American
Soft Molasses-Ginger Cookies
Large sugar-crusted molasses cookies with chewy rims, soft folded centers, and layered warmth from ground, fresh, and crystallized ginger balanced by cinnamon and clove.
18 servings · 25 minutes prep · 22 minutes cook
Ingredients
Ginger-Molasses Dough
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger (10 g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Directions
Build the Molasses Base
- Whisk the melted butter and brown sugar until glossy.
- The butter mixture should feel cool to lukewarm before the egg enters. If it is hot, wait 5 minutes. Whisk in the molasses, egg and egg yolk, fresh ginger, and vanilla until smooth.
Fold and Rest the Dough
- In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt until no spice streaks remain.
- Fold the dry mixture into the molasses base just until a soft dough forms, then fold in the crystallized ginger. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes; do not add flour merely because the warm dough is soft.
Portion and Sugar
- Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two sheet pans with parchment. Portion the dough into 3-tablespoon mounds, about 55 g each, and roll each gently into a ball.
- Roll every ball in the granulated sugar and space them at least 3 inches apart. Keep the second pan chilled while the first bakes.
Bake for Soft Centers
- Bake one pan at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating once, until the edges are set and crackled but the centers remain puffed, soft-looking, and slightly darker than the rims. Do not wait for the centers to feel firm.
- Cool on the hot pan for 10 minutes, until the cookies settle and can be lifted without folding. Transfer to a rack and store airtight once barely warm.
