Irresistibly Soft & Chewy Old-Fashioned Iced Molasses Cookies: Your New Favorite Holiday Treat
These wonderfully soft and incredibly chewy Old-Fashioned Iced Molasses Cookies are an absolute dream to bake and even easier to enjoy! Discover how to create these delightful chewy molasses crinkle cookies, infused with the warm essence of ginger, rich butter, sweet sugar, and fragrant spices like allspice and cloves. Whether you’re preparing a small batch for an intimate gathering or a large quantity for festive holiday celebrations, these sweet treats are guaranteed to vanish quickly!
For as long as I can remember, I’ve been on a quest to find the ultimate recipe for molasses cookies – one that could replicate the sheer joy I felt biting into those iconic cookies from the mall’s cookie company. They were always wonderfully large, distinctively chewy ginger molasses cookies, lovingly drizzled with a sweet white icing. Those iced ginger cookies were, without a doubt, my absolute favorite. The perfect balance of spice, chewiness, and that delicate sweetness from the icing was something I chased for years.
My website is home to several ginger-infused cookie recipes, each cherished in its own right: Karen’s Gingerbread Cookies, rich Chewy Brown Butter Gingersnaps, delicate Regency Ginger Crisps, and even a unique Gingersnoodle Cookie recipe that masterfully blends the best of a snickerdoodle with a classic ginger cookie. While each of these offers a delightful experience, my heart was set on recapturing that specific cookie satisfaction from my mall memories. And my friends, after countless attempts and much delightful experimentation, I have finally found it – the very essence of those perfect iced ginger molasses cookies!
The moment I stumbled upon this recipe, I knew it was the one. It’s incredibly easy to follow, yielding cookies that are supremely soft and bursting with flavor. The delicate yet distinct notes of ginger and molasses truly shine through each irresistible crinkle, creating a symphony of taste that’s deeply satisfying. What elevates these cookies from great to extraordinary is the simple, sweet icing. It’s more than just a topping; it’s the finishing touch that perfectly complements the spiced cookie, taking them over the top into pure cookie bliss. These aren’t just cookies; they’re a comforting trip down memory lane, made fresh in your own kitchen.
Why This Recipe for Iced Molasses Cookies Is So Great
- Effortless to Make: These soft iced molasses cookies are surprisingly simple to prepare, making them accessible even for novice bakers. With straightforward steps and common pantry ingredients, you’ll be whipping up a batch of the best molasses cookies you’ve ever tasted in no time.
- Perfectly Sweet & Spiced: The harmonious blend of molasses and granulated sugar ensures these cookies are perfectly sweet without being overpowering. Coupled with the aromatic ginger, allspice, and cloves, each bite offers a delightful balance of warmth and sweetness that tantalizes the taste buds.
- Ideal for Festive Celebrations: There’s something inherently festive about these delicate cookies. Their warm spices and inviting aroma make them an indispensable addition to any Christmas or holiday dessert spread, complementing all your other cherished baked treats beautifully. They’re sure to become a holiday tradition!
- Irresistibly Chewy Texture: Prepare to be amazed by the incredible chewiness of these molasses cookies. Their soft, pliable texture is deeply satisfying, making every bite a delightful experience that will leave you craving more. This characteristic chewiness is a hallmark of truly great molasses cookies.
- Classic Old-Fashioned Appeal: This recipe captures the nostalgic essence of classic baking. It’s a taste of tradition, bringing comforting, familiar flavors that remind you of Grandma’s kitchen or beloved childhood treats.
The Fascinating Origin of Molasses Cookies
The beloved ginger molasses cookie has a rich and captivating history, tracing its roots back to the charming town of Marblehead, Massachusetts. Here, these classic cookies were originally known as “Joe Froggers.” The name itself is steeped in local folklore, inspired by a spirited fisherman named Uncle Joe, who lived adjacent to a large, bustling frog pond. Uncle Joe was renowned for his secret recipe, a batch of delicious cookies he generously shared with his fellow fishermen who couldn’t get enough of them.
Legend has it that Uncle Joe’s secret recipe eventually transcended the fishing community, spreading throughout the country and allowing people from all walks of life to savor these delectable, classic molasses cookies. What made these early cookies so unique was their remarkable ability to stay fresh for an extended period, a practical benefit for fishermen out at sea. This longevity, combined with their irresistible flavor, quickly cemented their status as a beloved treat.
Even to this day, Joe Frogger cookies hold a special place in the culinary landscape of Massachusetts. They are still proudly sold in bakeries across the state and are considered cherished delicacies by many. This enduring legacy speaks volumes about the timeless appeal of these old-fashioned treats, a staple in countless kitchens that continue to bring comfort and joy with every bite. Understanding their origin adds another layer of appreciation for these simple yet profound cookies.
Essential Ingredients for Delicious Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Dry Ingredients
Sugar: This recipe calls for both white granulated sugar for the cookie dough itself, contributing to its sweetness and texture, and powdered sugar (also known as confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar) for creating that luscious, smooth icing that perfectly complements the spiced cookies. The granular sugar helps create those signature crinkles, while the powdered sugar ensures a silky glaze.
All-Purpose Flour: The foundation of most cookie recipes, all-purpose flour provides the necessary structure and consistency for these chewy molasses cookies. It binds the ingredients together, ensuring the cookies hold their shape while still maintaining their characteristic softness and chew.
Baking Soda: A crucial leavening agent, baking soda is essential for helping the cookies rise and achieve their desired puffiness and eventual crinkled texture. Without adequate baking soda, your cookies would likely turn out flat and dense, missing that iconic soft crinkle. Ensure it’s fresh for optimal results!
Aromatic Spices: The heart of these traditional molasses crinkle cookies lies in their exquisite spice blend. You’ll need ground ginger for its characteristic warmth and zing, ground allspice for its complex notes reminiscent of cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and ground cloves for their intense, sweet-spicy aroma. These spices together create the deep, comforting flavor profile that defines old-fashioned molasses cookies.
Wet Ingredients
Softened Salted Butter: Using softened salted butter is key to achieving the wonderfully chewy and soft texture of these cookies. Butter that is at room temperature creams easily with sugar, incorporating air and creating a light, fluffy base for your dough. If your butter is too cold, it will be difficult to combine evenly, affecting the final texture of your cookies.
Egg White: Just one egg white is added to the dough to contribute to the cookies’ signature puffy and fluffy consistency. It helps to lighten the dough and contributes to the delightful, airy interior that molasses cookies are famous for, giving them that perfect chew without being overly dense.
Molasses: The star ingredient! Molasses is a thick, dark, and wonderfully rich syrup, typically a byproduct of refining sugar cane or sugar beets. In this recipe, it serves not only as a primary sweetener but also imparts its distinctive, deep, slightly smoky, and caramel-like flavor, as well as contributing significantly to the chewy texture and dark hue of these old-fashioned baked treats. Its unique properties are irreplaceable for authentic molasses cookies.
Heavy Cream: A small amount of heavy cream is used to create the smooth, pourable, and sweet icing. When whisked with powdered sugar, it forms a glossy glaze that hardens slightly, adding a beautiful finish and an extra layer of sweetness that balances the rich spices of the cookie.
Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make Irresistible Iced Molasses Cookies
Crafting these delightful iced molasses cookies is a straightforward process, ensuring you end up with perfectly baked treats. Follow these steps carefully, moving from left to right as illustrated in the process photos, and be sure to refer to the comprehensive recipe card at the end of this article for precise measurements and additional details.
1. Cream the Butter and Sugar
Begin by preheating your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C) and lining a sturdy baking sheet with parchment paper. This preparation ensures your cookies bake evenly and won’t stick. Next, in a large mixing bowl, either with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, combine the softened butter with ½ cup of granulated sugar. Beat these ingredients together on medium speed until the mixture becomes wonderfully light, fluffy, and pale in color. This creaming process incorporates air, which is crucial for the cookies’ soft texture.
2. Incorporate Molasses and Egg White
Once your butter and sugar are perfectly creamed, add the egg white and the rich, dark molasses to the bowl. Continue to beat the ingredients together until they are thoroughly combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure everything is well incorporated. The mixture will take on a darker, more caramel-like hue and a beautiful, thick consistency.
3. Sift and Mix Dry Ingredients
In a separate bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Sifting helps to break up any lumps and ensures the leavening agent and spices are evenly distributed throughout the dough. Gradually add this dry mixture into the wet butter and molasses mixture. Mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated and a soft dough forms. Be careful not to overmix, as this can lead to tougher cookies due. Overmixing develops the gluten too much, detracting from the desired soft and chewy texture.
4. Roll the Dough in Sugar
Divide the cookie dough into 12 equal portions and roll each portion into a smooth, round ball. This ensures uniform baking. Then, roll each dough ball generously in a bowl of granulated sugar. This sugar coating is what helps create those beautiful, sparkling crinkles on the surface of the cookies as they bake and expand. Finally, arrange the sugar-coated dough balls onto your prepared baking sheet, leaving adequate space between them to allow for spreading.
5. Bake to Perfection
Place the baking sheet into your preheated oven and bake the cookies for approximately 12 to 14 minutes. You’ll know they’re done when the edges begin to brown slightly, and the centers still look a little soft. Don’t be alarmed if the cookies appear quite puffy when you first remove them from the oven; this is perfectly normal! As they cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack, the cookies will naturally flatten and develop their characteristic crinkled tops, which are essential for true molasses crinkle cookies.
It’s crucial to allow the cookies to cool completely before applying the icing. While waiting, feel free to sneak a warm, un-iced cookie—they are absolutely delicious straight out of the oven, too!
6. Prepare the Sweet Icing
While the cookies are cooling, prepare the simple yet essential icing. In a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar and heavy cream until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy. Ensure there are no lumps, aiming for a consistency that is thick enough to cling to the cookies but still thin enough to drizzle beautifully.
Next, artfully drizzle the prepared icing over the cooled molasses cookies. The icing will naturally settle into the lovely cracks, enhancing their visual appeal. If you prefer a more even coating, you can use the back of a butter knife or a small offset spatula to gently spread the icing around the cookies. This simple step transforms them into those iconic iced molasses cookies everyone adores.
Allow the icing to fully set and harden on the cookies at room temperature before you stack or transfer them. This usually takes about 30-60 minutes, depending on the humidity. Once set, they can be carefully moved to an airtight container for storage.
Finally, take a moment to savor and enjoy these sweet, perfectly spiced, and wonderfully chewy crinkle cookies! They are truly a treat for any occasion, especially during the holidays.
The Science Behind Cracks: What Makes Molasses Cookies Crinkle?
The characteristic crinkled surface of these delightful molasses cookies isn’t just for show; it’s a desired texture that comes from a few key factors. For your cookies to achieve that beautiful cracked appearance, several elements need to align perfectly. Firstly, ensuring you have enough leavening agent, specifically baking soda, in your molasses cookie dough is paramount. Baking soda reacts with acidic ingredients (like molasses itself, which is slightly acidic) to produce carbon dioxide gas. This gas creates bubbles within the dough, causing the cookies to puff up during baking.
Secondly, a fully preheated oven is crucial. When the cookie dough hits a hot oven, the outside cooks and sets rapidly, forming a thin crust. As the gases produced by the baking soda continue to expand from the inside, the still-soft interior pushes against this set crust, causing it to crack and crinkle. The granulated sugar coating on the dough balls also plays a role, as the sugar melts and caramelizes, adding to the crispness of the surface and contributing to the cracking effect.
Conversely, mixing the dough too much can lead to fewer or no cracks. Overmixing develops the gluten in the flour excessively, making the dough tough and less prone to expanding and cracking in the desired way. So, a gentle hand during the final mixing steps, combined with the right leavening and proper oven temperature, is your secret to perfectly crinkled molasses cookies.
Expert Tips for the Best Iced Molasses Cookies
- Storage Solutions: To keep your iced molasses cookies fresh and delicious, store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature. They will retain their delightful flavor and soft, chewy texture for up to five days. For slightly longer enjoyment, you can keep them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week, though they might firm up a bit.
- For a Puffier Cookie: If you desire a molasses cookie with a slightly thicker, puffier profile, a simple trick is to chill the cookie dough before baking. Refrigerating the dough for at least 30 minutes to an hour (or even overnight) helps the butter solidify and prevents the cookies from spreading too quickly, resulting in a more substantial and puffier cookie.
- Freezing for Future Enjoyment: These old-fashioned molasses cookies freeze exceptionally well, making them perfect for meal prep or enjoying holiday treats year-round. Bake and cool the cookies completely, then arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze until solid. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer-safe airtight container or bag. When ready to serve, defrost the cookies at room temperature. It’s best to apply the icing after they have fully defrosted to maintain the icing’s texture and appearance.
- Don’t Overmix the Dough: As mentioned, overmixing develops gluten, leading to tougher cookies. Mix just until the dry ingredients are incorporated into the wet.
- Room Temperature Ingredients: Ensure your butter and egg white are at room temperature. This allows them to combine more smoothly and evenly, creating a consistent dough texture and better aeration when creaming the butter and sugar.
- Cooling is Key for Icing: Always wait until the cookies are completely cool before drizzling with icing. If the cookies are even slightly warm, the icing will melt and absorb into the cookie, rather than setting properly on top.
Love This Recipe? Be Sure to Pin It!
Trust me, you will absolutely want to keep this recipe for these incredibly delicious iced molasses cookies handy – I promise you won’t regret it! These soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies are destined to become a staple in your baking repertoire. Save this delightful dessert recipe to your holiday or general baking Pinterest board today, so you can easily find it and recreate these perfect treats for any occasion!
More Irresistible Cookie Recipes You Will Enjoy!
This week, I am thrilled to be celebrating #ChristmasCookies with a wonderful group of fellow blogger friends, bringing you an array of festive baking inspiration. In addition to these fabulous old-fashioned iced molasses cookies, here are some more of my personal favorite cookie recipes that I know you’ll love, along with some fantastic creations from my blogging pals:
- Old-Fashioned Spritz Cookies: Delicate, buttery, and perfect for holiday cookie platters.
- Kahlua Crinkles: A sophisticated twist on the classic crinkle cookie, infused with coffee liqueur.
- Pecan Butter Cookies: Rich, nutty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender.
- Peppermint Dipped Chocolate Chip Cookies: A festive upgrade to a timeless favorite.
- Glazed Lemon Cookies from House of Nash Eats: Bright, zesty, and wonderfully refreshing.
- Turtle Cookies: Decadent chocolate, caramel, and pecan goodness in cookie form.
- Chocolate Sugar Kiss Cookies: Soft chocolate cookies topped with a sweet kiss.
- Dark Chocolate Molasses Cookies: A rich, intense version of the classic, with deep chocolate notes.
Now, let’s gather our ingredients and bake some truly unforgettable chewy molasses cookies! Happy baking!
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Print Recipe
Old Fashioned Iced Molasses Cookies
Equipment
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Wilton Stainless Steel Cookie Scoop
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Kitchenaid Stand Mixer
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KitchenAid Hand Mixer
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13×18 Half Sheet Pan
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons salted butter softened, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg white
- 4 Tablespoons molasses (unsulfured for best flavor)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- For the Icing: 1 1/4 cups powdered sugar and 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (175°C). Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
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In a large mixing bowl, using either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or an electric hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and ½ cup of granulated sugar until the mixture is light, fluffy, and pale.
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Add the egg white and molasses to the creamed butter and sugar. Beat these ingredients together until they are fully combined and the mixture is smooth.
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In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, ground cloves, and ground allspice. Gradually add this sifted dry mixture into the wet butter-molasses mixture. Mix on low speed just until the flour is incorporated and a cohesive dough forms. Be careful not to overmix.
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Roll the cookie dough into 12 even balls. Roll each dough ball generously in additional granulated sugar (not listed in ingredients, but implied in original text and standard practice) before placing them onto the prepared cookie sheet, ensuring ample space between each cookie.
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Bake the cookies for approximately 12-14 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn a light golden brown. The cookies will be puffy when removed from the oven but will gracefully flatten and develop their signature cracks as they cool.
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Allow the baked cookies to cool completely on a wire rack before proceeding to the icing step. This is crucial for the icing to set properly.
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While the cookies cool, prepare the icing: In a small bowl, whisk the powdered sugar and heavy cream together until the mixture is smooth, creamy, and free of lumps. Drizzle the icing artistically over the cooled cookies, allowing it to naturally fill into the beautiful crinkles. For a more even spread, use the back of a small knife or an offset spatula if desired.
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Allow the icing to fully set and harden on the cookies at room temperature before transferring them to an airtight container for storage.
Notes
These chewy molasses cookies freeze wonderfully! For best results, bake and cool them completely, then freeze them un-iced in an airtight container. Defrost them fully at room temperature before preparing and applying the icing.
Nutrition
Thursday Christmas Cookie Recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cocoa Powder Cookies from Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice: Deep chocolate flavor with a classic twist.
- Cinnamon Cookies from Daily Dish Recipes: Simple, comforting, and wonderfully aromatic.
- Coconut Cookies from Magical Ingredients: Tropical sweetness in every soft bite.
- Cranberry Orange Cookies from Devour Dinner: A delightful blend of tart and citrusy flavors.
- Old Fashioned Iced Molasses Cookies from An Affair from the Heart: (That’s this amazing recipe you’re currently enjoying!)
- Gingerbread Biscotti from Kate’s Recipe Box: Crunchy, spiced, and perfect for dipping.
- Hot Chocolate Macarons from Jen Around the World: Elegant, rich, and a beautiful treat.
- Meltaway Cookies from Palatable Pastime: Incredibly tender and buttery, true to their name.
- Nastar Cookies from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures: Delicious pineapple-filled Indonesian cookies.
- Polish Cream Cheese Cookies from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks: Soft, delicate, and subtly sweet.
- Turtle Chocolate Chip Cookies from Blogghetti: Combining the best of two classic desserts.