Small Batch Molasses Crinkle Cookies

These small batch molasses crinkle cookies bake up thick and soft with chewy centers, crisp edges, and snowy crackled tops. Rich molasses gives the cookies their deep flavor and signature chew, while cinnamon, ginger, and cloves bring the warm gingerbread-inspired spice. The dough mixes easily in one bowl before a generous roll in powdered sugar gives all 9 cookies their signature finish.

Molasses Deserves The Spotlight In These Cookies

Thank my small batch gingerbread cookies for these molasses crinkles. After sampling one too many spoonfuls of the spiced dough, I knew I wanted a chewier version of those cookies.

These crinkles share the warm mix of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. But it’s the softer texture that really lets the molasses shine, giving the chewy centers a robust and slightly spicy flavor.

For the same wintry finish as my chocolate crinkle cookies, I give the dough a double roll in powdered sugar for snowy white tops. And I intentionally make nine cookies because making them much bigger can leave the centers struggling to bake through. At this size, you’ll get cookies with proper thickness, lightly crisp edges, and a soft bite all the way through.

And a little behind-the-scenes intel: these crinkles disappear faster than their cocoa counterparts.

How to Make Molasses Crinkle Cookies

First, whisk together the brown sugar, melted butter, and molasses until smooth and the butter is fully incorporated. The butter likes to stay separate at first, but keep whisking, and it will come together. Then whisk in the egg yolk and vanilla.

To keep this a one-bowl recipe, set a mesh strainer over the bowl and use it to sift in the dry ingredients. The spices like to clump, and sifting helps distribute everything evenly.

Switch to a spatula to stir in the flour until all the dry streaks are gone. The dough will be thick and sticky, thanks to the molasses. A touch of baking powder helps the cookies puff instead of spreading too thin, but the dough still needs to chill for at least an hour to firm the melted butter and control the spread.

Scoop and roll the dough into balls, then drop them into a bowl of powdered sugar. Use a spoon to roll them back and forth until completely coated, then roll them through the sugar a second time.

As the cookies bake, you’re looking for set edges and centers that still look underbaked — they’ll almost bubble underneath the crackled tops. The cookies will continue to bake from the residual heat of the baking sheet after you pull them from the oven.

Erin’s Molasses Cookie Tips

• Use unsulphured molasses. Molasses comes in a few varieties, and some can taste sharp or bitter. Unsulphured molasses has the rich, robust flavor I want in these cookies without the bitterness of blackstrap. It’s the same kind I use in my gingerbread latte syrup and you can find it in most grocery stores.
• Carefully measure the molasses. This is one ingredient where a little extra can change the consistency of a small batch dough. Too much can leave the dough overly soft and encourage the cookies to spread rather than bake up thick and chewy.
• If the powdered sugar disappears, check the dough temperature. Warm dough can absorb the delicate powdered sugar quickly once the cookies hit the oven. Make sure the dough gets its full chill, and don’t skip the double roll. For extra insurance, roll the dough balls in granulated sugar first, then powdered sugar to help keep the snowy coating intact.
• The dough gets pretty firm once chilled. If you’d rather save yourself the arm workout, scoop the dough into balls first, place them on the baking sheet, then chill.

Small Batch Molasses Crinkle Cookies

4.9 from 15 reviews

These small batch molasses crinkle cookies are made in one bowl with rich molasses, brown sugar, melted butter, and warm gingerbread spices. A double roll through powdered sugar gives the 9 thick and chewy cookies their signature crackled tops.

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by Erin Cernich

Yield9 Cookies

Prep10 minutes minutes

ChillChill1 hour hour

Cook11 minutes minutes

Total Time1 hour hour 21 minutes minutes

Equipment

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  Baking Sheet Lined with Parchment Paper
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  Fine Mesh Strainer (optional)
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  Odd Size Measuring Spoons
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  #40 Medium Cookie Scoop (2 Tablespoon)

Ingredients

• ▢ ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ▢ 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ▢ 1 large egg yolk
• ▢ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 tablespoons molasses, unsulphured
• ▢ ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

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Instructions

 

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  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar and melted butter. Whisk in the egg and vanilla, then the molasses, and mix until smooth.
  1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, 1 large egg yolk, 2 tablespoons molasses, unsulphured, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
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  Sprinkle or sift all of the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients. Use a spatula and mix until no dry streaks remain. The dough will be sticky.
  3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves, 1/8 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
  
To remove lumps and distribute the spices, sift in the ingredients by setting a fine mesh strainer over the bowl.
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  Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour, or up to 1 day. As the dough chills, it will get firm.
  
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  Preheat the oven to 350F degrees and adjust the oven rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper.
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  Add the powdered sugar to a shallow dish.
  2 to 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
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  Using a medium cookie scoop (2 tablespoon), scoop into 9 equal portions, roll into a ball between the palms of your hands, then roll each doug ball through the powdered sugar twice. Place on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart.
  
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  Bake the cookies for 11 to 13 minutes, or until the edges are set and the middle of the cookies still looks soft. The soft center is what gives you a chewy cookie. For a crispier cookie, bake for 1 to 2 minutes longer.
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  Cool the cookies on the baking sheet set on a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes, before transferring to the wire rack to cool completely. Store the cookies in a covered container for up to 5 days.

Notes

• Serving Size – This is a small batch recipe that can be doubled. If so, use two egg yolks instead of one whole egg.
• Molasses – Use unsulphured molasses for the best, balanced flavor. Darker molasses varieties can be too bitter for cookies.
• The Powdered Sugar Finish – If the powdered sugar melts into the cookies as it bakes, chances are the dough wasn’t chilled long enough. To ensure the white finish, double roll the dough balls through the powdered sugar. Or, you can roll each dough ball once through granulated sugar, then the powdered sugar. The granulated sugar forms a crust and acts as a barrier to keep the powdered sugar from sinking in. 
• Tip For Round Cookies – As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, scoot them around the inside of a large round cookie cutter (it has to be larger than the cookie to work). This will smooth out the edges.
• Storage – Cover and keep at room temperature for up to 5 days. 
• Freezing the Cookie Dough – After the dough chills, roll it into balls, then place in a freezer bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Let the frozen dough balls sit at room temperature while the oven preheats, then roll through the powdered sugar and bake. 
• Freezing Baked Cookies – Place the cookies in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature.

Nutrition Estimates

Calories: 133kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 90mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is calculated by a third-party and should only be considered an estimate and not a guarantee.