These molasses chocolate chip cookies have crisp edges and chewy middles. They are mixed by hand and are simple to make. Brown butter, brown sugar, molasses, warm spices and pecans make them the perfect fall and holiday cookie recipe!
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
These chewy molasses chocolate chip cookies are full of flavor! They are packed with melty chocolate chips and walnuts and sweetened with brown sugar and molasses.
I came up with this recipe after making my maple syrup chocolate chip cookies. I love the idea of using natural sweeteners. Like maple syrup, molasses adds warm flavor and natural sweetness to cookies.
For more fall cookie recipes, try my chocolate pumpkin seed cookies, pumpkin peanut butter cookies, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.
Jump to:
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- You don’t need a mixer to make them. They can be stirred by hand! This easy recipe doesn’t require any specialty tools.
- Brown butter adds a rich, nutty flavor to these cookies.
- Chocolate chips and pecans will keep you coming back for more.
- These cookies have slightly crispy edges, but are chewy inside.
- Molasses and brown sugar add moisture and a warm, delicious taste to cookies.
- These cookies only need to chill for 30 minutes. You can clean up and preheat the oven while the dough chills.
Ingredient Notes
Here are some useful notes on some of the ingredients.
- Chocolate chips: I use regular semisweet chocolate chips.
- Butter: These cookies can be made with brown butter or simply melted butter. This makes makes it possible for us to mix these cookies by hand without a mixer.
- Brown sugar: Use light or dark brown sugar.
- Molasses: Molasses adds delicious warm flavor. It helps give these cookies their crisp edges. It’s also adds moisture to these cookies.
- One egg + one egg yolk: Use one large room temperature egg and one egg yolk. The extra egg yolk adds richness and makes these cookies chewy. Take the eggs out of the refrigerator a half hour before using.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
- Chocolate chips – Instead of regular sized chocolate chips, you can use mini chocolate chips, chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate.
- Semisweet- Use dark chocolate, milk chocolate, semisweet or a combination of them.
- Nuts– Walnuts or almonds would be delicious in place of walnuts.
- Without nuts – If you prefer to leave out the nuts, just leave them out. You can simply omit them or add more chocolate chips in their place.
- Molasses – I wouldn’t recommend a substitute for molasses since these are molasses cookies 🙂
- Melted butter- Melted butter can be used in place of brown butter.
Instructions
Here are the directions on how to make and bake these molasses chocolate chip cookies.
Step 1: Brown the butter. Add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally. Once the butter starts to sputter and bubble, whisk it constantly for 4-5 minutes. The butter will start to foam and you’ll notice little bits. When the bits become light brown and the butter begins changing color, remove from heat. Pour into a heat safe bowl and allow to cool.
Alternatively, you can simply use melted butter.
Step 3: Combine the cooled brown butter and sugars. In a large bowl, stir to combine the brown butter and sugars.
Next, add the vanilla extract, egg, and egg yolk. Then add the molasses and stir until well combined.
Step 4: Stir in the dry ingredients. Stir in the dry ingredients in two additions.
Next, add the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Then, stir until just combined.
Step 5: Chill the dough. Cover the dough with plastic wrap. Chill for 30 minutes.
Step 6: Bake the cookies. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon measuring spoon to measure out two tablespoons of dough. Place the dough on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes.
Step 7: Cool cookies. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Hint: Add a few extra chocolate chips to the tops of your cookie dough balls. You can also add some on top of the cookies right when they come out of the oven.
Expert Tips
Tip #1: Spoon the flour into your measuring cup. If you dredge the measuring cup into the flour, the flour will become compact. This can lead to a dry cake.
Tip # 2: Keep your cookie dough in the fridge while you bake the batches.
Recipe FAQs
Molasses is the syrupy byproduct of the sugar making process. It is known for it’s strikingly dark color and distinct smell and taste.
Chilling the dough helps keep the cookies from prevent the cookies from spreading too much while baking. It also gives the flavors time to develop.
Chilling the dough helps keep the cookies from spreading too thinly while they bake. Check out this article by King Arthur Flour for more reasons why it’s a good idea to chill cookie dough!
Store these molasses chocolate chip cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Freeze the baked cookies in an airtight for up to 30 days.
More Recipes You’ll Love
Did you try this recipe or any other recipe on my website? Please leave a 🌟 star rating and 📝 comment below.
Don’t forget to tag me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest!
Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (170 g) unsalted butter browned or melted, cooled to room temperature
- ¾ cup (165 g) light brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (84.25 g) molasses
- 1 large (1 large) egg room temperature
- 1 large (1 large) egg yolk room temperature
- 1½ cups (180 g) all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (1 teaspoon) salt
- ¾ teaspoon (0.75 teaspoon) baking soda
- ½ teaspoon (0.5 teaspoon) cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 1½ cups (270 g) semisweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup (54.5 g) chopped pecans
- 1½ teaspoons (1.5 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Start by browning or simply melting the butter. To brown the butter, start by melting the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Stir occasionally at first. Once begins to bubble and comes to a boil, stir it constantly. It will start to foam. Continue stirring as you watch for it to turn a light, amber color and develop a nutty smell which should happen in about five minutes. Pour the brown butter into a heat safe bowl, making sure the scrape the bottom of the pan for all the bits. Set the butter aside and use when cool to the touch.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk to combine the all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, stir to combine the butter and sugars.
- Stir in the vanilla extract followed by the egg and egg yolk and maple syrup.
- Stir in the dry ingredients in two additions. Stir until just combined.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and chopped nuts. Do not overmix.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Chill 30 minutes.
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Use a 2 tablespoon cookie scoop to drop cookies on baking sheet. Place them 2 inches apart. Keep extra dough in the refrigerated while cookies bake.
- Bake 10-12 minutes until edges are golden and middles have puffed up. Remove from oven. Cool for 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Please note that nutritional values are created by an online calculator and should only be used as an estimate.
Leave a Reply