These ginger molasses cookies are chewy, soft and have a perfect combination of spices. For an extra gingery punch, we top them with some candied ginger!
Ginger all the way…
When I think of a classic Christmas cookie, ginger molasses cookies are the first thing that come to mind. There is a farm to table restaurant local to where I attended college that made the best ginger molasses cookie. It’s topped with candied ginger and I get it every time I’m in town. I was inspired by that cookie for this ginger molasses cookie recipe.
This ginger molasses cookie recipe is no chill and comes together very quickly. If you would like to see a video tutorial click here!
How to make these Ginger Molasses Cookies:
To make these ginger molasses cookies we start with good quality unsalted butter at room temperature. Beat it together with the brown sugar and the granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
We then add in our molasses and eggs and mix again. Scrape down the bowl after this step because everything will likely not be well incorporated after just mixing once. Mix again.
In a separate bowl we whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, allspice and salt.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix, making sure not to overmix! Scoop out 2” balls of dough and roll each cookie dough ball in sugar.
Optionally, top each cookie dough ball with a few pieces of candied ginger before baking.
If you can’t find candied ginger in your local grocery store (you can usually find some in the spice aisle) this brand is pretty great and can be ordered on Amazon.
Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350F. The cookies will be very soft when removed from the oven. Allow them to cool for another 5-10 minutes on the hot baking tray before eating!
Can baking be therapeutic?
I often talk about baking being a therapeutic hobby but I’d like to share more about why I feel that way as well as how it can become a relaxing hobby for you!
When I bake, it’s my creative time. I may put on my favorite nostalgic movie or tv show in the background, or a Spotify playlist titled “French café” and leave my troubles behind.
Sometimes I pour myself a glass of wine and light a candle. Then, with the mood set, the mixing of batter, kneading of dough and smoothing of icing is my only care in the world.
When I say baking is therapeutic, sometimes people respond saying “not for me it isn’t!” I completely understand why someone might feel that way. There have been plenty of times where I spend hours on something only for it to fail or something breaks that shouldn’t or I forget to clean as I go and am left with a disastrous kitchen to clean.
So I should in reality, have a caveat to my “baking as therapy” claims…
Baking is therapy when you curate the experience to be relaxing.
How do you curate that relaxing experience for yourself, you ask?
How to make baking therapeutic…
- Prepare your mind–know that it’s okay if the cake doesn’t rise, or the butter wasn’t chilled enough. Shift your mindset from seeing your failures as mistakes to seeing them as opportunities for learning.
- Prepare your space–I cannot and will not bake on top of a messy kitchen. If I were to do this I would be starting from a place of stress! Take an extra 10 minutes to clean any dishes in the sink and wipe down the counters, this small effort will pay you back greatly in brain space and clarity.
- Clean as you go! I’ll tell you the one way to make baking stressful and tiresome, is to not clean as you go! After I use each ingredient that I no longer need, I put it away.
After each major step in the process, I wipe down the counters and put dishes that are no longer needed in the sink. If there is chill time or baking time I don’t sit, I do the cleaning then. Make this shift and you’ll really notice the difference!
By the way, this last tip really helped me when I was on The Great American Baking Show–and the crew that cleaned up behind us made a point to tell me that my workspace was always so clean they didn’t have much to do!
I would reply by saying “it’s how I stay sane in this tent!”
Additional suggestions:
*Maybe try printing off the recipe instead of looking at it on your phone, tablet or laptop and use this time to unplug from technology for a few hours
**Invite friends or family over to share your creation with you. Time spent with loved ones over food is a universally special experience
And that’s how I discovered baking for my mental health. If you try any of these suggestions, let me know how it went for you! I’m really invested in spreading this message to others in hopes that baking will enhance your lives more than it already does!
Happy Gingery Baking!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
For the Ginger Molasses Cookies
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks, room temperature
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2/3 cup light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 large egg room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk room temperature
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup candied ginger
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
For the Ginger Molasses Cookies
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (roughly 180°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together 1 cup (2 sticks) of room temperature unsalted butter with 2/3 cups of granulated sugar and 2/3 cups of light brown sugar. Beat for 1-2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
- Add 1/3 cup of molasses, 1 large egg and 1 large egg yolk. Mix until incorporated. You may need to use a spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
- In a separate bowl whisk together 3 cups of all purpose flour, 2 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tsp of baking powder, 2 tsp of ground ginger, 1 1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon, 1/2 tsp of allspice and 1/2 tsp of salt.
- Add the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until combined making sure not to overmix.
- Place 1/2 cup of granulated sugar into a bowl and begin to scoop out 2" balls of cookie dough.
- Roll each ball in granulated sugar. Optionally, top each ball of dough with a few small pieces of candied ginger and place on the lined baking sheet at least 3" apart.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, removing the cookies from the oven when they look slightly underdone. Allow them to cool on the baking sheet for 5-10 minutes before eating.
- Serve and enjoy!
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