When you bake these soft molasses cookies, you will have your house smelling wonderful in no time! They are soft and slightly chewy, with a little crispy sugar on the outside.
Served with a cold glass of milk, or a hot cup of coffee – these soft molasses cookies will have you reaching for another.
They make great gifts, too. Wrap a plateful for that new neighbor, or for that elderly couple who get lonely. Homemade cookies are such a classic yet welcome gift for nearly every situation!
How to make molasses cookies
First, you put the shortening and sugar in a bowl and mix them well with an electric mixer. (or beat really heard with a spoon)
Next, add the egg, vanilla, and milk. Mix well.
Then, add flour and spices and stir. The dough may be too stiff for the mixer; if so, use a sturdy spoon.
Chill the dough. Roll into balls and dip balls in sugar.
Place on a greased pan and bake for approximately 10-12 minutes. They should still look a bit wet in the center when you remove them from the oven. They will be puffed up. Allow them to stand on the pan for several minutes, till they fall down and cool slightly. Place on wire rack to finish cooling.
The cookies will be raised up when you take them from the oven. They will fall naturally as they cool. This is good, and will make them soft and chewy.
Tips for soft-baked cookies
These cookies need a delicate touch with baking. You can’t just set a timer and go. You need to watch them carefully the first time, and keep track of how many minutes they are in the oven. Note that time on your recipe, and refer to it the next time you make the recipe. Because these cookies go from soft and chewy — to dry and hard, really fast!
I set the timer for 7 minutes, then take a quick peak. I will then set the timer for 2 or 3 minutes, and check again. If you are new to baking, don’t get discouraged! Watching how a cookie progresses as it bakes is a great way to build your baking skills! Pretty soon, you will know about how many minutes they need yet just from watching a batch of cookies from start to finish.
You don’t want to have the oven open constantly; that allows too much heat to escape. But a quick check every 2-3 minutes will help you determine how long they need to bake. And don’t depend on the oven light – looking through the oven door is not precise enough for cookies. (or anything, really) You must open the oven door and maybe even pull the pan out a bit, so you can get a good view of the color and texture.
This sounds difficult, but it’s really not! Just practice, practice, practice! 🙂
I like to use the Stopwatch feature on my phone, and see how long the cookies are in the oven. Then for the next panful of cookies, I set the timer for that time. It really helps! I have the general time listed here, but cookie-baking times can vary extremely – from moisture in the air, altitude, what type of shortening you use, and more.
Soft Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter OR vegetable shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 2 TBL milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Put butter and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat well.
- Add egg, milk, molasses, and vanilla, and mix well.
- Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and stir. If the dough is too stiff for a mixer, use a sturdy spoon to stir.
- Chill one hour or more.
- Roll dough into small balls and roll in sugar. Place on baking tray and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Cool on tray for 5 minutes, remove to wire rack and cool completely.
Nutrition
These turned out amazing and are way too delicious. Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad! Thank you!