Soft Brown Butter Molasses Cookies

These soft brown butter molasses cookies are soft in the center with crisp, chewy edges, and full of brown butter and molasses flavors!

These soft brown butter molasses cookies are the ideal holiday cookie. Warm spices, rich molasses & brown butter flavors, AND no rolling/cutting out. Just a simple scoop & bake cookie dough!

Though there is some chill time and the extra step of making the brown butter, but trust me you don't want to skip it! It gives these cookies so much depth of flavor, you'll never want to eat an ordinary molasses cookie again! 

For more Christmas cookie recipes, try Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies, Soft Gingerbread Cutout Cookies, and Salted Caramel Linzer Cookies. 

Jump to:

• Why you'll love these soft molasses cookies:
• Ingredient Notes
• Kitchen Equipment
• Step by Step Instructions
• Expert Baking Tips
• FAQ
• Storage Tips
• Baking in Grams
• Other Christmas cookies you'll love
• 📖 Recipe

Why you'll love these soft molasses cookies:

• Brown Butter: Caramelizing butter brings out so much flavor and takes these cookies to whole other level!
• Warm Spices: Warm, cozy spices are a must in any holiday cookie and they make these molasses cookies just that much more special. 
• Rich Molasses: If you're a lover of molasses, these cookies do not disappoint! 

Ingredient Notes

Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card below. Here you'll find notes on why I chose certain ingredients, as well as ingredient substitutions. 

• All-Purpose Flour: You'll need about two cups of flour. Use high-quality, unbleached all-purpose flour.
• Baking Soda: You'll need ½ teaspoon of baking soda. 
• Spices: I used a combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice. 
• Brown Butter: You'll need 170g of brown butter, so start with a couple extra tablespoons to account for the water evaporation. Keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter. 
• Brown Sugar: For a more rich molasses flavor, use dark brown sugar, but you can also use light brown sugar. 
• Granulated Sugar: You'll ¼ cup for the dough and another ¼ cup for rolling.
• Molasses: You'll need 80g (or scant ¼ cup) of unsulphured molasses. 
• Egg: You'll need one egg at room temperature. 

Kitchen Equipment

• Kitchen Scale
• Small Saucepan
• Mixing Bowl
• Whisk
• Rubber Spatula
• 3 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop
• Baking Tray
• Parchment Paper

Step by Step Instructions

STEP 1: Make the brown butter. In a small saucepan, heat 204g (14 ½ tbsp) of unsalted butter over medium heat for several minutes, swirling to even out the color. The butter will be ready once the fat solids have separated and darkened, and the butter is an even medium amber color. Weigh out 170g (¾ cup) of the brown butter in a large bowl. Place in the freezer for about 15 minutes until solid, yet soft.

STEP 2: Make the cookie dough. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the soft brown butter and sugars together for 2-3 minutes until light and fluffy. Add in the molasses and beat until fully combined. Then, mix in the egg and vanilla. Lastly, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Chill the dough in the fridge for about one hour.

STEP 3: Portion the cookie dough. Using a 3 tablespoon cookie scoop, portion the cookie dough and place onto one baking sheet. Freeze for 15 minutes. 

STEP 4: Bake. Roll each cookie dough ball in sugar, then place on a baking sheet about 3 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 10-12 minutes, until slightly golden on the edges. Cool completely on the baking sheet & enjoy!

Expert Baking Tips

• Start with an extra couple tablespoons of butter, since water evaporates as it browns. Also, keep in mind that European-style butter has less water content, so if you're using American-style butter you might want to start with even more butter. 
• Be sure to bring your brown butter back to a solid, yet soft state by placing in the freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Do not skip the chill time of the cookie dough! 

FAQ

Storage Tips

Store these cookies in an air-tight container at room temperature for 3-5 days. You can also freeze the baked cookies or raw portioned cookie dough for up to 3 months. 

Baking in Grams

All of the recipes on this blog are carefully developed to create incredibly delicious baked goods that you can easily recreate in your own kitchen with success. The only way this is possible is to standardize the way ingredients are measured - by weight. Volume measurements are extremely inaccurate and leave room for significant errors. Not all measuring cups are made equally, so your one cup of flour will be different from my one cup of flour. By providing precise measurements in grams (aside from minor ingredients, which are given in tsp/tbsp), I can ensure that you can make the recipe accurately and with less cleanup! All you need is this kitchen scale. 

If this still isn't enough to convince you, I have provided volume measurements in the recipe card. If you are interested in understanding the conversions, this is the best conversion chart.

But trust me, once you try baking in grams you'll never turn back!

Happy baking! x

Other Christmas cookies you'll love

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📖 Recipe