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Best Ginger Molasses Cookies

Name: Best Ginger Molasses Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: .75 cups vegetable shortening; .50 cup white sugar; .25 cup brown sugar; .50 tablespoon vanilla; 1 eggs; .25 cup molasses (any kind); 2 cups flour; 1/2 teaspoons salt; 1 teaspoons baking soda; 1 teaspoons ground ginger; .50 teaspoons ground nutmeg; 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Last updated on October 8, 2020. Originally posted on December 10, 2018 By Elaine 38 Comments

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This ginger molasses cookies recipe is my all time favorite. They are satisfying, delicious and the perfect complement to your holiday cookie tray. (I actually prefer these to any chocolate cookie, which is freaky if you know me!)

Tower of molasses cookies in a small white plate with more cookies in the background

These truly are the best ginger molasses cookies I’ve ever tasted. I’m still surprised that I like them as much as I do.

Everyone who knows me, knows that I would always pick a chocolate anything over a not-chocolate something. But man, oh man. If you gave me the ultimatum that for the rest of my life, I could only eat this cookie or a chocolate cookie, I would pick this cookie.

There is such a nice balance between the sweet and spice. They are reminiscent of a mild ginger snap. But where ginger snaps are too spicy for me, these cookies are perfect! Everyone enjoys these cookies because they are delicious, soft and chewy.

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Helpful tips

Although Crisco blocks are a little more expensive than vegetable shortening in a can, I prefer it to use it for cookies like this because you just peel off the wrapper and place it in the mixer
These cookies freeze well, but make sure they are fully cooled before packaging them
As all ovens are different, check the cookies after 13 minutes of baking. They will be soft to the touch but that’s what makes them chewy

How to make ginger molasses cookies

Step one

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, set up your stand mixer and take out some cookie sheets.

Step two

Gather the sugar, vegetable shortening (A) and put in the mixer. Mix until incorporated which will take around 3 minutes.

Step three

Gather the wet ingredients (egg, vanilla and molasses) (B), add them to the mixer and mix until creamy.

Your batter may be a little loose but don’t stress about it, adding the dry ingredients will take care of that.

On the left, white and brown sugar and vegetable shortening and on the right, an egg, vanilla and molasses

Step four

Gather the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg. (C)

Step five

Add the dry ingredients (C) to the mixer and mix until incorporated.

I transfer the cookie dough to a separate bowl and grab my small cookie scoop. (D)

Ginger molasses cookies dough in a bowl with spices

Step six

Scoop out the dough and place it on the cookie sheet. Continue until there are 16 balls to each sheet.

Balls of cookie dough on a cookie sheet ready to go in the oven

Step seven

Bake for 13 minutes.

As you can see, they spread out somewhat when they bake. Perfect.

Ginger cookies fresh out of the oven and still on the cookie sheet

Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes before transferring from the baking sheets to a wire rack to cool completely.

All the molasses cookies on a wire rack, some in piles and others singular

I plate some ginger molasses cookies.

Let me take a bite out of one of these delicious cookies.

A hand holding a cookie with a bite taken out of it. There are more cookies in the background and a pile below the hand

I hope you enjoyed this ginger molasses cookies recipe.

Please leave me a comment. What is your favorite cookie?

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And as always, may all your dishes be delish!

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