Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy on the inside with deliciously crispy edges. Infused with fragrant chai spices, these take old-fashioned Molasses Cookies to another level! Video.
These soft and chewy Chai Molasses Cookies are very much like old-fashioned molasses cookies but with the addition of flavorful chai spices – cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper and ginger.
Perhaps these will do nothing for many of you. But to some, it will take you somewhere. Perhaps back to India. Perhaps to the place in dreams, that feel so much like home that slip out of memory once we awake. Going to India felt like that to me. Like I had been there before, like I knew it, so very familiar. Yet, every time I asked myself “why”, the gates of perception in my mind shut down tight. It was while drinking a cup of chai, that an answer like a whisper floated through me, like air – so light and fleeting…
Chai molasses Cookie Ingredients
- Butter (softened): Provides richness and flavor to the cookies.
- Granulated sugar: Adds sweetness and contributes to the texture of the cookies.
- Molasses: Gives the cookies a moist and chewy texture, as well as a rich, deep flavor.
- Egg: Helps bind the ingredients together and adds structure to the cookies.
- All-purpose flour: Provides structure to the cookies and gives them a tender crumb.
- Baking soda: Helps the cookies rise and gives them a slightly crisp texture.
- Salt: Enhances the flavors and balances the sweetness of the cookies.
- Chai spice mix (cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, black pepper, and ginger): Infuses the cookies with warm and aromatic flavors reminiscent of chai tea.
- Coarse sugar (for rolling): Adds a touch of sweetness and provides a beautiful crystallized texture on the cookies.
How to make Chai Molasses Cookies
The recipe is easy and straightforward. Just follow the directions and you’ll be happy with the results. 🙂
Roll the dough into small walnut sized balls and roll in coarse sugar. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan ( or use a silicone baking mat). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are crisp and cookies begin to crack. As they cool and deflate, they will crackle more.
Soft and chewy with deliciously crispy edges!
And- the cookies stay soft and chewy for several days after being baked, although they may not last that long!
Expert Tips
- Let the butter soften naturally to room temperature. Don’t melt it.
- Weigh the flour if you have a scale. Otherwise, fluff the flour with a fork before measuring, and spoon and level into the measuring cup.
- Check the cookies after 8-9 minutes in the oven- if they haven’t started to spread or crack, wack the tray on the oven rack firmly 1-2 times to initiate that spread. Continue baking 3-4 minutes.
- Making the dough ahead of time and refrigerating will allow you to roll into perfect-sized balls.
These Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies are like a cozy, warm hug from a friend.
Storage
The cookie dough keeps for up to 5 days in the fridge if you want to make it ahead or bake it in smaller batches.
Baked cookies keep for one week at room temperature, or can be frozen for later.
They make a sweet gift to someone who can use a little love. Here are more DIY gift ideas!
Serving Suggestions
Serve with a warm mug of Masala Chai for instant an mood-lifting effect. ✨
More Favorite cookie recipes!
- Coconut Macaroons
- Double Chocolate Chip Cookies (Diablo Cookies!)
- Chewy Triple Ginger Cookies
- Snowball Cookies
- Chocolate Sesame Cookies
- Perfect Shortbread Cookies
- Thumbprint Cookies with Walnuts and Apricot Jam
- Vegan Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies with Hazelnuts
- Vegan Peanut Butter Cookies
- The BEST Vegan Breakfast Cookies
- Cowgirl Cookies
Enjoy the cookies and please remember to rate them for us!
xoxo
Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies video
Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 36
- Category: desserts, cookies, sweets, baked goods
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: Indian
Description
Spicy Chai Molasses Cookies are soft and chewy on the inside, crispy on the outside! Seasoned with chai spices, these take old-fashioned Molasses Cookies to another level. These require 1 hour of refrigeration time.
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (don’t melt, let it come to room temp naturally)
- 2/3 cups granulated (white) sugar
- 2/3 cups packed brown sugar
- 1 extra large egg
- 1/3 cup dark molasses
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 3 teaspoons baking soda
- 3 teaspoons ground ginger, plus 1 for more spicy
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
Coarse sugar for rolling
Instructions
- 350 F Oven
- Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or large bowl. Whip until light and fluffy. Add egg, molasses and vanilla, and whip until combined.
- Whisk flour, baking soda, and ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, pepper and salt together in a medium bowl, whisk until well combined. If you can weigh the flour, do so, otherwise, spoon the flour into the measuring cup, then level.
- Gradually add flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix well.
- Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight, so they are easier to roll. Roll into walnut-sized balls, then coat all sides with the turbinato sugar.
- Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, 3 inches apart. ( Or use a silpat!)
- Bake, *check at 8-9 minutes. If they haven’t started spreading and cracking, wack the tray firmly on the oven rack to start the spread. Continue baking 3-4 more minutes until the edges are crispy and visible crackling appears. Let stand 5 minutes, then cool on a wire rack. They will crack more as they cool. Soft and chewy with crispy edges, to me, the perfect cookie!
Notes
Flour: 3 cups = 370 grams
Use naturally softened butter- don’t melt. Weigh the flour if you can. Dough will freeze for future baking.
Gluten Free: Sub Bob’s Red Mill GF Four Blend, one for one.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 122
- Sugar: 9.1 g
- Sodium: 123.7 mg
- Fat: 5.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.2 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 1.3 g
- Cholesterol: 18.7 mg
I ate more than 1 in a sitting!!! 😮😁
They are addicting. So glad you enjoyed!
A staple in my Holiday cookie box. Spicy and delicious!
Awesome to hear!
Hi Sylvia, I would just like to ask – what is the difference between baking soda, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda?
Baking soda is pure sodium bicarbonate, requiring an additional acid to activate its leavening properties, while baking powder already contains an acid mixed with baking soda, meaning it only needs moisture to react and cause baked goods to rise;
I see, okay. Thanks! So, if something is not meant to “rise” or “puff up” then I should not use baking powder. I have seen recipes that only require baking soda, and not sure what its role is individually without an acid. Sorry if this is a silly question and irrelevant to this recipe.
Hi Chanel! Just strictly for baking, baking soda is usually pared with an acid like yogurt, buttermilk, citrus, vinegar, or honey. But it is also used in other ways, like to soften dried chickpeas while cooking, make green veggies brighter when boiling (not recommended as it decreases vitamin content), make roasted potatoes more crisp etc. Baking soda definitely has a “taste”, when too much is used it can dominate and make food really unappealing. 🙂
Sorry couldn’t alter my other comment. The second half of the batch worked better I kind of warmed the mixture in my hand as I rolled it so it was softer and reshaped a few cookies a little more than intended🤭 when I did the slamming down of the pan at 8 minutes! What a great tip thank you. And these are absolutely gorgeous tasting biscuits. So crunchy on the outside with such a beautiful flavor Thank you.
So glad you made them work Gail!
My mixture was definitely a little too solid and I wasn’t sure what to add. Perhaps some of my cup measurements here in New Zealand are different or the flour is different. Anyway I was sure that they weren’t going to do that beautiful crack and spread and I was right. So I push them down a little unevenly with a fork. What would you suggest I add to the mixture? Was it because I added too much flour?
Wowzers, these are delicious!
Yay!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I actually squealed when I pulled the first batch out of the oven because they were so darn perfect! The sugar made them sparkle and the size was so cute! They are absolutely delicious and everyone at the party thought that a professional baker made them!
Yay! So happy to hear this Juliana. Thanks so much for circling back and letting us know!❤️
My daughter made these about a month ago and we all deemed them so good that they have been elevated to Christmas cookie status. So I am making them again for Christmas.
Perfect! Great to hear!
Followed the recipe with the same ingredients but the cookies are completely flat
Shoot. I wonder if your baking soda is old? To test: Place 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in a cup and add 2 teaspoons vinegar. If baking soda doesn’t bubble, it’s old and should be replaced.
I am planning on baking these for Christmas, I am sure it will pair so well with a nice cup of hot cocoa. I am wondering though, since I’ve never baked or cooked with molasses before, if it adds sweetness to it? I am considering using less sugar just for health purposes but if the molasses doesn’t add sweetness then of course I can imagine the sugar to be necessary.
It does had some sweetness, but not alot. You could probably get away with less sugar.
What type of molasses does this recipe use? Lighter, dark, or blackstrap? Sorry if this is a silly question, I’m new to baking!
Hi Brigid, Glad you asked! A dark molasses, not blackstrap.
Great question. I was wondering as well. Thank you!
I’ve made these cookies a couple times, and they are always a hit–people gobble them up, very quickly!!
A favorite around here too! Happy you are enjoying. 🙂
Just a note – the weight measurements for the flour do not scale when scaling the recipe, so you need to scale the weight up or down yourself. (Learned this the hard way!)A
Sorry about that- fixed it!