A couple of days ago, I went on a shopping spree.
But none of the stuff was for me. Or my family. It was for the Placer SPCA, our local shelter. And let me just say, I never had more fun on a shopping spree than I did this time.
And who would have thought picking out different sized KONG toys and trying to pick the tastiest looking dog treats would be so much…Â fun.Â
But it was, because I knew it was going to a good cause. Since I can’t adopt everyanimalever, I figured this was the next best thing, ya know?
And isn’t shopping for dog treats weird? I mean, you’re essentially totally judging the packaging alone on what sounds most appealing. And what about the fact that ALL dog treats smell like beef jerky? Let’s not even talk about how beef jerky disgusts me. Dogs eat dried beef. People eat dried beef. So wouldn’t it be acceptable to buy beef treats for dogs for humans? That’s one way to cut down on grocery bills – buy dog food to eat instead. Don’t mind me, just revolutionizing the way people eat beef jerky.
ANYWHO, revolutionizing aside, these cookies also made their way to the local SPCA. I figured all those humans who work there do a mighty fine job at keeping our homeless friends happy, so why not treat them too? And let’s just say, these cookies were a huge hit… not just with the SPCA folks, but with my family and my parents’ coworkers.
This recipe makes a BIG batch, so you’ll have plenty for any upcoming cookie exchange parties or swaps… or to hoard all to yourself. They’re thick, soft, chewy and bursting with ginger, cloves, cinnamon and molasses flavors… all the flavors of Christmastime. I jazzed things up by dipping them in white chocolate and giving them a festive drizzle of sprinkles for an added touch, but these were just as tasty plain and simple.
If you’ve been searching for an amazing gingerbread recipe, THIS IS YOUR RECIPE! No chilling required, no kneading, no rolling. Simply scoop, roll in some sugar, and bake. Easy peasy.
Just keep ’em for humans only, k?
Soft & Chewy Gingerbread Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (3 sticks) butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup molasses not blackstrap
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 4½ cups all-purpose flour
- White almond bark for dipping (optional)
- Sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with silicone liners or mist sheets lightly with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugars for about 2 minutes, or until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla and molasses. Beat in the spices, baking soda and flour until a thick dough forms.
- Roll rounded Tablespoonfuls of dough in some extra sugar, then place 2" apart on the baking sheets. Bake for approx. 14-15 minutes, rotating pans halfway through baking time to ensure even cooking. Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheets.
- Once completely cooled, dip the edge of the cookie into the melted white almond bark or white chocolate. Sprinkle with sprinkles. Let set, then serve.
If you love the spicy flavors of ginger, cloves and cinnamon, you’ll love these cookies! So much easier than cutting out gingerbread men!
Want more gingerbread flavors? Check these recipes out!
Gingerbread Toffee Lush Dessert
Gingerbread Cupcakes with Vanilla Bean Marshmallow Frosting
Have a super sweet day!
xo, Hayley
SaraLily says
Girl get out of my brain! I have white chocolate dipped cookies going on my blog next week for Christmas! I did not, however, make yummy chewy gingerbread cookies! Ah! Yours look divine!!!!
thedomesticrebel says
Great minds think alike 🙂 thanks SaraLily!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
you’re like puppy santa!!!! That does sound so fun and it was such a sweet idea to send these cookies for the workers! They just scream CHRISTMAS (and deeelicious!)
thedomesticrebel says
OMG, I AM puppy santa! Hahaha.
Dorothy @ Crazy for Crust says
I can say for certain, these are the BEST!! I ate 3 – in one sitting!
thedomesticrebel says
I’m so glad your gingerbread-lovin’ self thought so! Thanks!
Julianne @ Beyond Frosting says
These cookies look just PERFECT!
thedomesticrebel says
Thanks Julianne!
CakeSpy says
Gingerbread can be too austere for me, but the white chocolate brings it to the people’s (and my taste buds) level. 🙂
Mariah @ Mariah's Pleasing Plates says
Made these cookies this weekend! LOVED them! Dipping them in white chocolate was just about the best thing ever!!! Perfect amount of Gingerbread Spice too!
thedomesticrebel says
SO glad you loved them Mariah!! <3
Dale says
This looks so delicious but I have a question. How many sticks of butter should be used; because 1 1/2 cups = 3 sticks not 2 1/2. Can’t wait to try it. Merry Christmas!
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Dale! Oops, my mistake! It should be 1 & 1/2 cups or 3 sticks of butter. Fixed it in the recipe too. Thanks, and Merry Christmas!
Sebastian says
Hi from France…Would so much to try that recipe but we do not have any molasses here…which ingredient should I use instead? any idea? Thanks 😉 Merry christmas to all of you 🙂 Sebastian.
thedomesticrebel says
Hi Sebastian, molasses is truly unique and imparts such a wonderful, deep and complex flavor to these cookies. Since you can’t find it there, I would substitute equal parts honey or dark corn syrup to try to achieve the same results. The flavor will be different since there’s no molasses, though.
Lex says
I love the taste of these cookies! They look wonderful in your post. Gorgeous, however mine did not! They flattened out a lot. I placed the batter in the fridge for 30 min hoping it would help. It did not. Any suggestions?
thedomesticrebel says
Lex, did you use real butter and not margarine? Margarine tends to make cookies spread, so perhaps you accidentally used it in place of butter. Otherwise, I’m not sure why else it would spread unfortunately! I’ve made these cookies so many times and I never have issues. I’m sorry yours were flat!
Lex says
I did use butter! I think maybe I over mixed. I left the remaining batter in the fridge overnight and yielded a better result. It may have been the rain adding extra moisture to the air too. Thanks! They still taste fab!
thedomesticrebel says
Perhaps! And the moisture in the air can mess a lot of things up. Glad they worked out better after an overnight chill!
Kelly says
My husband sent me this recipe from your Instagram post as a less than subtle request, lol! They turned out super yummy!