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    Home » Cookies

    Molasses Crinkle Cookies

    December 17, 2022 By Ashley Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe

    This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my privacy policy for more information.

    If there is one cookie I have to bake every holiday season, it's these molasses crinkle cookies. These crackly topped cookies are cozy, festive and a holiday family favorite.

    close up of cookie tied with holiday twine

    These chewy cookies are full of warm spices like cinnamon, ginger, and cardamom and deeply flavored with toasty molasses and caramel-y brown sugar.

    Jump to:
    • Why You'll Love These Cookies
    • Recipe Ingredients
    • Recipe Instructions
    • Tips for Perfect Cookies
    • Storage and Freezing
    • FAQs
    • More Cookie Recipes to Try
    • Recipe

    Why You'll Love These Cookies

    • These cookies are soft and chewy, with crisp edges.
    • They are egg free and can be made gluten-free by replacing the flour with a gluten free baking blend.
    • Easy to follow recipe with step by step instructions and photos.

    Recipe Ingredients

    All purpose flour

    Spices - Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves

    Fine sea salt

    Baking soda

    Unsalted butter

    Brown sugar - light or dark

    Molasses - Choose a dark molasses but do not use blackstrap molasses. It is very intense and bitter.

    Flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a bowl, butter and brown sugar beaten together, adding hot water, adding flour mixture to egg and sugar mixture

    Recipe Instructions

    1. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves in a medium bowl.
    2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar and molasses.
    3. Beat in the hot water.
    4. Add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture.
    5. Beat until just combined.
    6. Scoop the dough into portions with 2 tablespoon cookie scoop.
    7. Roll the scoops into balls and roll in granulated sugar.
    8. Press down on the cookie to flatten slightly with the bottom of glass or measuring cup. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
    finished dough in bowl, scooped dough balls, rolling dough balls in sugar, flattened dough balls

    Tips for Perfect Cookies

    • Properly measure your ingredients. Baking with a scale is always recommended as it is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and create a consistent recipe. But if you're not using a scale, you want to spoon and level your flour. Fluff up the flour a bit with a spoon, as the flour sort of settles as it sits. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup so that it is overflowing. Use the back of a knife to level it off, taking care to not pack flour into the measuring cup.
    • When the cookies come right out of the oven, scoot around them in circular motion with a large round cookie cutter. This will help give the cookies a perfect round shape.

    Storage and Freezing

    Store the baked cookies in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

    To freeze the dough, after scooping the dough into balls, refrigerate to firm up the dough. Place the dough balls into a freezer bag, or airtight container and place in the freezer for up to three months. Defrost the cookies in the fridge then roll in sugar before baking.

    baked molasses crinkle cookies

    FAQs

    What Equipment is Needed to Make These Cookies?

    (2) Light colored cookie sheets, an electric mixer and a 2 tablespoon ice cream/cookie scoop is recommended, but you can also mix the dough by hand or with a hand mixer.

    Can these molasses crinkle cookies be made gluten free?

    Switch out the flour in this recipe for a gluten free baking blend. My preferred gluten free flour is Cup4Cup.

    Can any variations be made to this recipe?

    These are even more amazing dipped in white chocolate.
    Really increase the ginger flavor by adding chopped crystallized ginger.

    If you make these molasses crinkle cookies, let me know! Drop a comment or tag me on Instagram. I love seeing your bakes and creations.

    Enjoy!

    Ash xx

    More Cookie Recipes to Try

    Cranberry Chai Thumbprint Cookies

    Peppermint Mocha Macarons

    Apple Butter Rugelach Cookies

    Chocolate Marshmallow Thumbprint Cookies

    Lemon Biscotti with Pistachios and White Chocolate

    Recipe

    Molasses Crinkle Cookies

    Soft and chewy spiced molasses cookies
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Servings12 cookies
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time10 mins
    Total Time25 mins

    Equipment

    • Electric Stand Mixer
    • 2 Baking Sheet
    • Cookie scoop (Medium, 2 tbsp)

    Ingredients
     

    • 1½ cups all purpose flour
    • 1¼ teaspoons cinnamon
    • 1¼ teaspoons ginger
    • 1 teaspoon baking soda
    • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg
    • ⅛ teaspoon cardamom
    • ⅛ teaspoon cloves
    • ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • ½ cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark)
    • ⅓ cup molasses
    • 2 teaspoons hot water
    • ¼ cup granulated sugar

    Instructions
     

    • Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
    • In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cardamom and cloves.
      1½ cups all purpose flour, 1¼ teaspoons cinnamon, 1¼ teaspoons ginger, 1 teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon cardamom, ⅛ teaspoon cloves
    • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, brown sugar and molasses. Beat on medium speed until lightened and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.
      ½ cup unsalted butter, room temperature, ½ cup brown sugar, packed (light or dark), ⅓ cup molasses
    • Beat in the hot water.
      2 teaspoons hot water
    • On low speed, beat in the flour/spice mixture until just combined.
    • Scoop the dough with a medium size/2 tablespoon ice cream scoop onto prepared baking sheets.
    • Roll the scooped dough into balls.
    • Roll the dough balls in the granulated sugar to coat. Place on the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2" between the cookies.
      ¼ cup granulated sugar
    • Use the bottom of a measuring cup or the bottom of a glass to flatten the cookies slightly.
    • Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the edges look set and the tops cracked.
    • Remove from the oven and allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 255kcalCarbohydrates: 42gProtein: 3gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.4gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 147mgPotassium: 145mgFiber: 1gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 247IUVitamin C: 0.02mgCalcium: 31mgIron: 2mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    Hi, I’m Ashley! Welcome to the Little Vintage Baking blog – where you will find recipes, tutorials and more for bakers and cake decorators.

    More about me →

    Ashley's Favorite Recipes

    • Lavender Lemon Curd Linzer Cookies
    • Milk and Cookies Cake
    • Fruity Pebbles Cupcakes
    • Lemon Meringue Cheesecake

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