Ginger Molasses Cookies

Name: Ginger Molasses Cookies
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 2 h 53 min
Yield: 24 serving
Ingredients: ½ cup unsalted butter; ¾ cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup unsulphered molasses; 1 large egg; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; 2 cups all-purpose flour; 1 teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon baking powder; 1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger; 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon; ½ teaspoon ground cloves; ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg; ½ teaspoon salt; 8 ounces brick-style cream cheese; 2 cups confectioners' sugar; 2 tablespoons eggnog

User Reviews

4.9

24 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Additional Time
2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
2 hrs 53 mins
Servings
24
Calories
181 kcal
Course
Baked Goods
Cuisine
American

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Jade Rice

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Soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies with eggnog cream cheese frosting are the PERFECT Christmas cookie! Set out a platter of these beauties for your next Christmas party or holiday gathering and no one will be able to resist these richly spiced cookies! Put them on your holiday baking list - so EASY to make, no rolling or cutting out necessary!

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Ingredients

Servings

Cookies

½ cup unsalted butter softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup unsulphered molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 to 2 teaspoons ground ginger I use 2 but add to taste
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves or to taste
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg or to taste
½ teaspoon salt

Eggnog Frosting

8 ounces brick-style cream cheese full fat only
2 cups confectioners' sugar sifted recommended
2 tablespoons eggnog or as desired (2% or whole milk may be substituted)

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Instructions

Cookies - To a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add the butter, sugar, and beat on high speed until fluffy about 3-4 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Note - There is no brown sugar in this recipe as written. However, if you'd like to use 1/2 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, it will work fine.
Add the molasses, egg, vanilla, and beat to just incorporate. Tip - When measuring molasses, first spray your measuring cup with cooking spray and the molasses will slide right out.
Add the flour, all spices, salt, and beat on low speed to incorporate until a smooth dough forms; don't overmix.
Cover the mixing bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours to chill the dough. Tip - Do not skip the chilling step or cookies will spread a lot during baking. I prefer to chill them in the fridge than the freezer because the dough chills more uniformly.
After two hours, preheat the oven to 350F, line two baking sheets with parchment or a Silpat.
Use a small cookie scoop to form approximately 24 mounds of dough. The dough mounds will be about 1 inch in diameter, or about 1 tablespoon in size.
Place approximately 12 cookie dough balls on each baking sheet, or spaced evenly and as necessary.
Bake for about 8 minutes, or until done. Baking Tips - If you make larger cookies, they will take longer to cook. As written, 1-inch cookie dough balls are pretty small cookies by today's standards and bake quickly, in just about 8 minutes, but all ovens vary. It's okay to pull cookies when they appear barely set because they'll continue to firm up as they cool. If possible, I suggest baking one baking sheet of cookies at a time, on the middle oven rack, rotating the baking sheet once midway through cooking for the most uniform baking results. Repeat with second baking sheet.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for about 5-10 minuts, or until they're cool enough to remove with a spatula and place on a wire race to cool completely.
Eggnog Frosting - Techinically this is optional but I highly recommend it! To a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add the cream cheese and beat on high speed for 1-2 minutes. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Add the confectioners' sugar, eggnog, and beat on low speed at first, gradually increasing the speed, until a smooth frosting has formed. Tips - The exact amount of eggnog (or milk) you need will depend on how thick or thin you like your frosting, your ingredients, and climate. Add additional liquid 1 tablespoon at a time if frosting is too thick; add confectioners' sugar 2 tablespoons at a time if frosting is too thin or runny.
Using a small spoon, knife, offset spatula, or small spatula, add a bit of frosting to the top of each cookies. Note - This frosting is not meant to be piped. It's applied casually and rustically. If desired, add sprinkles now.
The frosting will set on its own at room temp in a few hours, but you can accelerate the process by placing the cookies in the fridge for about 15 minutes.
Serving - I serve the cookies at room temp because they taste best to me, but some people may prefer them chilled.

Notes

Storage - Up to 18-24 hours after frosting the cookies, I am fine keeping them airtight at room temp; if you want to refrigerate them from the get-go, do so. After 18-24 hours, the cookies should be kept airtight in the fridge. You can freeze either unbaked dough balls OR baked cookies airtight for up to 3 months. Do not freeze frosted cookies.

Nutrition Information

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Serving 1 Calories 181kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 27g (9%) Protein 2g (4%) Fat 7g (11%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Cholesterol 28mg (9%) Sodium 153mg (6%) Sugar 18g (36%)