Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies with Apple
These old-fashioned molasses cookies with apple have a familiar and delicious comfort food taste.
Molasses has a unique flavor that’s mild and somewhat sweet.
It has a taste that’s reminiscent to gingerbread (likely because gingerbread is often made with molasses).
These apple molasses cookies are slightly moist, crispy and not overly sweet.
This is an old family recipe that I revised slightly to include diced fresh apple.
About the Molasses
I especially like how the molasses not only adds delicious comfort food flavor, but it also gives the cookies a pretty dark brown color.
Molasses is actually a by-product from processing of sugar cane, grapes or sugar beets into sugar.
It’s used to flavor whole wheat bread, pie fillings and for making brown sugar.
On the Kitchn.com website, there’s a helpful article that has more information about molasses you may like called “Everything You Need To Know About Molasses”.
Let’s check out the ingredients.
Butter, brown sugar, molasses, egg, flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, diced apple and granulated sugar
HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE
A printable recipe with the measurements and instructions is located at the bottom of this post.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
For the Dry Ingredients – In a medium size bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Whisk the dry ingredients together.
Set aside.
For the Cookie Dough – In a large bowl, add butter…
…and brown sugar.
Using a hand or stand mixer, cream together.
To the bowl, add molasses…
…and egg.
Using a mixer, mix together until creamy.
To the bowl with the butter mixture, slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time while using a mixer on low speed.
Next,
…add 2 heaping tablespoons of diced apple…
…to the bowl.
Using a sturdy spatula or spoon, stir the diced apple into the cookie dough.
Rolling the Cookie Dough Balls – To a small bowl, add granulated sugar and set aside.
Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and set on a plate.
Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and…
…place them onto an ungreased cookie sheet pan (in batches).
Baking the Cookies – Bake in a preheated oven (at 375 degrees F.) until the cookies start to show “cracks” on the top (about 10 minutes).
Transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack and…
…let cool before serving.
Thank you so much for stopping by CCC!
Don’t miss a CCC recipe. Subscribe to Coupon Clipping Cook and get an email each time we have a new post. Here’s the link to subscribe to CCC.
Old Fashioned Apple Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup butter (salted) softened
- 1 cup (packed) brown sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons (heaping) diced apple
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- For the Dry Ingredients - In a medium size bowl, add flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Set aside.
- For the Cookie Dough- In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar.
- To the bowl with the butter mixture, add molasses and egg, and beat until creamy.
- To the bowl with the butter mixture, slowly add the dry ingredients a little at a time while using a hand mixture on low speed.
- To the cookie dough, with a large sturdy spoon, stir in the diced apple (2 heaping tablespoons).
- Rolling the Cookie Dough Balls - In a small bowl, add granulated sugar and set aside.
- Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and set them onto a large plate.
- Roll each dough ball in granulated sugar and place them onto an ungreased baking sheet pan (in batches).
- Baking the Cookies - Bake in a preheated oven (at 375 degrees F.) until the cookies start to show "cracks" on the top (about 10 minutes).
- Transfer the cookies onto a cooling rack and let cool before serving.
Cookie Recipes
Here are more cookie recipes you may like “Irish Cream and Coffee White Chocolate Chip Cookies“, “White Chocolate and Tart Cherry Cookies” and “Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies“.
More Cookie Recipes
More Cookie Recipes You May Like:
Peanut Butter and Caramel Kiss Cookies
hi, does 2 tablespoons of apple really do anything at all? I don’t understand the small amount for a cookie with apple in its name. Have you tried adding more?
Hi Marie, great question, thank you for asking it. I just reviewed the recipe, and I should have included “heaping” tablespoons (as much as you can get on the tablespoon without it falling off) in the recipe directions. I’ll update the post now to include “heaping”.
Since the diced apple stacks nicely in a heaping tablespoon (there’s an image within this post showing how the diced apple stacks in a tablespoon), the total amount for 2 heaping tablespoons of diced apple in this recipe may be just under about 1/4 of a cup. For this recipe, my goal was to add just enough diced apple so that the cookie was still crispy. But I’ve definitely had molasses cookies that are more on the soft side before and they’re delicious. So, an option is to add more diced apple if you like, perhaps a heaping 1/4 of a cup.
I’d love to hear how the additional diced apple turns out in this recipe if you try it. Thank you again!
Can I press batter into a sheet pan rather than individual cookies?
Hi Connie, the dough for these cookies should stand up fine when pressed into a sheet pan. But this cookie isn’t a soft and chewy cookie, it’s more on the crunchy side so I’m not sure if baking them in a sheet pan would result in a hard texture, or perhaps dry edges. An option is to make a small batch and give it a try. If you make them in a sheet pan, let me know how they turned out. I’m actually curious now and may have to try it out for myself also!
Oh wow, these look so amazing and I adore molasses! Gorgeous 🙂
Thank you!
Omigosh! These sound sooo good! I haven’t had molasses cookies in a long, long, time and they were my mom’s recipe. Unfortunately, she passed away before I could learn it, so I’ll have to give these a try! Thank you!
xx
Hi Nicole, I hope you like them! I’m sure they won’t be as good as your mom’s were but hopefully a close second.