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Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies with Pumpkin-Butter Buttercream filling – these simple cookies have amazing flavor and an incredible texture!
If you suffer from seasonal-cravings, then these cookies may cure your fall affliction! I don’t normally think about cookies all year long, but around Labor Day I realize the holidays will be here soon and I’ll be in “full-on-baking” mode. That doesn’t give me much time to try new things because everybody wants the same old fudge and toffee and decorated Christmas trees 🙂 But this year my holiday cookie recipients will be asking for these babies because they’re soft and full of amazing spices like cinnamon, ginger, cloves and pumpkin. My culinary consultants (a/k/a favorite taste-testers) actually said these are the best soft cookie they’ve ever eaten. They are often very kind with their praises but I’m told they devoured this entire batch of 40 sandwich cookies in record time.
Not only are these ginger molasses cookies loaded with warm fall spices, they’re soft in the middle, lightly crispy on the outside and easy to make!
Even if you don’t want to do the buttercream middle, you need to make these cookies. The flavor is outstanding and are sure to become a new family favorite.
Be careful if you leave your windows open while baking these soft ginger molasses cookies.
Your neighbors may be at your door in no time once they smell these heavenly cookies baking in your oven.
I’m sharing three recipes with you today. The Soft Ginger-Molasses Cookies (you gotta make these!), the Pumpkin Butter (great on toast or bagels), and one for the Pumpkin Butter Buttercream frosting. All three recipes are winners. Enjoy!
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Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies with Pumpkin-Butter Buttercream
Ingredients
For the Cookies:
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup dark brown sugar
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 2 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- coarse sugar for coating
- Pumpkin Butter Buttercream Frosting (see recipe below)
For the Buttercream:
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ ounces cream cheese room temperature
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons Pumpkin Butter store bought or homemade (see recipe below)
- 1 ½ teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice or DIY recipe in Notes
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 cups sifted powdered sugar more or less as needed for desired consistency
For the Pumpkin Butter:
- 1 15 ounce can pure pumpkin (puree)
- ⅔ cup unsweetened apple juice plus extra for thinning if needed for desired consistency
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Cookies:
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves and ginger. Whisk until blended. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Beat on medium until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the molasses and blend until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add about ⅓ of the flour mixture and mix on low until incorporated. Repeat until all flour is blended. Scrape down the sides and blend one more time, just to make sure. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour about ½ cup of the coarse or granulated sugar into a bowl for rolling.
- Scoop out some of the dough using a 1-inch cookie scoop or tablespoon. Roll the dough into a ball, then roll the ball in the coarse sugar.
- Place the cookies on the baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Leave the cookies on the parchment paper for at least 5 minutes to cool. Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough until all cookies are baked. *
- Spread half the cookies with a about two teaspoons Pumpkin Butter Buttercream. Top with another cookie and gently press together.
- Store filled cookies in the refrigerator. Remove 30 minutes before serving. Unfilled cookies need no refrigeration.
For the Buttercream:
- In a small mixing bowl beat together the butter and cream cheese on medium until light and creamy. Add the pumpkin butter, vanilla and the pumpkin pie spice. Blend another minute until incorporated. Reduce the speed to low and slowly add the powdered sugar. Beat until smooth.
For the Pumpkin Butter:
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium heavy bottom sauce pan. Cook on medium high until it comes to a soft boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally or until thickened. Add additional apple juice if needed.
Recipe Notes
- Don't let the raw cookie dough balls sit on a hot baking sheet. Use a cool baking sheet for each batch, or roll the cookies then place on a piece of parchment paper and set aside until read to bake.
- This recipe makes about 80 (2-inch) cookies or 40 (2-inch) sandwich cookies.
- Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies Adapted from a recipe on King Arthur Flour.
- DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice: 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg. Blend or shake together in a small jar. Makes 2 teaspoons.
- Pumpkin Butter makes 3 cups.
Nutrition
Here are a few more recipes you might also enjoy:
Velvety smooth and very easy to make, enjoy the season’s best fruits in our Maple Pear Apple Butter recipe! Click HERE to get the recipe.
Ginger Molasses Thumbprint Cookies with Caramel ~ a terrific little molasses cookie with a crisp exterior, plenty of bite from the ginger, and a smooth, gooey milky caramel center. Click HERE to print the recipe.
Thanks so much for stopping by! Tricia
Angela says
What type of molasses would be best? Light, dark, blackstrap? Thanks!!
Tricia Buice says
Hi Angela. I only use dark unsulphured molasses for these cookies, not blackstrap. Enjoy and happy baking!
Mariah says
First time leaving a review for a recipe I’ve made. I made these for Thanksgiving and everyone loved them. I made the pumpkin butter from scratch instead of buying it and had to make my own apple juice because I didn’t have any. My only alteration was that I used half butter and half crisco shortening sticks. The cookies came out so fluffy and soft. They were demolished!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Mariah! We appreciate you trying the recipe and taking the time to comment. Sounds like you put in a big effort, with great results. Bravo!
Jessica Musselman says
Love these cookies!! I’ve made them every thanksgiving for the last several years!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks for the feedback Jessica! I look forward to these cookies, too. They taste like Thanksgiving!
John/Kitchen Riffs says
Officially smitten. But when it comes to cookies, I’m easily smitten. 🙂 Love the buttercream flavor! Really nice. And I’m a sucker for ginger molasses cookies. Smitten by them, too. 😉 Terrific recipe — thanks.
Tricia Buice says
Thanks John – if you are easily smitten with cookies, then I feel certain you would love these! Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by!
Fareeha says
These look amazingly delicious. I feel like grabbing the cookies from the screen and eating it. You have presented it so well too.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Fareeha – have a great week! Thanks for stopping by.
Beth says
That’s definitely high praise! Your cookies look wonderful.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Beth – they are tasty 🙂
2 Sisters Recipes by Anna and Liz says
These look amazing! We never made these cookies -yet – but they are on our list ( of 100 recipes) to do!
Love the pumpkin-butter cream filling! YUM!
Tricia Buice says
You are going to love these cookies! How cool that you have a list – that is way more organized than I ever hope to be. I do have a chalkboard and piles, and piles of cooks, magazines and printed recipes. Someday 🙂 Have a great week and thanks so much for stopping by!
cheri says
Hi Tricia, Wow! I’m thinking that you really should write a cookbook, your baked goodies are amazing. Would love to be your neighbor.
Tricia Buice says
Thank you Cheri – someday I hope I can do just that – write a cookbook! And I would love to be your neighbor too! Have a great week 🙂
Tara | Smells Like Home says
Could these cookies be any more perfect? Seriously! Ginger and molasses has become two of my favorite fall flavors over the past few years and I’m a complete sucker for buttercream so these darlings couldn’t have just made me any happier. Thanks for sharing!!
Tricia Buice says
Thanks so much Tara – and thank you for stopping by! Hope you have a lovely weekend.
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Oh I do understand about the holidays. Sadly, it’s not the family who expects the traditional recipes, it’s me. Being so far from family, I cuddle myself with memory food at the holidays. No experimentation allowed on the day. 🙂 That said, I’m DEFINITELY making these beautiful (and may I say perfect) cookies.
Tricia Buice says
I understand – if I was that far away from family I would probably want the traditional dishes too 🙁 I hope you get the chance to make these Maureen – so easy and tasty! Have a lovely weekend.
Mandy says
Ooo, perfect teatime treats.
Have a beautiful weekend Tricia.
🙂 Mandy xo
Tricia Buice says
Tea time sounds just lovely! Hope you have a gorgeous spring weekend! Our trees are changing colors and the air is crisp and thank heavens for the weekend!
Abbe @ This is How I Cook says
This is like three recipes for the price of one! Hurray! I can’t begin to tell you how fantastic these look. These will definitely be on my cookie plate this year!
Tricia Buice says
We aim to please Abbe! These are a wonderful cookie – hope you love them too! Have a great weekend 🙂
Gerlinde/Sunnycovechef says
These sandwich cookies look amazing and can just imagine all the flavors , from the pumpkin butter to the ginger
Tricia Buice says
I love a good cookies Gerlinde – and fall flavors too! Hope you have a relaxing and beautiful weekend!
Susan says
I can already imagine how wonderful these would smell and taste! This must be a wonderful cookie recipe since, as Sue said, they stayed so perfectly round and puffed.
Tricia Buice says
I used a cookie scoop and that makes it so easy to get them more uniform. When sandwiching them together, it helps to have a similar match 🙂 These are very good cookies and the flavors are wonderful! Have a great weekend!
sue|theviewfromgreatisland says
I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to stop once I started on these — I love a great sandwich cookie, and those flavors are fantastic. I love how you got the ginger cookies to be so uniform and slightly puffy — I’m going to try these for sure 🙂
Tricia Buice says
I had to get them out of the house Sue – I adore that ginger-molasses flavor – have a great weekend!
Monique says
They look amazing!
Tricia Buice says
Very good Monique – hope you have another beautiful weekend 🙂
Chris Scheuer says
Okay, I was smitten by the name before I ever saw them but now I’m totally sold. They are gorgeous! Of course I shouldn’t be surprised, they come from one of the finest bakeries in the blogosphere!
Tricia Buice says
You are so sweet Chris – you blow me away with your gorgeous cakes and cupcakes and desserts – always picture perfect! Have a great weekend!
Angie@Angie's Recipes says
Could I have a few for the tea? I promise I won’t finish the whole basket…
I MUST make that pumpkin buttercream!
Tricia Buice says
I wish I could Angie – because I would! These would be great with tea – yummy 🙂 Have a lovely weekend!
Monica says
Oh wow, Tricia! I do “suffer” from seasonal craving and I have totally been craving a soft ginger cookie. You can read minds! And these cookies look absolutely out-of-this-world! The soft texture of the cookies themselves, the flavor of the spices, and the crunch from the sugar coating on top – perfection! And looking at the recipe(s), I can see why they were quickly devoured! There’s a lot of love and attention in every bite of these. I’m looking forward to holiday baking but I plan to stick more to old favorites and take time to just enjoy the holidays this year. But then I see treats like this and it’s hard not to try something new! I think your cast of lucky taste-testers will surely be asking for this for the holidays!
Tricia Buice says
You are so sweet Monica – hope you will give them a try. Everybody loved them and they are incredibly easy to make. Thanks so much!