Chewy molasses spice cookies from Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence (page 144) by Claire Saffitz

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

AllisonML on April 12, 2026

I made these for Christmas and they were my favorite cookie from the season
apalmer91 on January 12, 2026

My husband and family always raves about this cookie. I’ve included it in both 2024 and 2025 cookie boxes and everyone comments on it, specifically.
lindsey_5xsrit on December 25, 2025

I love this recipe and make it every holiday season! This year I prepared the dough ahead of time and froze per her instructions - 16 minutes in the oven and they were perfect.
KCKB on December 04, 2022

Following up now that cookies are done: yes, I think their flavor would benefit from salted butter/more salt. And I suspect Claire’s culinary school training is behind the precise instructions to shape the dough in a 6x6 square, etc. - I found that it worked fine to scoop the dough into a couple of zipper-lock plastic bags (easier to wash and re-use), flatten it out and pop in the freezer before breaking off chunks and rolling in sugar.
KCKB on December 04, 2022

Making these today and will report back how they turn out. Questions for other bakers: 1) I noted what people said about needing more spices and wondered, would it help to bump up the salt? With unsalted butter and only 1/2 tsp kosher salt, it sounds to me like that could be part of why the flavor might be a little flat. 2) also, any idea why the recipe asks you to make two 6x6 squares of dough before refrigerating, if it’s just going to get portioned into balls rather than rolled out? Seems weirdly specific (not a criticism, just an observation) … and would it work better to pop the dough in the freezer rather than the fridge? Would love to hear if others have insight on these questions!
okmosa on April 26, 2022

These weren’t the kind of chewy I was expecting; I was looking for a thicker chewy cookie. These cookies were OK chewy on the center but the edges were crispy crunchy. I agree with the other notes to increase the spices a little bit. My dough was in the refrigerator probably three hours and it was surprisingly soft to work with, but workable. I’m not sure if more time in the refrigerator would have alleviated that. Overall, a fine cookie, but I’m going to keep searching for the chewy molasses/gingerbread cookie for me.
ehallison on November 30, 2021

I had the dough in the fridge almost 2 hours and it was still very soft. Next time I'll leave it for at least 3 hours.
jbuchman on September 27, 2021

Fabulous and easy to make. Refrigerating the dough overnight makes it easier to handle.
stef on September 25, 2021

A delicious cookie. I added a bit more of each spice. No apple cider vinegar so I used sherry vinegar. This is going on my Christmas baking list.
hbakke on December 26, 2020

Chewy and delicious. The dough was still very soft after an hour in the refrigerator, so were a little difficult to roll in the sugar. I would probably leave these in the fridge longer next time. I also might increase the spices a little next time as they seemed a little muted (possibly old spices). I would make these again.