Bakery-Style Molasses Cookies: Soft, Chewy, and Perfectly Spiced

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There’s something irresistibly comforting about bakery-style molasses cookies. With their signature crackled tops, deep warm spice flavor, and ultra-soft centers, these cookies taste like they came straight from a cozy neighborhood bakery. Rich molasses, brown sugar, and classic spices come together to create a cookie that’s nostalgic, indulgent, and impossible to resist.

Unlike thin or crunchy molasses cookies, bakery-style versions are thick, chewy, and plush inside. They’re rolled in sugar before baking, which creates that beautiful sparkle and slightly crisp exterior while keeping the inside tender and moist.

These cookies are especially popular during fall and winter, but once you taste them, you’ll want to bake them year-round.

Why These Molasses Cookies Taste Like They Came from a Bakery

What sets bakery-style molasses cookies apart is texture. They’re not dry, not crumbly, and not overly dense. Instead, they’re soft with a slight chew and a melt-in-your-mouth center.

Key factors that create bakery-quality results:

  • Brown sugar and molasses for moisture
  • Butter for richness
  • Extra spice for bold flavor
  • Slightly underbaking for softness

These cookies stay soft for days, making them perfect for gifting, cookie swaps, or keeping on the counter for whenever a craving hits.

The Role of Molasses in Baking

Molasses is the star ingredient in this recipe. It adds:

  • Deep caramel flavor
  • Moisture and chewiness
  • Dark color
  • Slightly bittersweet complexity

Use unsulphured molasses for best results. Avoid blackstrap molasses, which can be too bitter for cookies.

Ingredients You’ll Need

  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Ground ginger
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Ground cloves
  • Unsalted butter
  • Brown sugar
  • Granulated sugar
  • Egg
  • Unsulphured molasses
  • Vanilla extract

Each ingredient plays a crucial role in creating that bakery-style texture and flavor.

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven
    Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Mix dry ingredients
    Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves together.
  3. Cream butter and sugars
    Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy.
  4. Add wet ingredients
    Mix in egg, molasses, and vanilla until fully combined.
  5. Combine dough
    Gradually add dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
  6. Chill briefly
    Chill dough for 20–30 minutes for thicker cookies.
  7. Shape and roll
    Scoop dough into balls and roll in granulated sugar.
  8. Bake
    Bake 9–11 minutes until edges are set but centers look soft.
  9. Cool
    Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack.

Bakery-Style Molasses Cookies

Soft and chewy bakery-style molasses cookies with crackled sugar tops and warm spiced flavor.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Servings: 24 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Calories: 165

Ingredients
  

  • 2.25 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.5 tsp ground cloves
  • 0.75 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 0.75 cup brown sugar packed
  • 0.25 cup granulated sugar plus more for rolling
  • 1 egg room temperature
  • 0.33 cup unsulphured molasses
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Equipment

  • Mixing bowls
  • Hand or stand mixer
  • Baking sheets
  • Parchment paper

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment.
  2. Whisk flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves together.
  3. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
  4. Mix in egg, molasses, and vanilla.
  5. Gradually mix in dry ingredients.
  6. Chill dough for 20–30 minutes.
  7. Roll dough balls in sugar and place on baking sheets.
  8. Bake 9–11 minutes until edges are set and centers are soft.
  9. Cool briefly before transferring to a rack.

Notes

Do not overbake; cookies will continue to set as they cool.

Pro Tips for Soft, Chewy Molasses Cookies

  • Don’t overbake — centers should look slightly underdone
  • Use room temperature butter
  • Chill the dough to prevent spreading
  • Roll generously in sugar for crackled tops

Easy Variations

  • Extra Spice: Add a pinch of nutmeg
  • Glazed Molasses Cookies: Drizzle with vanilla glaze
  • Molasses Sandwich Cookies: Fill with cream cheese frosting
  • Holiday Version: Add orange zest

How to Serve Molasses Cookies

Serve bakery-style molasses cookies:

  • With hot coffee or tea
  • As part of a holiday cookie platter
  • Wrapped as edible gifts
  • Warm with a glass of milk

They’re comforting, nostalgic, and always crowd-pleasing.

Storage & Make-Ahead Tips

  • Store at room temperature in an airtight container for 5 days
  • Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months
  • Freeze dough balls for easy baking later

Why These Cookies Belong in Your Recipe Box

Bakery-style molasses cookies are timeless. They offer bold spice, rich molasses flavor, and a soft texture that never goes out of style. One bite and you’ll understand why they’re a bakery classic.

Once you bake these, they’ll quickly become a go-to cookie for every season.

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