These easy and tasty molasses cut out cookies are perfect for the holidays as a party treat, a food gift, or simply to enjoy with a mug of hot chocolate.
They're filled with classic gingerbread flavors and cut into your favorite shapes.
How to make molasses cut out cookies
Featured Ingredients
- Flour: Any all-purpose flour.
- Spices: Specifically cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
- Baking soda: To make them puff up a little.
- Butter: Softened, to be precise.
- Brown sugar and molasses: For that classic gingerbread cookie sweetness.
- Powdered sugar: For dusting.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt until combined.
- In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses, milk.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and use a spatula to mix together until combined and a dough ball has formed.
- Dust a few tablespoons of flour on a large cutting board. Place dough on the cutting board and use a rolling pin to roll it out flat to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut out about 24 cookies. Place them on the parchment paper, about ½ an inch apart. Bake 8-9 minutes, until set but soft.
- Let cookies cool, then dust with powdered sugar or decorate with white icing.
Recipe Substitutions and Alterations
- For the flour: Use any all-purpose flour you have, such as whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, whole wheat white or regular all-purpose (or a mix of any of these).
- For the spices: Adjust the level of cinnamon, ginger and cloves based on your preferences.
- For the butter: Try with coconut oil.
- For the brown sugar: Use dark or light brown sugar, or substitute with a brown sugar substitute such as Stevia or Swerve.
Nutrition Considerations
- To make these gluten free: Use gluten free all-purpose flour.
- Be sure all ingredients you choose are gluten free.
- To make these dairy free: Use a dairy free milk alternative, such as soy, almond, coconut, cashew, rice, pea or oat.
- To make these vegan: Try with coconut oil, an egg substitute and use a plant-based milk alternative, such as soy, almond, coconut, cashew, rice, pea or oat (although I haven't tested this).
- To make these nut free: These do not contain nuts.
- Be sure all ingredients are nut free.
- To make these egg free: Try an egg replacer, such as Bob's Red Mill Egg Replacer or a flax 'egg' (although I haven't tested this).
For more holiday dessert inspiration:
- White Chocolate Peppermint Brownie Cookies
- Sweet Potato Pie with Maple Whipped Cream
- Winter Citrus & Pomegranate Mascarpone Cups
- Cranberry Pecan Pie Bars
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Stuffed Pears
- Peanut Butter Yogurt Cookies with Dark Chocolate
Molasses Cut Out Cookies
These easy and tasty molasses cut out cookies are perfect for the holidays as a party treat, a food gift, or simply to enjoy with a mug of hot chocolate!
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
- Yield: 24 Cookies 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ tablespoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- ½ cup softened butter
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 3-4 tablespoons milk
- Flour, for dusting
- ¼ cup powdered sugar and/or white icing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda and salt until combined.
- In a separate bowl, use a hand mixer to beat together softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and molasses, milk.
- Pour wet ingredients into the bowl with dry ingredients and use a spatula to mix together until combined and a dough ball has formed.
- Dust a few tablespoons of flour on a large cutting board. Place dough on the cutting board and use a rolling pin to roll it out flat to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Use a gingerbread man cookie cutter and cut out about 24 cookies. Place them on the parchment paper, about ½ an inch apart. Bake 8-9 minutes, until set but soft.
- Let cookies cool, then dust with powdered sugar or decorate with white icing.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 135
- Sugar: 10g
- Sodium: 67mg
- Fat: 4g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 23g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 2g
- Cholesterol: 18mg