This Better Than Starbucks Ginger Molasses Cookies recipe is EXACTLY what the name suggests: they’re crispy on the outside, chewy on the inside and bursting with sweetness and a sharp ginger flavour. They’re one of our most popular recipes ever and they’re SO easy to make.
It dawned on me recently that I’ve been making cookies for almost 25 years. Now, I realize that doing something for a long time doesn’t necessarily make you an expert, but I would like to think that I’ve learned a thing or two about baking cookies over the years and that I have at least a few cookie recipes that I’ve perfected…and these Ginger Molasses Cookies definitely fall into the perfection category!
This recipe is SO MUCH BETTER than the Starbucks Ginger Molasses Cookies Recipe, so if you’re a fan of those cookies these will become your new favourite. They’re not dry like some ginger-flavoured cookies can be and they’ve got the perfect balance of sweet molasses, spicy ginger, and warm cinnamon. They’re so soft that they almost melt in your mouth.
If you’re still buying the Starbucks’ Ginger Molasses cookies with your morning coffee then you obviously haven’t tried this recipe! I’m telling you, once you try these cookies you won’t find yourself in the Starbucks drive thru line up anymore (unless it’s to get a latte to dunk these bad boys in)!
To make this molasses cookies recipe, you’ll need these kitchen items (affiliate links):
- mixing bowls and a hand mixer OR a stand mixer
- a silicone spatula
- measuring cups and spoons
- a cookie scoop
- a baking sheet or two
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To make this molasses cookies recipe, you’ll need:
- unsalted butter
- granulated sugar
- eggs
- molasses
- all purpose flour
- salt
- baking soda
- ground cinnamon
- fresh or powdered ginger
- ground cloves
Time needed: 45 minutes
Follow these tips for the BEST Starbucks ginger molasses cookies ever!
- Start with cool butter.
Leave your butter out of the fridge for about 20 minutes before using so it’s soft enough to mix but hard enough to keep its shape.
- Don’t forget the spices!
Don’t skimp on the spices, and use fresh ginger instead of powdered ginger for an intense ginger flavour.
- Chill the dough only if it’s soft.
If your dough feels extra soft, refrigerate it for up to 30-60 minutes so it firms up enough to form into balls.
- Use a cookie scoop.
For evenly-sized cookies, use a cookie scoop to portion the batter so all the balls of dough are the same size. Check out the cookie scoop we use HERE (affiliate link).
- Dip the dough balls in sugar.
For the gorgeous crinkly top, dip the top of the dough balls in granulated sugar before baking.
- Let the cookies cool on their pans.
If you attempt to remove them from the pans too soon they’ll be raw in the middle and they’ll probably fall apart since they actually finish baking completely AFTER they’ve been removed from the oven (the heat of the pan continues to bake the cookies even out of the oven). If you can muster up the patience to let them cool before moving them, you’ll be absolutely amazed at the result……a crispy, sugary exterior with a soft, chewy interior.
Why is the dough so soft?
If your dough is soft, it’s probably because your butter has a water content that’s too high. Try refrigerating the dough for 30-60 minutes before rolling.
If your cookies spread a lot in the oven, they likely contain too much butter, butter that’s too warm, or low quality butter that has a high water content.
Yes! Simply make the recipe as directed and either store the unbaked dough in the fridge for up to 2 days until ready to use, OR store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Adding molasses to cookie dough adds a dark brown colour, adds lots of flavour and sweetness, and it creates a chewy moist texture.
Molasses cookies are usually soft and chewy and gingerbread cookies are usually harder in texture and crunchy.
They’re likely over-baked. Molasses cookies are at their best when they’re very soft (too soft to move) when removed from the oven.
I hope you enjoy this Best Ever Ginger Molasses recipe below! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite cookie? I’d love to know!
Looking for more delicious recipes like this one? You’ll LOVE these:
EASY NO-FAIL HOLIDAY RECIPES AND COOKING & BAKING TIPS
Get my easy no-fail holiday meals e-cookbook!
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this homemade treat. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel
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Are you trying this recipe? Use the comment form below to share your take; now with support for image uploads and comment voting!
Ginger Molasses Cookies
Recipe: Equipment
Recipe: Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 4 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp grated fresh ginger or powdered ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/3 cup white sugar for rolling
Recipe: Instructions
- Add the butter to the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream on medium-high speed until soft, creamy, and slightly pale in color.
- Add the sugar and beat on medium high speed for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Beat in the eggs on medium high speed one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Beat in the molasses and scrape down the bowl to ensure everything is evenly combined.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and mix on low speed just until no streaks of flour remain. Scrape down the sides to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Use a cookie scoop to portion the dough into about 36 balls. Roll the top of each ball in granulated sugar and place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart.
- Bake each sheet of cookies for 10-11 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheet. They'll firm up as they cool, giving you that perfect crispy-outside, chewy-inside texture.
Recipe: Notes
- Butter temperature: Let butter sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before mixing. It should be soft but still hold its shape.
- Fresh vs. powdered ginger: Fresh ginger gives a sharper, more intense flavor. Powdered works in a pinch.
- Molasses type: Use regular (light or dark) molasses. Avoid blackstrap, which is too bitter.
- Soft dough fix: If dough is too soft or sticky, chill it in the fridge for 30 to 60 minutes before scooping.
- Don’t overbake: Pull the cookies when they still look soft. They continue baking on the hot pan as they cool.
- Sugar coating: Rolling the tops in sugar creates the signature crinkly tops.
- Storage: Keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Freeze baked cookies for up to 6 months. Layer with parchment to prevent sticking.
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
This is the perfect cookie. I am NO cook, I ruin everything I cook – especially Pinterest cookies! But these looked and sounded too good not to try. I halved the recipe so I wouldn’t waste too many ingredients if it flopped and now I am totally regretting that decision. My husband who is adamantly opposed to any sort of ginger cookie is on his fourth one! I could cry I’m so happy LOL! Thank you!!
I’m SO glad you both loved the recipe so much!! Thanks so much for sharing the feedback with me 🙂
I want to make these for my husband but he’s diabetic can I use splenda blend instead of the white sugar
I’ve never substituted the sugar with Splenda so I can’t say whether or not it would work, however any sugar substitute that claims it’s good for baking would probably work. Feel free to give it a try!
Just made these cookies and they are fabulous! I don’t use all purpose flour so I substituted spelt flour. I also used coconut palm sugar instead of white sugar. These were the only substitutions I made and they turned out perfect! Thanks for an awesome recipe that I will make again and again!
So glad you loved the recipe! 🙂
I’ve been making these for the past couple of years. It’s gotten to the point now that it’s not uncommon for my sons’ and brother’s friends as well as my own friends to ask when I’m making the next batch and at Christmas they come right out and ask for me to make them. Excellent recipe and YES; better than Starbucks!!!
Thanks so much for your comment! Aren’t these cookies just the BEST!? So glad everyone in your life loves them as much as everyone in my life does! 🙂
I hate to say it, but I’m disappointed by these cookies. The flavor is truly amazing, and I love that they call for fresh ginger. but they turned into completely flat dark brown messes in the oven. I used room temperature butter, chilled the dough, and baked them in the center rack! No idea where I went wrong.
I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t work out for you. It sounds like it could have been a few different errors…first, perhaps you mis-measured the flour and included less than the recipe called for. Second, perhaps your butter has a higher water content. Be sure to use high-quality butter with a fat content of more than 80%. Another possibility is that your oven temperature isn’t correct. This is a common problem (ovens run too hot or not hot enough), but it’s easily fixable with a simple, inexpensive oven thermometer to check the accuracy of your oven. Again, I’m so sorry you had troubles with the recipe! It’s one I’ve made hundreds of times in many different ovens and even on different continents and it’s always worked beautifully. Hopefully the problem is solved with one of my suggestions 🙂
I’ve made this recipe about 4 times now and every single time they turn out beautifully and are so delicious! have you ever added chunks of sugars ginger? I kind of want to try it as a variation, but at the same time, don’t want to risk what is already a fantastic cookie!
thank you so much for sharing!
I’ve never added chunks of candied ginger, but I bet it would be delicious!! Glad you like the recipe!
I have made this recipe too many times to count (with a family of 7 they go fast) and every time it has been perfected with a few cubes on candied ginger atop each cookie.
Hi ,
Just made these … they smell great . But they don’t look anything like your photos .
I made 24 cookies and still have a good amount of dough left in the fridge . More than 46 cookies total at 1-2 table spoon balls
I also wasn’t sure if I should shape the cookies, 1 thumb press , or leave it in a ball before baking .
I also got crosbys molasses this morning . I wasn’t sure if I shoulda gotten fancy molasses or regular molasses . Your blog didn’t note fancy so I got regular molasses by Crosby .
My cookies didn’t turn out with the nice cracks that yours have up top
I tried again with the remaining dough , shaped at 1 tablespoon balls .
I also don’t see which oven rack to set it at …
I feel like this recipe could have been great if it were more specific
It sounds like the temperature of your butter could be the issue, or perhaps the size of your eggs. If you use very large eggs it can create a more cakey consistency and less crackle on the top. Another issue could be your oven temperature. It sounds like your oven might have been set at a lower temperature than the recipe calls for. Always use the middle rack for baking cookies and try using an oven thermometer to ensure your oven is baking at the correct temperature. Any kind of molasses will work for this recipe. And you don’t have to shape the cookies or press them before baking, just roll into balls and dip in sugar exactly as the recipes says. I hope these tips help you troubleshoot!
Just taking these out of the oven now. They look perfect. I didn’t have baking soda so I used an 8th tsp. of baking powder. 😳 I know I know! Didn’t seem to hurt.
That’s great! So glad the substitution worked for you! 🙂
made these and they were a giant hit … one comment all the link buttons on the left of the page make it very hard to read the recipe i had to copy and past to note pad to read it clearly
So glad you enjoyed them!!
Instead of putting in the fridge for 1 hour will it be ok overnight?
Really, really awesome! Huge hit!
So glad you liked this recipe!!
Really awesome! Thanks for sharing! Huge, huge hit!
I'm making a plate of cookies for about half a dozen neighbors and this was the first one I made! I only tasted the batter before wrapping it up and refrigerating it and it was super delicious! Except I'm going to try rolling half of them out and using gingerbread men cutouts, even though it's not really the right consistency. I liked the level of spiciness(not too "gingery")and sweetness.
So glad you enjoy this recipe!!
My came out of the oven a little fluffier than in the picture. They don't look flat like they should….does this mean I didn't cook them long enough?
Hmm It sounds like maybe you cooked them a little too long actually. Another possibility is that your oven is hotter than it should be…sometimes that happens. I baked these at someone else's house once and the oven was about 25 degrees hotter than 350. It made a BIG difference!
What size cookie scoop would that Be?
The cookie scoop I have is just under a tablespoon in size.
Ok so I literally just took the first tray out and my mother in law and I are in heaven! My boyfriend might just propose to me once he gets home lol. Thank you for this delicious recipe!!
So glad you love them as much as we do! Thanks for the positive feedback! 🙂
What size should the balls be before placing on the cookie sheet?
I usually roll them by the tablespoonful
🙂
These cookies look perfect!
Thanks so much!
Looks great! Perfect for the holidays.
Thanks meg!
These look delicious! They would be a great gift!
Thanks so much! And yes, they're great as an edible gift!
Hi there. If grateing fresh ginger, how big are the…. grates?! Am I using a fine grate, like zesting? Thanks!
Yes, you can use a microplane zester or a fine grater.