Maple Molasses Cookies – Chewy molasses cookies have just the perfect amount of spice and way more chew than a gingerbread man cookie. If that wasn’t enough, they’re covered with a thin layer of maple glaze.
It’s rare that a cookie surprises me. But that’s exactly what these Maple Molasses Cookies did. I was testing a recipe for new cookies with molasses and decided to add in a trio of spices: cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. The resulting cookies were perfectly chewy (from the molasses) but spiced like a gingerbread cookie. Mmmm. And with a thin layer of maple glaze on top, they have just the perfect amount of sweetness.
As soon as you bite into the cookie, your taste buds get a shock from the spices. That’s what surprised me about these – I didn’t expect that from a chewy cookie. This cookie has just enough spice to warm your whole body up but not too much that overwhelms you. And best of all – they are just as easy to make as any other chewy cookie you’ve made before.
Super easy cookie recipe
This cookie recipe is very similar to any other cookie recipe you’ve made before:
- Butter and sugar – You cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy.
- Egg and molasses – Then the egg and molasses are added and mixed until smooth.
- Dry ingredients – Finally, the dry ingredients are added and mixed with the wet ingredients until the dough forms
Then, the dough is formed into tablespoon-sized balls, covered, and chilled for about an hour. Chilling the dough ensures the butter is cold enough before baking so that it doesn’t melt and cause the cookies to spread too much. I like to form the balls before chilling to speed up the chilling process.
After chilling, they’re baked until cracks form on the tops of the cookies.
Finishing with maple icing
Once the cookies have cooled, they are glazed with a maple icing. The key to icing these cookies perfectly is dunking the tops very gently in the icing so only a thin layer remains on the cookies’ tops.
The icing is made with melted butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar. Whisk it until all the lumps disappear and a smooth icing is formed.
Dunk the tops of the cookies in the glaze and shake off the excess. Leave the cookies to dry until the tops set, about 30 minutes.
Tips & Tricks
- Make sure you use unsulphured molasses for this recipe. Blackstrap molasses will give the cookies a different taste.
- Using a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to form the balls of dough will help keep the cookies all the same size.
- Do not dunk the cookies into the maple glaze aggressively. You want to do it ever so gently so only a little glaze ends up on top and the cracks are still present.
Maple Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
For the cookie dough:
- 1½ sticks butter unsalted, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup unsulphured molasses
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
For the maple glaze:
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup room temperature
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Add butter and sugar to a bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on medium until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add egg and mix to combine. Scrape down the sides and mix to ensure it's all combined. Add molasses and mix on low to combine.
- In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and spices together until combined. Add to butter-molasses mixture and mix on low until the dough forms. Using a tablespoon, scoop the dough and form balls. Place on a plate. They can touch, if necessary. Cover the balls in plastic wrap and chill until they firm up, about 1 hour.
- Once chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place balls of dough on baking sheets, about 1½ inches apart. They should fit on two 1/2-sheet pans, without issues. Bake in preheated oven until the tops start to crack, about 9-10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let the cookies cool completely before adding maple glaze.
For the maple glaze:
- Add melted butter to maple syrup and mix together. Add powdered sugar and whisk together until all lumps are gone. Very gently dip the top of a cooled cookie into the glaze and shake off the excess. Place back on baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the cookies. The cookies will take about 30 minutes to set completely.
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More recipes you’ll love:
Maple Walnut Cookies
Maple Pecan Scones
Gingerbread Biscotti
The kids were in absolute love with these cookies. They wanted more and more of it until it was over! Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious recipe!
I have never had molasses cookies before, but I would love to try these. They look super delicious!
Apparently, it’s the new favorite cookies recipe in the family. Kids loved it so much. Already made them twice. perfect every time. Thanks for the recipe.
Such beautiful and flavor-packed cookies for the holidays! I absolutely love that chewy texture.
what great flavors to have both maple and the molasses we are big fans of this recipe and make often
These maple molasses cookies are the best! My family loves them!
My kids gobbled these up! They were so good! 🙂
Oh! These are some of my favorite cookies!
Oh! How lucky to come across this recipe (which I’m printing right now)! These are my absolute favorite type of cookie! These look absolutely amazing!
I love chewy cookies and these sound perfect for the season, i need to make them