
Once you've mixed the cookie dough, make sure to place it in the fridge to chill for at least an hour. This chilling process helps to solidify the fat in your dough prior to baking. Since these cookies have a significant amount of butter, chilling the dough before baking your cookies from spreading in the oven and allows them to retain their shape.
Instead of baking all your cookies all at once, I prefer to keep the scooped dough wrapped in the freezer. Then, when you get another craving, pull a few out and bake them fresh!
Once you've chilled the cookie dough for at least one hour, scoop into balls using a cookie scooper or tablespoon. Place scooped cookies on a small baking sheet or plate lined with parchment paper after coating in cinnamon sugar. Wrap with plastic, then place in the freezer for thirty minutes.
This process allows the cookies to firm up a bit before placing frozen cookies into a ziplock bag and storing them in the freezer. Freezing the cookies separately for thirty minutes will prevent them from sticking together in the ziplock.
The next time you have a craving for a freshly baked ginger molasses cookie, simply remove the cookie from the freezer and bake! It may take you a few extra minutes to bake as they are frozen so keep this in mind as you set your timer.
Additional Cookie Recipes to Try!
- Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies
- Pastel Holiday Cookies
- Rosemary Shortbread Cookies
- Horchata Ginger Molasses Ice Cream Sandwiches
Chewy Molasses Cookies with Candied Ginger
Equipment
- Spatula
- Bowls
- Mixer
- Tablespoon or Small Cookie Scoop
- Parchment Paper
- Baking Sheet
Ingredients
- ¾ Cup (170 g) Unsalted Butter, room temperature
- ½ Cup (100 g) Granulated Sugar
- ½ Cup (110 g) Brown Sugar, packed
- 4 tablespoon Molasses
- 1 Egg, room temperature
- 2 Cups + 2 Tbsp (270 g) All Purpose-Flour
- 2 teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 teaspoon Ginger
- 2 teaspoon Cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon Cloves
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- ¼ Cup (50 g) Candied Minced Ginger
- Cinnamon Sugar: 4 Parts Granulated Sugar, 1 Part Cinnamon
Instructions
- Whisk together your dry ingredients – the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, sea salt and nutmeg in a bowl and set aside.
- Place the butter and sugars in your mixing bowl and using the paddle attachment, cream until you reach a fluffy, rather pale color. Make sure to take a second to scrape down the bowl before then adding your egg then the molasses.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients in three separate stages, mixing until your ingredients have fully combined. Then, add candied ginger mixing for a few moments more to incorporate.
- At this point the dough will seem quite sticky! Place into an airtight container let it rest in the fridge for an hour or so until firm and chilled.
- Before getting ready to scoop each cookie, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your baking tray with parchment paper.
- Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon, roll your chilled dough into small balls. Place the cinnamon sugar into a small bowl, and one by one, coat each cookie completely in sugar.
- Place your preferred number of cookies onto a baking sheet and bake for about 11 minutes. Remove from the oven once you start to see some slight cracks on top and let cookies sit undisturbed for 3-5 minutes. Then, transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- If you don’t end up baking off all your cookies at once, place your scooped and sugar coated extras in a ziplock bag and throw into the freezer. Bake them fresh as desired!
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