It’s the most wonderful time of the year, time to make Aunt Linda’s famous Molasses Sugar Cookies, a must-try cookie recipe!
The BEST molasses sugar cookies! Perfectly spiced with a crispy edge and a soft, chewy center.
Best Old-Fashioned Molasses Sugar Cookies
Perfectly spiced old-fashioned molasses cookies (Aunt Linda’s treasured recipe) – crispy on the edges with a soft, chewy center. Our family and friends think these are the best molasses cookies around, Santa agrees! These nostalgic cookies are a cinch to make and are a wonderful addition to holiday cookie trays, perfect for cookie swaps too. They also make a wonderful gift.
Read great reviews from people who tried this recipe on Pinterest (Photos)!
Original Post Date, October 26, 2016. Post Updated, November 26, 2023
I made this batch of cookies with my sister during my visit to Alaska last month. I’ve wanted to add this recipe to my blog for years. So a special thank you to my sister, Anastasia, for all the baking we did during my trip.
For this recipe, the dough is made ahead of time and refrigerated. We always make the dough the night before. The dough needs to be thoroughly chilled, which takes approximately 4–6 hours.
Please note, when the dough is thoroughly chilled and ready to be rolled, the dough will be very stiff.
When these cookies are baking, the house fills with the sweet smell of the holidays. Someone cue the music, “Tis the season to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la.”
If you are looking for a terrific molasses cookie recipe, just like grandma used to make – look no further!
The Best Old-Fashioned Molasses Sugar Cookies
Perfectly spiced old-fashioned molasses cookies (Aunt Linda's treasured recipe) - crispy on the edges with a soft, chewy center. Our family and friends think these are the best molasses cookies around, Santa agrees! These nostalgic cookies are a cinch to make and are a wonderful addition to holiday cookie trays, perfect for cookie swaps too. They also make a wonderful gift.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups butter or Parkay Original Margarine, at room temperature *see notes below
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup dark molasses
- 2 eggs, beaten
Remaining Dry Ingredients
- 4 teaspoons baking soda
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Turbinado or Sparkling sugar to coat the unbaked cookies
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Stir in the eggs and molasses until completely blended.
- In a separate large bowl, mix all the remaining dry ingredients together. Add the butter mixture to the flour mixture and mix well until combined completely. Cover the dough tightly and refrigerate overnight.IMPORTANT – The dough needs to be thoroughly chilled. When the dough is thoroughly chilled and ready to be rolled, it will be very stiff. Allow at least 4 to 6 hours to chill.
When dough is ready to bake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and coat them with Turbinado sugar. Bake the cookies on a sheet pan, placed 1–2 inches apart, for 10-12 min. The cookies should crackle on top and have golden edges.
- Recipe makes 6 to 8 dozen, depending on size.
Notes
*Note
If you were to ask my aunt which to use, butter or Parkay, she would say (passionately), Parkay! The original recipe, which dates back to 1981, calls for Parkay Original Margarine. Parkay can sometimes be difficult to find, especially in Alaska. If you can’t find Parkay, use butter – the cookies turn out wonderful! When it comes to margarine, I recommend ONLY using PARKAY ORIGINAL MARGARINE. Some brands of margarine have a higher water content and will make the cookies super flat.
If you were to ask my aunt which to use, butter or Parkay, she would say (passionately), Parkay! The original recipe, which dates back to 1981, calls for Parkay Original Margarine. Parkay can sometimes be difficult to find, especially in Alaska. If you can’t find Parkay, use butter – the cookies turn out wonderful! When it comes to margarine, I recommend ONLY using PARKAY ORIGINAL MARGARINE. Some brands of margarine have a higher water content and will make the cookies super flat.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Laura
Have you tried freezing the dough uncooked? Or tried freezing the cookies after baking?
Mary Neumann
Hello Laura, I have not, but you can freeze the dough. Just roll out the cookie dough, roll in sugar, then place them on a cookie sheet and freeze. Once they are frozen, you can place the cookie dough balls in a freezer bag.
dot
can this recipe be made gluten free?
Mary Neumann
Hello Dot,
I have not used GF flour or attempted to make these cookies gluten-free. But here is a helpful link from King Arthur Baking Company, that may give you an idea how to bake many things with their 1 for 1 GF flour. This is not a sponsored link, I have no affiliation with the company.
“Make (almost) any recipe gluten-free” https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/learn/guides/gluten-free
dot
Thank you much…
Jill Johnson
Well, my grandma’s molasses sugar cookies were like little hockey pucks. You had to dunk them in coffee. They were good though! We have strong teeth in my family.
This recipe is (sorry grandma) better. These cookies are crispy and crunchy, and perfect in every way, I really love these so much! These are my favorite cookies in the entire world. Thank you for sharing this perfect recipe with a mom in Gig Harbor, WA! Love and hugs all around, Jill
Beth Kirk
my bowling friends Loved it .They said it was the best cookies ever.After that they started to share their favorite cookie recipes with me . That was very nice but the molasses cookies were still the best
cathy
These are the best molasses cookies I’ve ever tasted! THank you! Have you ever iced these w/ royal icing? If so, how’d they come out? Thank you!
elmer STARK
can i add peanut butter to the molasses cookies
Mary Neumann
Peanut butter won’t work with this cookie batter, Elmer.
Tara
Do you still need to put 1 teaspoon of salt when using salted butter?
Jill Johnson
Yes. It makes them taste better. But if you don’t want to, don’t do it. After all, they are your cookies! 😀
Michelle
The cookies are amazing. Couldn’t stop eating them.
Sheila
Can these be made with butter instead of margarine?
Mary Neumann
Yes, Sheila! The cookies above are made with butter 🙂 Happy baking!
Gwen
Yes!! Everything is better with butter!
Jill Johnson
Hi Gwen, YES absolutely! Butter is the best in my opinion in this recipe. Some people say crisco makes cookies crunchier, and I guess that is true.. probably.. but.. no huge difference to me and I like the taste of butter better, any day! Jill
Jill Johnson
Yes. Either one will work equally good. The butter tastes better in my humble opinion.. and I mean.. seriously, you only have a couple a day right? ;o Jill