Soft Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies With Molasses

Quick Recipe Version (TL;DR)

• Yield: 24 cookies
• Prep Time: 20 minutes (plus 30 minutes chill time)
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour

Quick Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch (1/8 tsp) ground black pepper (optional)
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (110 g) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (210 g) semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated or turbinado sugar, for rolling (optional)

Do This

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• 2. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and all spices in a bowl.
• 3. Cream butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until light and fluffy; beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla.
• 4. Mix dry ingredients into wet just until combined, then fold in chocolate chips. Cover and chill 30 minutes.
• 5. Scoop 1 1/2-tablespoon portions, roll into balls, then roll in sugar if using; arrange on baking sheets 2 inches apart.
• 6. Bake 9–11 minutes, until edges are set and centers look slightly underbaked. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• It combines cozy gingerbread spices with melty chocolate chips for the ultimate holiday-meets-classic mashup.
• The cookies are soft, thick, and slightly chewy with just the right crackly, sugary top.
• Simple pantry ingredients and one bowl of dry + one bowl of wet make this very home-cook friendly.
• The dough can be chilled or frozen, so you can bake a few fresh cookies whenever you like.

Grocery List

• Produce: None (all ingredients are pantry or dairy)
• Dairy: Unsalted butter, large egg
• Pantry: All-purpose flour, dark brown sugar, granulated sugar, unsulphured molasses, baking soda, baking powder, fine salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground black pepper (optional), pure vanilla extract, semisweet chocolate chips, turbinado or extra granulated sugar for rolling (optional)

Full Ingredients

For the Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies

• 2 1/4 cups (280 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or table salt)
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• Pinch (about 1/8 tsp) ground black pepper, optional but recommended for a warm, spicy kick
• 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (150 g) packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup (110 g) unsulphured molasses (not blackstrap; look for “original” or “unsulphured”)
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 cups (210 g) semisweet chocolate chips (or chunks)

For Rolling (Optional but Pretty)

• 1/3 cup (65 g) granulated sugar or turbinado sugar, for coating the dough balls

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Preheat the oven and prepare your pans

Set your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. This helps the cookies bake evenly, prevents sticking, and keeps cleanup easy.

If your kitchen is very warm or your butter is extremely soft, place a metal baking sheet in the fridge to chill while you prepare the dough. A cooler pan helps keep the cookies thick and soft instead of spreading too much.

Step 2: Whisk together the dry ingredients

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and black pepper (if using). Whisk well until the mixture looks uniform and no streaks of spice remain.

Whisking the spices thoroughly into the flour ensures that every cookie has even flavor and you do not end up with any overly spicy bites.

Step 3: Cream the butter and sugars

In a large mixing bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment), add the softened unsalted butter, dark brown sugar, and granulated sugar.

Beat on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, scraping down the sides once or twice, until the mixture is lighter in color and looks fluffy. This step incorporates air, helping the cookies bake up soft and slightly thick instead of dense.

Step 4: Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla

Add the molasses to the creamed butter-sugar mixture and beat on medium speed until fully blended. The mixture will look a bit darker and smoother.

Add the egg and vanilla extract. Beat again on medium speed for about 30–45 seconds, just until the mixture looks glossy and well combined. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula to make sure nothing is stuck.

Do not overbeat once the egg is added; too much mixing can make the cookies tougher.

Step 5: Combine the dough and fold in chocolate chips

With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in 2–3 additions. Mix just until you no longer see dry flour. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl once to make sure everything is incorporated.

Sprinkle in the semisweet chocolate chips and use a spatula or wooden spoon to gently fold them into the dough. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky, but thick enough to hold its shape when scooped.

Cover the bowl tightly (with a lid, plate, or plastic wrap) and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours. Chilling helps the flavors develop and keeps the cookies from spreading too much in the oven.

Step 6: Scoop, roll in sugar, and arrange on trays

When you are ready to bake, remove the dough from the refrigerator. If it has chilled for several hours and is very firm, let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes so it is easier to scoop.

Place the rolling sugar (granulated or turbinado) in a small shallow bowl. Using a cookie scoop or spoon, portion out about 1 1/2 tablespoons of dough per cookie (about 30 g). Roll each portion between your palms into a smooth ball, then roll the ball in the sugar to coat it evenly.

Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 2 inches (5 cm) apart to allow for spreading. If you like a slightly flatter cookie, you can gently press the tops just a bit with your fingers or the bottom of a glass.

Step 7: Bake the cookies and cool

Bake one sheet at a time in the preheated oven for 9–11 minutes. The cookies are done when the edges look set and slightly darker, the tops are puffed with small cracks, and the centers still look soft and just a touch underbaked. The chocolate chips may look glossy but not fully melted; they will continue to soften as the cookies cool.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes. This allows them to set up without overbaking. Then, carefully transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

The cookies will deflate slightly as they cool, becoming soft, chewy, and thick with a crackly, sugared surface and pockets of melty chocolate.

Pro Tips

• Weigh your flour if possible. Using a kitchen scale (280 g) or the spoon-and-level method helps avoid packing in too much flour, which can make cookies dry or cakey.
• Do not skip the chill. Even 30 minutes in the fridge helps the butter firm up and gives the spices and molasses time to meld, which means better texture and deeper flavor.
• Underbake just slightly. Pull the cookies out when the centers still look a bit soft. They will finish cooking on the hot baking sheet and stay soft for days.
• Use the right molasses. Choose regular unsulphured molasses, not blackstrap. Blackstrap is more bitter and will overpower the cookie.
• Rotate pans for even baking. If baking more than one tray at a time, swap their positions halfway through and turn them front-to-back for consistent browning.

Variations

• Spiced white chocolate cranberry: Replace half of the semisweet chocolate chips with white chocolate chips and fold in 1/2 cup (60 g) dried cranberries for a sweet-tart, festive twist.
• Extra-spicy gingerbread: Increase the ground ginger to 3 tsp and add a pinch more black pepper for a bolder, bakery-style gingerbread heat.
• Giant bakery cookies: Scoop 3-tablespoon portions of dough (about 55–60 g each), bake 11–13 minutes, and cool on the sheet a bit longer for large, thick, impressive cookies.

Storage & Make-Ahead

Store completely cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4–5 days. Place parchment between layers to keep the sugary tops from sticking together.

For longer storage, freeze baked cookies in a single layer on a baking sheet until firm, then transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container for up to 2–3 months. Thaw at room temperature or warm briefly in a low oven (about 300°F / 150°C) for 5–7 minutes to refresh.

You can also freeze the unbaked dough. Scoop and sugar-coat the dough balls, place them on a baking sheet, and freeze until solid. Transfer to a freezer bag and label. Bake from frozen at 350°F (175°C), adding 1–2 minutes to the baking time (no need to thaw).

Nutrition (per serving)

Approximate values per cookie (1 of 24): about 160 calories; 8 g fat (5 g saturated); 22 g carbohydrates; 1 g fiber; 14 g sugars; 2 g protein; 90 mg sodium. Actual values will vary based on specific ingredients and cookie size.