These Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies are the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your collection: simple, time-tested, and extremely delicious. They bake up soft and chewy in the middle, with just the right amount of spice and a light sugar crust that crackles as they cool.
Molasses gives these biscuits their signature depth, which is warm, slightly caramelised, and not overly sweet. They’re the sort of biscuit that feels right any time of year: perfect with a cup of tea, tucked into lunchboxes, or shared during the holidays.
This recipe is simple and requires no complicated steps to achieve that nostalgic, homemade flavour. Simple yet effective classic baking.
If you love old-fashioned cookies, try my old-fashioned whipped shortbread, oatmeal raisin cookies, snickerdoodle cookies or these classic chocolate chip cookies.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Soft, chewy texture with crisp edges.
- Classic spiced flavour that tastes like nostalgia.
- Simple ingredients you likely already have in your pantry.
- The dough can be made ahead and chilled for easy baking.
- Ideal for gifting, entertaining, or keeping in the biscuit tin.
Ingredients & Substitutions
The printable recipe card below has the full ingredients list and instructions.
- All-purpose flour
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies puff and crack beautifully. Don’t substitute baking powder, as they work differently.
- Cinnamon, ginger, and cloves: The classic trio for warm spice. If you’re missing one, add a little extra of the others. Ground allspice or nutmeg can step in, too.
- Butter: I used salted. But if you use unsalted, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the cookie dough.
- Brown sugar: Light or dark brown sugar both work fine.
- Egg
- Molasses: The star ingredient. Choose mild or dark molasses — not blackstrap, which can taste bitter.
- Vanilla extract
- Granulated sugar: For rolling the dough balls, it gives that signature crackly top.
Makyla’s Recipe Tips
- Chill the dough: It’s easier to shape and coat in sugar.
- Don’t overbake: They should look soft in the centre when you take them out but they’ll firm up as they cool.
- Sugar coating: Roll generously in sugar, it creates that crackled, sparkling finish 🙂
How to Make Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Step 1: Prepare your dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt.
Make sure everything is evenly combined…you don’t want streaks of spice or clumps of baking soda hiding in there. Set the bowl aside for now.
Step 2: Cream the butter and sugar
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes, until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and slightly pale in colour. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything mixes evenly.
Step 3: Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses
Crack in the egg and pour in the vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thickened – it should look glossy and evenly combined. Then add the molasses and mix again on low speed until fully incorporated. The batter will darken and become rich and shiny, with a deep caramel smell. If it looks a little separated at first, just keep mixing. It will come together beautifully once the flour is added.
Step 4: Combine the wet and dry ingredients
Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two or three additions. Stir gently between each addition…just until you no longer see streaks of flour. The dough will feel soft and sticky, which is exactly right.
Step 5: Chill the dough
Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) or a clean tea towel and place it in the fridge for 30–60 minutes. This step makes the dough easier to handle and helps the flavours deepen. If you skip chilling, the cookies may spread too much in the oven. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out and let it sit for a few minutes to soften slightly…it should be cool and firm but easy to scoop.
Step 6: Preheat the oven and prepare your trays
Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
Step 7: Shape and coat the dough
Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl for coating the dough balls. Scoop a small amount of dough (size 40 cookie scoop or a heaped tablespoon) and roll it between your palms to form a smooth ball. Roll each ball in the sugar until completely coated…the more even the coating, the better the crackly finish. Place the dough balls on your lined trays, leaving a few inches of space between each one to allow for spreading.
Step 8: Bake until cracked and fragrant
Bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the tops are cracked, and the edges are just starting to set. The centres should still look slightly soft — that’s how you get that perfect chewy texture once they cool. Avoid overbaking, as they’ll firm up as they rest.
Step 9: Cool before serving
Leave the cookies on the tray for 2–3 minutes before moving them. They’ll be very soft straight out of the oven. Transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, they’ll have crisp edges, soft middles, and that rich old-fashioned flavour that never disappoints.
Storage Instructions
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- Freeze baked cookies for up to 3 months and thaw at room temperature.
- Freeze unbaked dough balls and bake from frozen. Just add 2 extra minutes to the baking time.
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Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ¾ cup butter softened (1½ sticks or 170g)
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Make sure everything is evenly combined…you don’t want streaks of spice or clumps of baking soda hiding in there. Set the bowl aside for now.
- In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the softened butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes, until the mixture looks light, fluffy, and slightly pale in colour. Stop halfway through to scrape down the sides of the bowl so everything mixes evenly.
- Crack in the egg and pour in the vanilla extract. Beat until the mixture looks smooth and slightly thickened – it should look glossy and evenly combined. Then add the molasses and mix again on low speed until fully incorporated. The batter will darken and become rich and shiny, with a deep caramel smell. If it looks a little separated at first, just keep mixing. It will come together beautifully once the flour is added.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two or three additions. Stir gently between each addition…just until you no longer see streaks of flour. The dough will feel soft and sticky, which is exactly right.
- Cover the bowl with cling film (plastic wrap) or a clean tea towel and place it in the fridge for 30–60 minutes. This step makes the dough easier to handle and helps the flavours deepen. If you skip chilling, the cookies may spread too much in the oven. When you’re ready to bake, take the dough out and let it sit for a few minutes to soften slightly…it should be cool and firm but easy to scoop.
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (350°F) and line your baking trays with parchment paper.
- Pour the granulated sugar into a small bowl for coating the dough balls. Scoop a small amount of dough (size 40 cookie scoop or a heaped tablespoon) and roll it between your palms to form a smooth ball. Roll each ball in the sugar until completely coated…the more even the coating, the better the crackly finish. Place the dough balls on your lined trays, leaving a few inches of space between each one to allow for spreading.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 8–10 minutes, or until the tops are cracked, and the edges are just starting to set. The centres should still look slightly soft — that’s how you get that perfect chewy texture once they cool. Avoid overbaking, as they’ll firm up as they rest.
- Leave the cookies on the tray for 2–3 minutes before moving them. They’ll be very soft straight out of the oven. Transfer carefully to a wire rack to cool completely. Once cooled, they’ll have crisp edges, soft middles, and that rich old-fashioned flavour that never disappoints.
