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
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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.
Delicious, super easy to do in my stand mixer with perfect results. Chewy on the inside, crispy on the edges. I added 1/8 tsp cardamom which is a nice touch to spicy cookies. Followed the recipe exactly, mixed up great in stand mixer, chilled 90 min, scooped using a cookie scoop for uniformity, rolled into balls then rolled in coarse sugar. They are perfect and I thank you for this wonderful family recipe. Yield: 5 dz
Merry Christmas🎄
Really glad they turned out perfect!!🙂
I tried this recipe for the first time today – LOVED it!
Would love some advice on how to make them thicker cookies – mine tended to flatten out quite a bit (taste was great) … but I would like them to look more like yours!
What can I do to achieve that result next time?
I’m glad you loved the cookies❤️ You could chill the cookies in the fridge before baking them and also make sure you use as high quality a butter as possible (less expensive butters often have a higher water content which can cause cookies to spread more than you’d like. Happy baking! ☺️
Not sure what I did wrong here. I weighed the ingredients to the gram, I chilled the dough just over an hour, only rolling one pan of 8 cookies at a time and leaving the rest of the dough in the fridge, oven thermometer on 350 exactly, took out at 10 mins and they were completely flat, spread-out toffee-like cookies, greasy, nothing like described. Let cool on the pan and they just spread further. I used two different thicknesses of pans to test and got the same result. I notice that in your video, you add all of your eggs and molasses at once, but in print you tell us to add them one by one and mix after each one. Maybe they were overmixed. They taste fine but not at all what I was going for. Maybe I’ll follow your video instructions rather than text next time and use a hand-mixer too.
I suggest that you use as high quality a butter as possible (less expensive butters often have a higher water content which can cause cookies to spread more than you’d like.
Absolutely perfect, every single time. A must bake, must keep recipe! The house smells amazing before they even get rolled into balls and everyone loves them. Now, do you have a recipe for a great sugar cookie recipe (Better than Starbucks!)? I love their Snowmen cookies but I think they could be made right here at home.
I’m so glad you love them! ☺️ My sour cream sugar cookies are very similar to the starbucks snowman cookie, but their frosting has white chocolate while mine is a basic one. However, as I love snowman cookies myself i’ll try to replicate them and will certainly share my results with you. ☺️
Can you make the dough and freeze the balls of dough for a later baking day? When I made the recipe it made 48 cookies. All my family liked the cookies , even my puppy dog. This recipe is so easy to make and delicious. Liz
You can absolutely freeze it! I freeze them in airtight containers, with parchment paper between the layers. I defrost them for about 10 minutes at room temperature, roll them in sugar and bake them as directed (I maybe add 1 or 2 minutes to the baking time).
nice looking cookies. Great to have these.
We agree 😉 Thanks!
My husband says the are the VERY best ginger molasses cookies!
Thank you Kimberly! Happy he likes them so much, we love them too!😊
Mine turned out amazing! I did adjust since I’m using a pampered chef stone to bake on, mine are at 350 for 11-12 minutes. I keep the dough in the fridge in between loading the stone to keep it firm before baking. 🙂
So glad you love them! 🙂
I just made these and they turned out beautifully and so delicious. Thanks for the recipe, it’s a keeper!
So glad you liked them!
Followed the recipe ezactly and the first round of cookies spread out so much they were lacy. Tasted good though. Used more dough and baked again this time without flattening too much and they burned when left for the suggested cooking time, even at a lower temperature. Finally made the last of the dough by rolling into balls, flattening just a TINY bit and baking for 7 mins at 340 degrees. They finally worked. Delicious cookies but way too much supervision required considering the recipe does not turn out well when followed exactly. I’ve used lots of different recipes and never had a problem like this.
I’ve never had an issue like this, and I’ve never had a reader with an issue like this. You shouldn’t have to flatten the cookies at all, and they should bake at the recommended temperature and time with no problem. Perhaps your oven temperature is off?
First time baking by myself and they turned out great!
I made these last night and they’re SO good! The recipe made 5 dozens which was surprising at first but now I’m happy we have so many(trying not to eat them all!). Definitely will use this recipe again! They’re perfect! Thanks
Thanks! So glad you loved them!!
These are so delicious and it’s a really simple recipe to follow!! Defenitely a keeper in my books!!
Thanks so much! Glad you love them!!
I just made these this morning and they turned out great! I left the last tray in for a just few minutes longer and they ended up being crispy around the outside. Actually pretty good 🙂
Thanks!
-R
Thanks Rob! So glad you liked them both ways!!
This recipe was fool-proof! The cookies were outstanding and I’m not known for baking…so delish. Thank you for imparting your talent~
So glad you liked them!!
We love these cookies. I have made them a number of times. They don’t last long in my house. When I made my last batch they ended up flat. Any comments on what causes this? I’m very careful when measuring. As well I prefer to chill overnight. Would that be a problem? Thanks!!
Chilling should help them not be so flat, although if your butter is inexpensive it likely has a high water content which would make the cookies spread. The more fat in the butter, the better!
Amazing recipe. They turned out just like your photos and taste out of this world. I followed the recipe exactly and baked on my pampered chef stone. These will be requested over and over. My grandson says they are yummy, the best and can I have another ONE? Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad you and your grandson enjoy them!! 🙂
I was shocked to see that this recipe only had 4.3 stars. I’ve made a lot of cookies and this one is fabulous!!! This one is a keeper.
Thanks so much! 🙂
Yum! Ginger molasses cookies are my favourite treat and this recipe did not disappoint! Very easy to follow with great results. Will definitely be making these again!
So glad you love them as much as we do! Thanks for the positive feedback! 🙂
I’ve had your recipe for these cookies for quite some time and finally made them tonight. I have to say they are simply one of the best ginger cookies I’ve ever had. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!!
So glad you liked them!