Thick, chewy, and perfectly spiced, these molasses crinkle cookies are made with sweet molasses and brown butter for an elevated holiday twist. Their crackled sugar tops make them as stunning as they are delicious!
As a former pastry chef, I know firsthand that ginger molasses cookies are the ultimate holiday classic, but this version takes them to the next level! Made with rich brown butter and warm cinnamon—they’re soft and gooey in the center with crisp, sugary edges and a signature crackled top.
Perfect for cookie swaps and Christmas parties, these cookies are as festive as they are irresistible—and you don’t even need a mixer to make them!
Table of Contents
Getting the Perfect Crinkle
Like my brownie crinkle cookies, a bit of science is involved in creating that iconic crinkled top! For this recipe, the surface of the dough needs to dry out before it finishes spreading and rising in the oven. This hardened surface then cracks and pulls apart, forming a beautifully crinkled texture.
We achieve this effect by rolling the dough in sugar twice—the second coat ensures a thick, sugary layer that helps form those signature cracks while baking.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
Molasses: Like in my gingerbread cake, molasses adds a rich and sweet flavor to the cookie dough. We recommend using regular molasses, like Grandma’s, and avoiding blackstrap molasses, which is less sweet and more bitter!
Egg: We use one whole egg and an extra chewy texture for structure and an extra egg yolk! The extra fat from the egg yolk yields a super soft and chewy texture.
Ginger: Ground ginger is added to the cookie dough for a mildly spicy flavor. If you love a stronger-flavored ginger molasses cookie, add some finely diced candied ginger!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Brown the butter. Cook the butter until brown bits of butter are solid at the bottom of the pan. Scrape it into your mixing bowl and let it cool to room temperature before using. You can read my how-to brown butter guide for more help if needed!
Step 2: Whisk in the sugars. Whisk the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar into the melted butter.
Step 3: Mix in the wet ingredients. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract until combined. Then mix in the molasses.
Step 4: Fold in the dry ingredients. Fold in the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ginger until combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
Step 5: Scoop the cookie dough. Drop the cookie dough onto a lined baking tray with a cookie scoop. Roll each cookie in granulated sugar, cover, and chill for at least 2-3 hours (overnight for the best flavor!).
Step 6: Bake! To ensure cracked tops, roll each dough ball again in the sugar, leaving a pile of sugar on top. Bake until the cookies are puffed and crackled. Then let them cool on a wire rack before enjoying!
Cookie-Making Do’s and Don’ts
Use a kitchen scale. Baking with a scale is my #1 baking tip! Accurately measuring the ingredients can make the biggest difference in how your cookies turn out.
Let the butter cool to room temperature. Because we are working with hot melted butter, it’s essential to let it cool before using it. Don’t mix the butter and sugar if it’s too hot; the butter will melt the sugar, making the cookies spread in the oven!
Chill the dough before baking. This firms up the butter, hydrates the dough, and prevents excess spreading, so your cookies stay thick with soft and gooey centers.
Leave a pile of sugar on top of the dough. This is key to achieving perfect crinkled tops!
How to Store and Freeze
Leftover cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days.
Once scooped and rolled in sugar, let the cookie dough balls freeze on a tray, then transfer them to a container or freezer bag and store for up to 3. months. They can be baked straight from the freezer, adding 2-3 minutes to the bake time.
FAQs
This can happen if there isn’t enough sugar on top before the cookies are baked. The sugar dries out the top layer of the dough while the rest of the cookie bakes, causing deep crinkles.
This is almost always due to using too much flour. My top recommendation is to use a kitchen scale to weigh all of the ingredients for accuracy!
More Holiday Desserts
If you tried this or any other recipe on my website, please let me know how it went in the comments; I love hearing from you! Also, please leave a star rating while you’re there! You can also tag me on Instagram or Facebook so I can check it out!
Molasses Crinkle Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
- 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 egg yolk, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup Grandma's Molasses
- 2 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour, *See notes below for measuring*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- In a stainless steel pan, cook the butter over medium heat. The butter will foam, crackle, and pop- which is normal! Stand by and stir it occasionally. When there are brown bits of butter at the bottom of the pan, and it smells nutty, scrape all of the butter into a large bowl and set it aside to cool to room temperature. You should have about 3/4 cup or 160 grams of browned butter!14 tablespoons (196 g) unsalted butter
- Once at room temperature, whisk in the sugar and dark brown sugar.3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (180 g) dark brown sugar, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- Then, whisk in the egg, egg yolk, vanilla extract, and molasses.1 (50 g) large egg, 1 (18 g) egg yolk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 cup (80 g) Grandma's Molasses
- Fold in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and ground ginger until just combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.2 1/4 cups + 1 tablespoon (283 g) all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- Scoop the dough with a large 3 tbsp cookie scoop. Roll each one in granulated sugar and place it on a parchment-lined baking tray. Cover the tray with plastic wrap and chill the dough in the fridge for a minimum of 3-4 hours or overnight for the best flavor!1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.
- Roll the cookie dough balls in granulated sugar again, this time leaving a pile of sugar on the tops of the cookies. See photo #6 in the post above for a visual. Bake the molasses crinkle cookies spaced 2-3 inches apart until the tops are crackled, about 10-13 minutes. Let the tray cool on a wire cooling rack. Sprinkle the tops with more granulated sugar if desired.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls and bake them frozen!
Notes
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below & tag @cambreabakes on social!
You mention it’s better to use a scale to measure – but do you provide ingredient measurements in grams somewhere??
Yes, click the “metric” button on the recipe card, it will convert the measurements to grams.
Hello. I’d like to make these for a cookie exchange and would need to make quite a few. Can these be made just a little smaller? If so, what adjustments do you think I would need to make?
Hi Pacia, you can definitely use a smaller (2-tbsp) cookie scoop. I would watch the bake time and start checking them at 9 minutes!
Crispy bottoms with soft, chewy tops. Even the crispy ones are amazing. Might just be the most perfect holiday cookie 🤍🎄
It’s really delicious. I followed the recipe and the edges were soft and chewy. It’s so delicious. Thank you ❤️
I tried your espresso cookies and they were absolutely amazing. I can’t wait to try these! Can this cookie dough be frozen?
Hi Molly! I actually haven’t tested this recipe yet frozen, it’s on my to-do list right now! I think it should be fine I would just make sure to defrost them in the fridge before baking.