These soft gingerbread cookies have warm ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, a deep molasses flavor, and tender centers. They are simple drop cookies, so there is no rolling pin or cutout dough to manage. A consistent scoop and a close eye on the oven make them especially approachable for holiday baking.
The original recipe uses familiar pantry ingredients and a 350°F oven. The guidance below keeps that formula while making the dough texture, portion size, and doneness cues clearer. The printable card has the exact amounts and steps.
Why these soft gingerbread cookies work
Brown sugar and molasses give the cookies their classic flavor and help them stay tender. Softened, not melted, butter creams more evenly with the sugar. Baking until the edges are set while the centers still look soft keeps this a chewy cookie rather than a crisp gingerbread cutout.
Ingredients and molasses choice
For about 24 cookies, use 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. You will also need 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter, 3/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/2 cup molasses, 1 large egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. The recipe card below repeats these amounts for easy baking.
Which molasses should I use?
Choose light or dark unsulfured molasses for the intended flavor. Blackstrap is much more bitter and is not an equal swap. King Arthur Baking explains how light, dark, and blackstrap molasses differ. Honey or maple syrup changes the gingerbread flavor and dough behavior, so I would not treat either as a guaranteed one-for-one replacement.
How to make soft gingerbread cookies
1. Mix the dough
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in one bowl. In a larger bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until creamy and a little lighter. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry mixture and mix only until no dry flour remains. The dough should be soft and scoopable, not runny. Do not taste the raw dough; the FDA notes that raw flour and eggs can carry harmful bacteria.
2. Portion and space
Use a roughly 2-tablespoon scoop for each cookie to match the 24-cookie yield. Place the mounds about 2 inches apart, with around 12 on each sheet. If the dough is too sticky to scoop neatly or feels very warm, cover and chill it for 20 to 30 minutes. Chilling is an optional handling step, not a requirement of the base recipe.
3. Bake and cool
Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 to 12 minutes. Begin checking at 10 minutes: the edges should look set and the tops may have small cracks, while the centers still look soft rather than wet. They will firm up as they cool. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes, then move them to a wire rack. Let the sheet cool before scooping the next batch so warm metal does not encourage spreading.
Soft gingerbread cookies recipe card
Use the card for the complete ingredient list, portion size, baking steps, and timing.
Tips for tender, chewy centers
Spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it instead of packing it down. Cream butter that is softened but still holds its shape. Once the flour goes in, mix just until combined. Keep the scoop size consistent, bake on a cool lined sheet, and pull the cookies when the edges are set. Waiting for the centers to look completely firm in the oven can leave the finished cookies dry.
For keeping molasses cookies soft, King Arthur Baking recommends an airtight container. Let these cookies cool enough that they will not steam heavily inside the container, then close the lid. Keep raw dough away from ready-to-eat foods and wash hands and tools after handling it, as the FDA’s flour-handling guidance advises.
Make ahead, storage, and freezing
You can mix the dough the day before, cover it, and refrigerate it until ready to scoop and bake. Cold dough can spread less and may need a little longer in the oven, so use the set-edge cue rather than the clock alone. For the best soft texture, keep completely cooled baked cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days. Freeze cooled cookies in a well-sealed container with parchment between layers for up to 2 months for best quality. Thaw in the closed container at room temperature to limit condensation on the cookies.
Troubleshooting
Why did the cookies spread too much?
Butter that was melted or very warm, dough placed on a hot sheet, or portions set too close together can all contribute. Use softened butter, cool baking sheets between batches, and try the optional 20 to 30 minute chill if the dough is hard to handle.
Why are my cookies dry or hard?
Packed flour, overmixing after the flour is added, or baking until the centers look fully firm can make these cookies less tender. Measure flour lightly, mix only until combined, and check the first batch at 10 minutes.
Why are the centers still wet?
Soft centers should not look like raw batter. If they are shiny and wet at 10 minutes, keep baking and check again in 1 to 2 minutes. Oven temperatures and scoop sizes vary, so use the visual cues before removing the sheet.
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to chill the dough?
No. The original drop-cookie method does not require chilling. Chill briefly only if the dough is very sticky or warm and you want neater scoops. Keep any covered dough refrigerated while waiting to bake.
Can I use a different sweetener instead of molasses?
The molasses supplies much of the gingerbread flavor and color. Honey or maple syrup would make a noticeably different cookie and has not been checked as an equal substitution for this formula. Light or dark unsulfured molasses is the safer choice for the intended result.
Can I make these into cutout cookies?
This is a soft drop-cookie dough, not a firm dough designed to roll and hold detailed shapes. For this recipe, scoop it instead of cutting it.
More gingerbread baking
If you want a different gingerbread texture, try the frosted gingerbread cookie bars. For a holiday cake with the same warm spice direction, the molasses-glazed gingerbread Bundt cake is now published and available to readers.
Soft Gingerbread Cookies with Molasses
Ingredients
Method
- Heat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat softened butter and packed brown sugar in a large bowl until creamy and a little lighter.
- Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients and mix only until no dry flour remains. The dough should be soft and scoopable, not runny. Do not taste raw dough.
- Portion roughly 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie to make about 24 cookies. Place mounds about 2 inches apart, about 12 per sheet. If the dough is too sticky or very warm, cover and chill for 20 to 30 minutes before scooping; chilling is optional.
- Bake one sheet at a time for about 10 to 12 minutes, checking at 10 minutes. Edges should look set and centers soft, not shiny or wet. Do not bake until the centers look completely firm.
- Leave cookies on the sheet for about 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Cool the baking sheet before starting the next batch.