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.
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword Molasses Cookies
Prep Time 6 hourshours
Cook Time 12 minutesminutes
Servings 6to 8 Dozen
Ingredients
1 ½cupsbutter or Parkay Original Margarine, at room temperature*see notes below
2cupsgranulated sugar
½ cupdark molasses
2eggs, beaten
Remaining Dry Ingredients
4teaspoons baking soda
4cups all-purpose flour
1teaspoonground cloves
1teaspoonground ginger
2teaspoons ground cinnamon
1teaspoon 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.