Molasses Sugar Cookies

These sit right at the crossroads of a sugar cookie and a gingersnap. Molasses gives them a deep, bittersweet backbone and a gorgeous dark golden color, while the triple hit of cinnamon, cloves, and ginger fills the kitchen with that warm spice aroma before they even hit the oven.

The shortening blend of margarine and Crisco is deliberate. Margarine contributes flavor while Crisco adds structure and keeps the cookies from spreading too thin. Together they produce a cookie that’s crisp on the edges and soft in the middle.

The thumbprint detail is a nice touch. Pressing a little sugar-filled dent into each ball before baking creates a sweet, crackly pocket that contrasts with the chewy surrounding dough. Don’t skip it.

Pro Tips

• Roll the dough balls in sugar generously. That outer coating cracks as the cookie spreads, giving you the classic crinkle-top look.
• Bake for 8 minutes if you want them chewy, closer to 10 if you prefer them crisp all the way through. They firm up more as they cool, so pull them when they still look slightly underdone.
• The recipe author suggests adding a pinch of mace to the dry ingredients. It’s a warm, slightly floral spice that rounds out the cloves and ginger nicely.
• Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack. They’re fragile when hot.

Variations

• Brown sugar swap: Use dark brown sugar instead of white for an even more intense, caramel-like molasses flavor.
• Chocolate dipped: Dip cooled cookies halfway into melted dark chocolate for a holiday-worthy treat.
• Cream cheese filling: Instead of sugar in the thumbprint, pipe in a small swirl of sweetened cream cheese after baking.