These old fashioned Molasses Ginger Cookies have been in my family for decades! They're perfectly spiced, crispy on the edges, and soft and chewy in the centers. They're also the perfect cookie recipe to make gluten free with the flour recommendations below.
1 1/2tspground cinnamonVietnamese cinnamon if you have it
3/4tspground cloves
3/4tspground ginger
1/4cupunsulphured molassessee notes
1egg
1/4tspsea salt
2tspbaking soda
1 3/4cupsgluten free flour+ 2 tbsp, see notes
1/4cupcane sugarfor rolling the cookies
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Cream the butter, sugar, and spices together with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides 2-3 times.
Add the molasses and egg, and beat to combine, about 1 minute, scraping down the sides when needed.
In a separate bowl, combine the sea salt, baking soda, and flour 1 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp for gluten free.
Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat with the paddle attachment until combined with no flour pockets remaining.
Use a #40 cookie scoop to portion out all the cookie dough. (See notes.) Roll the cookie dough between your palms until just smooth.
Then roll the cookie balls in the extra sugar before placing them on the parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake the cookies for 6-8 minutes or until they're lightly puffed up in the middles but are still moist in the center.
Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on a cooling rack. Repeat the shaping and baking process until all the cookie dough has been baked.
The cooled cookies can be stored at room temperature for 4 days, or frozen for up to 1 month.
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Notes
My family recipe calls for 2 cups all purpose flour, and you can make them that way if you're not gluten free. But I've found when subbing in gluten free flour that 1 3/4 cups + 2 tbsp yields a better more crinkly and chewy cookie. Just a little bit less gluten free flour rather than a 1:1 sub definitely makes all the difference.Bob's Red Mill 1:1 gluten free flour (blue bag) will yield the best results, but Cup4Cup is very good too, (contains milk powder).You want to avoid blackstrap molasses which is made from the 3rd boiling and some brands are very bitter! Better to go with unsulphured molasses.The cookie dough will be a touch sticky with gluten free flour. But if it's too sticky to quickly roll between your hands, try mixing in 1 tbsp flour before portioning out the rest of the cookie dough.