Molasses Cookies

Soft and chewy Brown Sugar Molasses Cookies packed with deep molasses flavor and topped with a creamy molasses frosting.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Dessert

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 10

Total Time 35

Servings

Calories 214kcal

Author Allison - Celebrating Sweets

Ingredients

Cookies:

½ cup unsalted butter softened slightly, still cool to the touch
½ cup dark brown sugar packed
1 large egg
½ cup unsulphured molasses
2 cups all purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt

Frosting:

½ cup unsalted butter softened
1 ½ cups powdered sugar plus more, if needed
3 teaspoons unsulphured molasses
1 teaspoon milk or half & half plus more, if needed

Instructions

Cookies:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until creamy and combined. Add egg and molasses, beating until combined and scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary (note: it might look curdled, that's ok).
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add the flour to the molasses mixture beating until fully combined. Note: You can bake these cookies right away and they will be the thickness pictured, or you can chill the dough for one hour for slightly thicker cookies.
Scoop 1.5 tablespoon portions of dough (a cookie scoop works great because the dough is soft and sticky). Place the dough balls onto the lined baking sheets, spacing them a couple inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes, until the edges are beginning to set but the cookies still look slightly underdone*, rotate the baking sheets halfway through bake time to ensure even cooking.
Place the pans on cooling racks to cool completely. The cookies will set as they cool.

Frosting:

Using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar until smooth and combined (it will be thick). Add molasses and milk, beat on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Adjust the consistency by adding more powdered sugar (to thicken) or more milk (to thin). I like this frosting on the thinner side for easy spreading.
Use a butter knife or small offset spatula to spread frosting onto each cookie. Add sprinkles, if desired. I store these in the refrigerator and bring to room temp before serving.

Notes

* These cookies should be removed from the oven when they are still slightly underbaked. They should be so soft that you can't pick them up from the baking sheet straight out of the oven. They will firm up as they cool. Underbaking creates a soft cookie.

Note: These are NOT gingerbread/ginger molasses cookies. The prominent flavors in these cookies are brown sugar and molasses. If you'd prefer a spiced molasses cookie, you can add 1-½ teaspoons of ginger or cinnamon to the dry ingredients, or you can try this Ginger Molasses Cookie recipe.

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