Old Fashioned Chewy Molasses Cookies
Soft, chewy, and warmly spiced cookies -- just like Grandma's!
Servings 41 cookies
Calories 119kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar, divided
- ½ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ¼ teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the butter and 1 cup of the sugar until smooth. Add the molasses, oil, vanilla, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg and mix until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Slowly add the flour until just combined.
- Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or up to 2-3 days).
- When dough is chilled, preheat oven to 350°F. Place remaining 1 cup of sugar in a shallow bowl.
- Remove dough from refrigerator and use a scoop to form the dough into round balls. Roll each ball of dough in the sugar. Place dough balls onto cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or silicone mats.
- Bake for about 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are just set and starting to brown on the edges. They will still be soft. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Notes
- Do not use blackstrap molasses in this recipe. I recommend Grandma’s brand unsulphured molasses, or another similar variety.
- Allow the butter and egg to come to room temperature before mixing the dough.
- Chill the dough for at least 2 hours (and preferably much longer). The cold, hydrated dough yields the thickest, chewiest cookies.
- Don’t over-mix the dough once you add the flour. Stir just until completely combined, but no more. This will avoid a dry, tough cookie.
- Pull the cookies out of the oven as soon as the edges are lightly browned and starting to set. They will look underbaked in the center, but they will continue to firm up as they cool. This keeps the cookies soft and chewy.
Nutrition
Serving: 1cookie | Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 175mg | Potassium: 75mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Calcium: 14mg | Iron: 0.8mg