Pumpkin Molasses Cookies
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These soft, chewy Pumpkin Molasses Cookies with rich, maple icing are guaranteed to be the star of your holiday baking lineup! If the perfect pumpkin cookie, and the ultimate soft and chewy gingersnap cookie got together, THIS would be the result and it is holiday cookie magic!
Get more of you pumpkin fix with my BEST Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe, Pumpkin Brownies, and Best Easy Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls with Maple Icing recipes!
Why This Recipe Works
Perfect for the holidays — There’s no reason to relegate these molasses cookies for Thanksgiving. I say they work all the way through the new year and beyond! So go ahead, make a double batch and eat them all season long.
Simple ingredients — Nothing fancy here in these super soft molasses cookies. In fact, you probably have most of the ingredients in your fridge and pantry right now.
So easy — These cookies only take 90 minutes from start to finish and that includes an hour of chill time in the fridge.
Ingredients
Butter — This soft and chewy molasses cookie recipe uses salted butter in the dough and melted butter in the icing.
Brown sugar — I prefer dark brown sugar in the dough. Be sure to pack it in the measuring cups before adding it to the mixer.
Sugar — Sugar is needed in all aspects of this cookie recipe, both granulated and powdered.
Canned Pumpkin — Be sure you’re picking up pumpkin puree and not pumpkin pie filling (which contains spices in it).
Molasses — Molasses makes these cookies soft and chewy, with a richer flavor and texture.
Spices — I use cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, cloves, and ginger. See FAQs for pumpkin pie spice substitutes.
Pure Maple Syrup — I much prefer pure maple syrup in the frosting for molasses cookies as its flavor is less pronounced than in the artificial version. But if that’s all you have that’s okay feel free to use it!
How to Make It
Ready to make the best frosted molasses cookies on the planet?
- Using either a stand mixer or a hand mixer, mix together the butter, both sugars, and the vanilla. Once that’s incorporated, add the room temperature egg, pumpkin puree, and molasses and mix again until the dough is combined.
- In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients and spices.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir till incorporated either using a slow setting on the mixer or by stirring by hand.
- Cover the dough and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour.
- When the dough is just about done chilling preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Scoop cookie dough out, rolling into 1-1/2-inch balls.
- Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar in a shallow bowl and roll each of the cookie dough balls into the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place each ball on the prepared baking sheet about 3 inches apart.
- Put the cookies in the oven and bake for 10-13 minutes. Allow them to cool completely on the pan.
- When the cookies have cooled, prepare the icing by combining the melted butter, vanilla, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons of milk, whisking until completely combined, then add a little more milk as necessary until the icing is smooth. As a final step, I like to heat the icing in the microwave for 20-30 seconds until just warmed and slightly runny.
- Dip each cookie separately into the icing and allow them to sit for a few minutes before serving or storing in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Expert Tips + Tricks
- If you don’t have ground ginger and cloves you can increase the pumpkin pie spice to 1 teaspoon
- If your icing cools too quickly as you’re dipping the cookies, you can just pop it back into the microwave for about 20 seconds or so until it’s runny again.
- You can also serve these cookies without the icing and they are just as delicious.
- Need these cookies gluten free? Use a cup-for-cup exchange with gluten free flour.
- These cookies will keep in an airtight container on the counter for up to 5 days or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.
FAQs
Pumpkin pie spice is something I only use like once a year so I am always surprised if I have it in my spice drawer. Or, if I do, that it’s not expired. Should you be elbow-deep in cookie batter before you realize you’re out of pumpkin pie spice, not to worry, there are substitutions:
– For every 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, you can substitute ¾ teaspoon of cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of ginger, allspice, or nutmeg (choose one).
– Use a ½ teaspoon of cinnamon + ½ teaspoon of two of the following: allspice, ginger, or nutmeg.
I also often find myself forgetting to get my eggs up to room temperature before adding it to these cookies.
To quickly get an egg to room temperature, simply place it in a glass of warm water for about 5-10 minutes. Make sure the water is lukewarm, not hot.
Molasses is made from sugar beets or sugar cane that has been boiled and refined to extract their juices. Then the juice is boiled, the sugar crystals extracted and then the remaining liquid becomes thick like…you guessed it…molasses.
More Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting – a bit of autumn heaven.
- Best Easy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Recipe – must haves during the colder months!
- Pumpkin Sugar Cookies – soft, chewy sugar cookies-upgraded.
- Pumpkin Snickerdoodles – no one will be able to resist these delicious cookies.
When you make this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on social – I love connecting with you and seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Soft Pumpkin Molasses Cookies with Maple Icing
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter, browned, I used salted
- 1 ⅓ cups brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree, not pumpkin pie filling
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 3 cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon salt, if using unsalted butter, increase to 3/4 teaspoon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, see note
Cinnamon-sugar coating
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Maple Icing (optional)
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons milk, as needed
Instructions
- In a large bowl mix together butter, sugars, and vanilla. Add egg, pumpkin puree, and molasses and mix again until combined.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, salt, and cloves.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until incorporated (do not over-mix).
- Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment or a baking mat. Scoop cookie dough and roll into 1 1/2-inch balls. Whisk together the cinnamon and sugar and roll each cookie dough ball in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, then place on prepared baking sheet 3 inches apart.
- Bake in preheated oven for 10-13 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the pan.
- When cookies have cooled, prepare the icing. Combine melted butter, vanilla, maple syrup, powdered sugar, and 2 tablespoons of milk. Whisk until completely combined. Add a little more milk as necessary until smooth. Heat in the microwave for 20-30 seconds til just warmed and slightly runny.
- Dip cookies in the icing and allow to set for a few minutes before serving or storing in airtight container up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I was dreaming of bringing together Thanksgiving and Christmas in a cookie and THIS was the result. My family fell in love with the soft and chewy texture, the amazing holiday-spiced flavors, and then when I took it to the next level with a simple maple icing…well, it’s safe to say this is everyone’s new favorite cookie!