Molasses Crinkle Cookies

These classic spiced molasses crinkle cookies have a dash of white pepper and ginger, giving them a perfect balance of spiciness to the sweet powdered sugar.

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About Molasses Crinkle Cookies

Crinkle cookies have quickly become my go-to baked good to cure a sweet craving, and these molasses crinkle cookies are the newest addition to that lineup.

Also called spiced crinkle cookies, these decorative spicy and sweet cookies may not be as popular as their chocolate brethren, but they would be a rare-yet-easy cookie to bake up for a cookie exchange.

They bring the best flavors of the holiday season and still have the beautiful wintery design only crackle cookies can achieve.

Do you need to chill the dough?

This particular recipe calls for chilling the cookie dough for one hour.

I know it can be frustrating to put your baking on hold, but when it comes to cookies, chilling the dough is totally worth the impact it has on your baking.

The short explanation for chilling has to do with the butter. The firmer the butter is at the time of baking, the slower it will melt, which makes cookies less likely to spread while baking. So, as a general rule of thumb, chilling the dough will lead to more dense, fluffy cookies while not chilling will lead to flatter, chewier cookies. This is not always the case, though. Whether you need to chill depends largely on the amount of butter used AND the composition of the other ingredients.

If you’d like a more indepth explanation of chilling dough (with examples!) then check out this article: To Chill or not to Chill.

How long are molasses crackle cookies good for?

When stored in a sealed container at room temperature, these cookies should last for up to one week.

Can you freeze molasses cookies?

If you’d like to always have a batch of these cookies on hand, the easiest way is to freeze them for later. There are two ways you can do this.

To freeze the raw dough: 

• Mix all ingredients, then scoop out about one tablespoon of dough and roll it into a ball (the same way you would before baking).
• Place cookie dough balls on a tray and freeze for at least two hours or until outside is no longer tacky. Once firm, transfer to a freezer bag or a storage container with a sealable lid.
• Cookie dough can be stored for up to six months. When ready to bake, place cookie balls on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, place the baking sheet to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake like normal.

To freeze the baked cookies:

• Bake and allow to cool completely.
• Store cookies in a single layer in a freezer bag or storage container. If you need to stack the cookies, separate each layer with a sheet of wax paper.
• Baked cookies can be frozen for up to three months.

notes & tips for these molasses crackle cookies

• If you’re doing a lot of holiday baking, I highly recommend having some silicone baking mats on hand. Baking cookies takes enough time without having to cut or measure parchment paper.
• Plus, some quality baking sheets are a must for a cookie baking extravaganza!
• For this recipe, I highly recommend using a stand mixer or a hand mixer. This recipe would be difficult to make by hand with a whisk.
• If you follow this recipe as it’s written, it says to remove the dough from the mixing bowl and wrap it in plastic wrap. I’ve found this to be the best for chilling dough, and if you’re baking a lot of cookies, it also helps you save valuable space in your refrigerator without adding more bulky containers. However, if you really don’t want to deal with the plastic wrap, you could just cover the mixing bowl and chill it that way.

More fun cookie recipes

How to make spiced molasses crinkle cookies

This next part is only a photo tutorial of the recipe steps. If you’re looking for the full recipe measurements and instructions, scroll down to Recipe Details.

Step 1 – In a medium bowl, add the flour, ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, salt, and white pepper. Give the ingredients a thorough stir, then set the bowl aside.

Step 2 – Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer + large bowl), whip together the butter, sugar, and molasses.

Step 3 – Drop the mixer speed to low and mix in the egg and the dry ingredients mixed from step 1.

Step 4 – Turn off the mixer and add the crystallized ginger to the bowl. Use a spatula to gently fold the ginger into the dough.

Step 5 – Remove the dough from the bowl, mold it onto a ball, and wrap it in plastic wrap.

Step 6 – Chill the dough for at least one hour.

Step 7 – When dough is ready, prepare your work area by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper. Also set a bowl of powdered sugar nearby.

Step 8 – Remove the dough ball from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Pinch off a piece of dough (about one to two tablespoons worth) and roll it into a ball with your hands. Toss the ball in the powdered sugar, then place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat this step until all the dough is used, spacing the cookie balls about two inches apart.

Step 9 – Bake cookies.

Step 10 – Enjoy!