Easy fat free ginger molasses cookies recipe with no butter, no shortening, no oil, no egg yolks, homemade with simple ingredients. Crispy on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside.
I was so scared to make these fat free ginger cookies since most fat free recipes I have tried have been very disappointing. However, I was pleasantly surprised because these turned out to be wonderful! They are thick, soft, chewy and spicy. My favorite part is the incredible sugary, crunchy tops. These Gingersnap Cookies and Jumbo Gingerbread Men Cookies and this Easy Ginger Cake, all boast the same warm and yet spicy flavor that ginger brings to the culinary world.
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Table of contents
- How to make ginger molasses cookies recipe from scratch?
- What is the difference between ginger cookies and molasses cookies?
- What molasses is best for cookies and baking?
- Why do you put molasses in cookies? What is the purpose?
- Why are my cookies hard after baking? How to soften hard cookies?
- Variations for soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies
- Tips and techniques for candied ginger cookies
- Storage of homemade cookies
- More spiced cookies recipes
How to make ginger molasses cookies recipe from scratch?
- Mix ingredients- This includes brown sugar, applesauce, molasses, and fresh ginger, egg whites.
- Sift dry ingredients- This includes flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, ground clove.
- Combine mixtures- Until smooth.
- Stir in- Candied ginger.
- Chill dough- To make it easy to handle.
- Roll small dough balls- In a bowl of cinnamon sugar.
- Bake- Until the edges have set.
What is the difference between ginger cookies and molasses cookies?
Ginger cookies are known for being crisp and "snap" when broken in half. Molasses cookies are known for being soft and chewy in consistency.
What molasses is best for cookies and baking?
I recommend using molasses labeled light, mild, or baking molasses because it contains the most sugar content, making it sweet and perfect for baking.
Why do you put molasses in cookies? What is the purpose?
It adds so much sweetness, depth of color, and also helps to make cookies softer.
Why are my cookies hard after baking? How to soften hard cookies?
This usually means the cookies are over baked, or it could be from improper measuring of ingredients. It can be hard to tell when they are done cooking because they are already a deep brown color. There are different methods to soften hard cookies. You can microwave the cookies with a wet paper towel or you can store them in a cookie jar with a slice of bread, which is my favorite method. Simply, put a slice of bread in a cookie jar with the cookies overnight. By morning, the slice of bread will be hard, having transferred its moisture to the cookies and cookies will be soft again.
Variations for soft and chewy ginger molasses cookies
Adjust the amount of spices- Add more or less, based on your preference.
Add some cardamom powder- For an additional spiced flavor.
Add finely chopped nuts- Such as walnuts, pecans, cashews, or almonds.
Add finely chopped dried fruit- Such as raisins, cranberries, or dried cherries.
Add a frosting- Once the cookies cool, top them with this Best Cream Cheese Frosting or this Brown Sugar frosting.
Tips and techniques for candied ginger cookies
The applesauce in this recipe is supposed to be unsweetened and thick- Use Gerber's applesauce baby food. It has a fairly thick consistency compared to regular applesauce jars you find in the baking aisle.
This will be a sticky dough- Don't add additional flour! You must chill the dough for 3 hours to make it easier to handle.
The color of these cookies could be darker or lighter- This is based on the use of dark brown sugar vs. light brown sugar, more spices vs. less spices as well as different brands of molasses. Regardless of which of these ingredients you use or the the color of the cookies, your cookies will end up tasting superb.
Use fresh ginger- Because it has a wonderful aroma and a strong potent taste.
Only egg whites are used- Don't use full eggs because the batter consistency will change.
Chilling the dough is very important- Because this makes the dough easier to handle and roll.
Don't omit the candied ginger- Because it adds a lot of flavor and enhances the chewy texture too.
Only baking soda is used in this recipe- No baking powder is used. Don't replace soda with powder.
Don't replace brown sugar with granulated sugar- Because that's one of the key factors in creating that perfect chewy texture. If you don't have that on hand, check out this post on How to Make Homemade Brown Sugar.
Molasses cannot be replaced with maple syrup- Because it has a thinner consistency and a different flavor.
Where to buy candied ginger? You can find it at most larger stores such as Jewel, Target, Walmart, or online at Amazon.
Storage of homemade cookies
Refrigerate- In a covered box or container for about 1 week.
Room Temperature- Store cookies in an airtight container at for up to 5 days.
Freeze- In a freezer-safe bag or container for up to 1 month. Thaw to room temperature to enjoy.
More spiced cookies recipes
- Cinnamon Cookies
- Cake Mix Gingerbread Cookies
- Mexican Hot Chocolate Cookies (With Cake Mix)
- Caramel Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Classic Snickerdoodles Cookies
- Churro Cookies
Recipe
Ginger Molasses Cookies
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Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown sugar
- ¼ cup Applesauce Use baby food applesauce
- ⅓ cup Molasses
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Finely grated fresh ginger
- 2 Large egg whites
- 2¼ cups All-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 tablespoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Allspice
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon Black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon Ground cloves
- ¼ cup Finely chopped candied ginger
- 1 cup Additional granulated sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon For rolling cookie dough balls
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, add brown sugar, applesauce, molasses, fresh ginger and mix until smooth.
- Add egg whites and mix again.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper and ground clove.
- Dump the dry mixture into the wet mixture and mix until just combined.
- Stir in candied ginger.
- Chill the dough for 3 hours.
- Scoop out small portions of the dough and form little balls. Roll them in a bowl of cinnamon sugar and place on a baking tray, lined with parchment paper.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 13-15 minutes or until the edges have set. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- This recipe is slightly modified from David Lebovitz's recipe. He modified his recipe from Ina Garten (The Barefoot Contessa) and I have modified it further by reducing the spices, so as to suit my own taste buds.
Nutrition
An automated tool is used to calculate the nutritional information. As such, I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information provided for any recipe on this site.
Jessica
I used oats processed up for the flour and stevia for the brown sugar and added 1tsp vanilla- These were INCREDIBLE!!! Thank you!!!!
Abeer Rizvi
I am so glad it worked with Stevia!
Jennifer Halpern
Can I make the dough ahead and freeze it? Will the cookies still turn out well?
Abeer Rizvi
I have not tried that to know what would happen with these cookies.
Lisa M Carlson
I made these cookies and was pleasantly surprised. I didn't have enough molasses, so I used what I had. I also didn't add the candied ginger, I didnt want to go buy more ginger to candy it. They were delicious though. I am wondering if I can use the squeeze bottle ginger instead of grating my own. Is there a difference in the ginger flavor?
Abeer Rizvi
I have always used freshly grated. I don't know how the flavor would be affected with the squeeze bottle version.
donna crews
I made these but used baking powder instead of soda to lower the sodium content, and allulose instead of sugar. Threw in some allulose dark chocolate chips + raisins + chopped apricots + orange peel + chopped nuts. They turned out great. I also added protein isolate powder to half the batch as a test to see if these could be added to my training diet, and they came out just fine. So I will add the isolate from now on as I use them in my weight training program. With the combination of fruits, nuts, wheat flour, and protein, these cookies are practically a whole food!
Abeer Rizvi
Wow. Those are so many changes and substitutions that I haven't ever tried. I hope you like them.
donna crews
Oh yes, we loved them. My substitutions were necessary because of my training program, but they turned out great. My husband, who is picky and not on a training diet, loved them too.