Chewy Double Ginger Molasses Cookies

I’ve been adapting my Chocolate Chip Cookies 2.0 recipe into all sorts of fun flavors, like Seven Layer Cookies, Ultimate Chocolate Cookies, and now these Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies for the holidays.

I do love my Pan-banging Ginger Molasses Cookies, but I also wanted to come up with a version that didn’t require any extra step. This version is also based on the Ginger Cookie from 100 Cookies, but has more ginger flavor thanks to fresh, grated ginger. I know that most everyone has a strong opinion on how they want their molasses cookies to be (soft! hard! chewy! dense! coated in sugar! no sugar! fresh ginger! just ground spices!). My favorite way is crispy edges, a tender center, and plenty of ginger flavor. I use both fresh, grated ginger and crystallized ginger in these cookies for fabulous, spicy flavor.

These Double Ginger Molasses Cookies pack incredibly well, making them perfect for holiday cookie boxes. Their flavor also continues to deepen for a day or two after they’re made.

Ingredient Notes For Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies:

• All-purpose flour: Make sure your all-purpose flour is not too high or low in protein; I like to use Gold Medal unbleached all-purpose for cookie baking. At 10.5 percent protein it is a good, moderate choice to keep baked goods tender.
• Unsalted butter: I use unsalted butter in my recipes so I can control the salt content. This recipe uses both salt in the dough and sprinkled on top before baking, so unsalted works well here in order to keep the cookies from getting too salty.
• Molasses: I use light molasses here; dark molasses or blackstrap has a stronger, more bitter flavor, and I haven’t tried substituting it.
• Candied Ginger: Candied ginger is sweet and spicy, and adds a lot of flavor. It can be omitted, but I highly recommend it.
• Sanding Sugar: I like to use equal parts granulated sugar and sanding sugar for sprinkling/rolling. I find the granulated sugar helps totally cover the dough, and the sanding sugar gives extra sparkle and crunch. 

This particular recipe doesn’t need to be refrigerated. These taste best when the centers are slightly under baked, just like the chocolate chip cookies.

To Freeze Cookie Dough:

Cookie dough can also be formed into balls and frozen for up to 2 weeks. Freeze them on a sheet pan without them touching, then move into a freezer bag. When you’re ready to bake, let the cookies sit out at room temperature until the oven preheats. The cookies will need an extra minute if baked frozen.

More Cookie Recipes:

• Red Velvet Sugar Cookies (and a mint version!)
• Seven Layer Cookies
• Chocolate Chip Cookies 2.0, My New Favorite

Chewy Double Ginger Molasses Cookies

Servings: 15 cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Chewy molasses cookies with crispy edges, a tender center, and plenty of ginger flavor. I use both fresh, grated ginger and crystallized ginger in these cookies for fabulous, spicy flavor.

Sarah Kieffer

4.97 from 27 votes

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Ingredients

• 2 ½ cups [355 g] all-purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• Pinch cloves
• 9 tablespoons [126 g] unsalted butter at room temperature
• ¾ cup [150 g] brown sugar
• ¾ cup [150 g] granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger or ginger paste
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup [113 g] mild unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• ¼ cup [32 g] crystallized ginger chopped fine, optional
• Sanding sugar for rolling
• Flaky salt for sprinkling, optional

Equipment

• Half Sheet Pan
• Size 24 Cookie Scoop

Instructions

• Adjust an oven rack to the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400F [200C]. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg, and cloves.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the brown and granulated sugars, fresh ginger, and salt and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the molasses, egg, yolk, and vanilla, and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just combined. Add the crystallized ginger if using and mix on low until distributed evenly. Use a rubber spatula to give the dough a final mix and make sure it is completely combined.
• Form the dough into balls, about 2 tablespoons each [50 g], and roll into the sanding sugar, covering the whole ball of dough. Place 8 cookies on each sheet pan. Sprinkle each cookie with a little flaky salt, if desired.
• Bake one pan at a time, rotating halfway through baking. Bake the cookies until the tops are golden brown and the cookies are slightly puffed and starting to crinkle, 9 to 11 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and use the back of a spatula to gently press the top of each cookie to flatten it. Let the cookies rest on the sheet pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Cookies are best slightly warm but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days. Cookies will soften the longer they sit. Cookie dough can be formed and refrigerated overnight, then baked the next day; the cookies may need an extra minute if chilled. Cookie dough can also be formed into balls and frozen for up to 2 weeks; let the cookies sit out at room temperature until the oven preheats. The cookies will need an extra minute if baked frozen.

Notes

Variation Ginger Molasses Cookies with Caramelized White Chocolate – Add 2 oz finely chopped caramelized white chocolate to the dough along with the crystallized ginger. (White chocolate doesn’t melt the same way regular chocolate does, so I like to make sure it is finely chopped.)

* I have not had trouble with the bottoms browning too much, but something to note: using an oven thermometer to check the temperature of your oven can be helpful; many ovens are off by up to 25 degrees (mine included). If your oven runs hot, you can bake a single cookie first to see how it turns out. If the bottom is too dark for your liking, you can stack two sheet pans on top of each other and bake the cookies on them to slow down browning. 

* I like to use equal parts granulated sugar and sanding sugar for sprinkling/rolling – I find the granulated sugar helps totally cover the dough, and the sanding sugar gives extra sparkle and crunch. 

*I prefer to sprinkle the flaky salt on the tops of the cookies before baking vs after – I think that it helps bring out more flavor without tasting overwhelmingly salty. 

*Throughout my recipes posted on this website, 1 cup of flour equals 142g. Please note that 1 cup of flour can range anywhere from 120g to 142g, depending on the baker or website. I found that after weighting many cups of flour and averaging the total, mine always ended up around this number. If I am posting a recipe from another cookbook, I will use whatever gram measure of flour used in that book, which is why you may see a few posts with a different cup measurement. 

Different brands of flour have varying levels of protein, ranging from low to high, which can result in very different outcomes when baking. I’ve found Gold Medal all-purpose unbleached flour to be the best option for many of my recipes; I use it in all the baked goods that don’t use yeast. For yeasted doughs that call for all-purpose flour, I like to use King Arthur Brand. If you are using White Lily flour, please note that it is a low protein flour and doesn’t absorb liquid the same as regular all-purpose flours. Check the back of the flour bag for instructions on substituting it for regular all-purpose flours.