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Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies |  |
Homemade Cookies from Scratch in One Hour Flat. Real Food, Fast & Family-Tested. Budget Friendly. Weeknight Easy, Weekend Special. Great for Food Gifts. Potluck & Cookie Swap Friendly. Ships Well. Freezes Well.
Two Miracles & One Magnificent Cookie Later ...
Most cookies are good and all but really, aren't they too often kinda forgettable, one kinda like the next?
And then there's this little guy who despite his Big Fat moniker is actually only two bites big. But "Fat Little Molasses Cookie" just doesn't have the same appeal, am-I-right? Big and Fat it is. And Chewy.
He showed up in my InBox years back and sure, the recipe sounded good, great even, especially for anyone keen on molasses.
(Wait. An aside. Since when did cookies take on gender pronouns? Somehow this cookie is definitely a he/him. Anyway. Never mind.)
But really, pronouns aside, in my recipe-writing world, good and even great recipes show up, like, I dunno, fifty or a hundred times a day.
Few recipes warrant more than a cursory glance.
Fast Forward a Year and a Half.
Butter was softening on the counter for Molasses Cookies, the recipe that's been my go-to, never-look-around choice for a couple of decades.
Then something twigged. What about that puffy molasses cookie recipe from awhile back? I remembered! That was the first miracle.
I even remembered the source, its own miracle since intriguing recipes litter my recipe landscape: folders with magazine clippings; post-it marked cookbooks; screen shots; hundreds/thousands/sugarbillions of Saves online.
Is anyone keeping track? We're up to two miracles and haven't even taken a bite!
Now truth be told, I didn't need a molasses cookie recipe. I already had not just a good one but a great one. Who needs two?! For awhile, I even considered tweaking my original recipe to make it Big and Fat versus Thin and Crisp.
But in fact, the two recipes couldn't be more different.
Today's new recipe for Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies calls for ...
- ... 1/3 less butter
- ... 1/2 less sugar
- ... no spices
- ... 1/2 again more flour
- ... but triple the molasses!
There's no tweaking such different proportions!
This cookie guy, he knows what he is and what he's meant to be. He is a molasses cookie. Not a ginger cookie. Not a spice cookie. A molasses cookie.
So here we are ...
About This Recipe
- Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies are simple but not plain, a crinkle cookie all about the molasses, sweet and crispy on the outside, chewy in the center.
- Distinctive Ingredient = molasses
- This is pantry-friendly recipe. I'm willing to bet most bakers have all the ingredients on hand already.
- Short Ingredient List = salted butter + brown sugar + molasses + egg + flour + baking soda + salt + raw sugar for rolling
- The cookies bake shaped like sweet little domes, round on the top, round all, well, around.
- This is a time-friendly recipe. Once the butter is softened, you'll be done in an hour.
- This is a budget-friendly recipe, no pricey nuts, no fancy chocolate, no dried fruit or specialty ingredients.
- The recipe yields about 4-1/2 dozen small cookies.
- Not sure Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies are for you? Here's that first recipe. For years, I've loved (and still do, really truly!) these old-fashioned Molasses Cookies, they bake flat and crisp, with warm spices.
How to Make Big Fat Chewy Molasses Cookies
The detailed recipe is written in traditional recipe form below but here are the highlights in three easy steps. You can definitely do this!
- MIX Use either a hand mixer or a stand mixer. I usually opt for a hand mixer for better control for a small batch of dough. Mix the wet ingredients first, that's the butter, brown sugar, egg and molasses. Then mix in the dry ingredients, that's the flour, baking soda and salt.
- SHAPE INTO BALLS & ROLL IN RAW SUGAR For cookies the same size, use a cookie scoop. The dough can be a little soft so it'll take a gentle touch to coat the balls in the raw sugar, nothing hard, just a little deftness. The "balls" won't be so much round as misshapen but not to worry, the cookies still bake up nice and circular.
- BAKE And that's it!
What Makes This Recipe Special
- Mix and bake a batch of cookies in just an hour
- All pantry ingredients, no running to the store for something special
- Big molasses flavor, a cookie without pretensions that knows what it's supposed to be
- Great texture, crispy-sweet on the outside, chewy in the center
- Get the butter out, girlfriend! You've got cookies to bake!
Bookmark! PIN! Share!
How do you save and share favorite recipes? recipes that fit your personal cooking style? a particular recipe your mom or daughter or best friend would just love? If this recipe gem of a cookie hits the mark, go ahead, save and share! I'd be honored ...
BIG FAT CHEWY MOLASSES COOKIES
Time-to-table: 60 minutes
Makes 4-1/2 dozen (54) small cookies
-
WET INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup (8 tablespoons/1 stick/112g) salted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) brown sugar
- 2/3 cup (230g) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2-3/4 cups flour, fluffed to aerate before measuring or 345g
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- Raw sugar, about 7 tablespoons
DRY INGREDIENTS
FOR ROLLING
SETUP Set the oven to 350F/180C. Line a baking sheet or two with parchment. Place the raw sugar in a small shallow bowl nearby.
MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS With a hand mixer or stand mixer, combine the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses and egg and combine well.
MIX IN THE DRY INGREDIENTS In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt with a fork. In three batches, turn the Dry Ingredients into the mixing bowl. If using a hand mixer, just use the beaters, without turning the mixer on, to work in the first two batches, then run the mixer briefly to work in the third batch. If using a stand mixer, barely work in the first two batches, then fully mix in the third batch; the idea is to not overwork the cookie dough.
FORM SMALL BALLS & ROLL IN RAW SUGAR Use a small scoop to measure out small cookies about 15g in weight, about one-inch in diameter by sight. The dough will be quite soft, just plop two or three balls onto the raw sugar in a small bowl, then use your fingers to gently roll each blob to cover completely with raw sugar. Arrange the cookie balls on the baking sheet, leaving about an inch between; despite the softness of the dough, they don't spread much, a standard-size baking sheet will easily fit 20 or 24 cookies per sheet. And don't worry, the misshapen soft balls will bake out to perfectly round cookies.
BAKE for 10 - 12 minutes, the cookies may look done at 10 minutes but gently touch the center of one cookie, it should be firm but still soft, it probably needs another minute or two. Remove from the oven and let cool completely right on the baking sheet.
TIMING TIP On Day One, the cookies' outer edges have an enticing sweet crispiness. By Day Two, the crispiness softens a touch and the cookies become addictively chewy, still with that outer sweetness.
MAKE-AHEAD TIPS The cookies stay fresh for about a week, the molasses flavor continues to develop.
Use a larger scoop for larger cookies but I love this small size. I played with several rolling sugars. Regular white sugar works fine but is nothing special. Coarse Swedish snow sugar looks dramatic but somehow isn't right. Raw sugar? Perfect. Over the years, I've made these cookies with several different molasses. My favorites are Grandma's Molasses and the Canadian favorite, Crosby's Fancy Molasses.
FOR MORE INFO If you "skipped straight to the recipe," please scroll back to the top of this page for ingredient information, ingredient substitutions, tips and more.
If you print this recipe, you'll want to check the recipe online for even more tips and extra information about ingredient substitutions, best results and more. See https://www.kitchenparade.com/2022/12/big-fat-chewy-molasses-cookies.html .
Seasonal Baking: Who Else Is Up to the Elbows in Flour?
Frosty Christmas Trees Homemade Microwave Caramel Corn Gourmet Chocolate Mocha Cookies Gingerbread Muffins Graham Cracker Toffee Cranberry-Mac Morsels Butter Tart Bars Perfect M&M Cookies Sesame Candy Fresh Cranberry Drop Cookies Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies Colored Roll-Out Sugar Cookies Holiday Baking Tips from a Certifiable Cookie-Baking Fiend No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies Bourbon Pralines Slice 'n' Bake Coffee Cookies with Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans Fresh Cranberry Cake Chocolate-Almond Shortbread Cookies Christmas Banana Bread Fresh Cranberry Bars Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies Family Shortbread Cranberry Walnut Bread
- THE RECIPE Fresh Cranberry Bars A chewy almost-blondie molasses and spice bar with bursts of juicy cranberry, topped with a scattering of sugar "snow".
- ANOTHER TAKE Fresh Cranberry Cake Best made a day ahead.
- THE RECIPE Gingerbread Pudding Cake Layers of cake and pudding. It's magic!
- ANOTHER TAKE Lemon Pudding Cake with Raspberries Tart lemon + juicy berries.
- THE RECIPE Cut-Out Spice Cookies My all-time year-round favorite cut-out cookie dough recipe.
- ANOTHER TAKE No-Chill Cutout Sugar Cookies Just mix and roll, no need to wait.
More One-Hour Sweet Treats
One-Hour Cookies
~ Banana Oatmeal Cookies ~~ Cranberry-Mac Morsels (Macadamia Nut-Butter Cookies with Dried Cranberries & Fresh Nutmeg) ~
~ Fat Rascals ~
~ Gum Drop Cookies ~
~ Mini Coffee Cookies ~
~ Mocha Chocolate Chip Cookies ~
~ No-Roll Christmas Sugar Cookies ~
~ Oatmeal Raisin Cookies ~
~ Old-Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies ~
~ Pecan Meringue Cookies ~
One-Hour Squares, Bars & Brownies
~ Butter Tart Bars ~~ Easy-Easy Chocolate Sheet Cake ~
~ Fresh Apricot Bars ~
~ On-the-Run Breakfast Bars ~
~ Sugar Cookie Bars ~
~ Two-Bite Brownies ~
~ Vanilla Brownies ~
One-Hour Other Baked Sweets
~ Baked Pumpkin Donuts & Donut Holes ~~ Graham Cracker Toffee ~
Shop Your Pantry First
(helping home cooks save money on groceries)~ molasses recipes ~
~ All Recipes, By Ingredient ~
~ How to Save Money on Groceries ~
Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences.
Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail, you'll find my current address in the FAQs. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.
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2022
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Thank you for taking a moment to write! I read each and every comment, for each and every recipe. If you have a specific question, it's nearly always answered quick-quick. But I also love hearing your reactions, your curiosity, even your concerns! When you've made a recipe, I especially love to know how it turned out, what variations you made, what you'll do differently the next time. ~ Alanna