Soft Amish Molasses Cookies

These soft Amish molasses cookies bake up thick, with tender middles and a crackly sugar top. Molasses, ginger, cinnamon and cloves give them that old-fashioned spice-cabinet flavor, and one batch makes about 30 cookies, enough for a holiday tin and a plate on the counter. If you like soft molasses cookies better than snappy gingersnaps, this is the dough to make.

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What goes into the dough

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt

Notice there is no brown sugar and no vanilla. The molasses carries all the deep, caramel-like flavor, and the three spices do the rest. Measure the cloves carefully; half a teaspoon is plenty, and more can turn the cookies bitter.

Two habits that keep soft molasses cookies soft

Give the dough its full hour in the fridge

Softened butter plus sticky molasses makes a dough that feels closer to frosting than cookie dough right after mixing. Try to roll it at that stage and it smears across your palms. An hour in the fridge firms the butter so the dough rolls into neat balls.

Cold dough also holds its shape longer in the oven. The cookies puff up before they spread, which is how you get a thick cookie with a soft center. Warm dough tends to melt outward first and bake into thin, crisp discs.

Pull them while they still look underdone

This is the tip that matters most. Take the cookies out while the centers still look soft and a little puffy, even if your instinct says they need another minute. The tops should be cracked, but the middles should not look dry or set.

The 5 minutes they spend cooling on the hot baking sheet finishes the job. That gentle carryover heat sets the centers without drying them out, and that slightly underbaked middle is what keeps these cookies soft for days. Bake them until they look done in the oven and you will have firm, cakey cookies by the next morning.

How to make them

• Beat the softened butter and 1 cup of the sugar until the mixture looks lighter in color and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then the molasses, until everything is smooth and evenly brown.
• Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt, and mix just until no dry streaks remain. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for 1 hour.
• When the dough is nearly ready, heat the oven to 350°F and line your baking sheets with parchment.
• Pour the remaining 1/2 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into 1 1/2 inch balls, roll each one in the sugar until fully coated, and set them 2 inches apart on the sheets.
• Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, until the tops crack but the centers still look soft. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the sheet before moving them.

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Where the crackly top comes from

The sugar coat is more than decoration. As the cookie puffs in the oven, the sugared surface sets first and then splits as the inside keeps rising. You end up with a crinkled top where the white sugar sits in the cracks against the dark brown cookie, plus a light crunch on the outside of an otherwise soft bite.

Coat each ball generously. A thin, patchy layer gives you fewer cracks and less of that sparkle. The 2 tsp of baking soda is what makes the dough rise enough to crack, so level off that measurement rather than guessing.

Serving them and keeping them soft

These are good slightly warm, once they have had their 5 minutes on the sheet and can be lifted without bending. A glass of cold milk or a cup of coffee is the classic partner. They also hold their own on a Christmas cookie tray, where their dark color stands out next to frosted sugar cookies.

Let them cool completely before stacking, then keep them covered so the edges do not dry out. Because the centers came out of the oven still soft, they stay tender for days.

Building a holiday baking lineup? Pair these with our frosted Christmas sugar cookie bars and swirled cinnamon roll cookies , and if you want more Amish comfort desserts, try our Amish baked custard or a batch of cinnamon sugar soft pretzels .

Molasses cookie questions

Why did my cookies spread flat?

The most common cause is dough that was too warm. Skipping or shortening the 1 hour chill, or letting the rolled balls sit in a warm kitchen, lets the butter soften before the cookies can puff. Keep the bowl in the fridge between batches.

My cookies did not crack on top. What happened?

Usually they came out too soon or the sugar coating was thin. The cracks appear as the cookies rise and settle near the end of the 9 to 10 minutes. Watch for cracked tops with soft centers, since every oven runs a little differently.

How big should the dough balls be?

Roll them to 1 1/2 inches. That size gives you about 30 cookies and matches the baking time. Larger balls will need longer and smaller ones can overbake.

Why cool them on the baking sheet?

Fresh from the oven, the soft centers are fragile and the cookies can fold or tear if you move them right away. Five minutes on the sheet lets them set enough to lift cleanly.

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Written and edited by The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team

The Foodie Yummy Kitchen Team writes and edits the recipes on Foodie Yummy: classic American potluck salads, holiday sides and easy comfort food, with a few low-carb options. Every recipe lists exact quantities, numbered steps and a printable recipe card, plus notes on swaps, storage and make-ahead timing. Spot a problem with a recipe? Tell us through the contact page and we will correct it. About us