These Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies are the kind of holiday cookie that warms you from the inside out. They’re sweet, full of spice, soft and chewy, and pretty much perfect for this time of year. Serve with a glass of cold milk and enjoy every honey-and-bourbon-kissed cookie bite.

molasses cookies piled on a plate

Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies Recipe from “Baking with the Bread Lady” by Sarah Gonzalez

Every now and then, I receive an email inviting me to receive a copy of a cookbook that’s about to be released or has just been released, and I don’t take up the offer on most of them. But when I was introduced to “Baking with the Bread Lady: 100 Delicious Recipes You Can Master at Home” by Sarah Gonzalez, I knew I had to check it out. And my hunch was right: This book is perfect for anyone from amateur bakers to everyday bakers to pro bakers. Anything from cookies to muffins to homemade breads, Sarah’s got the recipe. And the flavors are so creative: In addition to these hot toddy-inspired cookies, she’s got pineapple upside-down cinnamon rolls, Gruyere-crusted savory French toast with tomatoes and a Mexican chocolate bundt cake with ganache. Sprinkled throughout are personal stories and anecdotes that shed light on her inspiration, her faith, her family history and her experiences as the owner of Spring Hill Bakery in Tennessee.

It was basically impossible to choose just one recipe from Sarah’s cookbook to share with you, but since the holidays are nigh and we’re fully in what I call “Cookie Baking Season,” I had to put these molasses cookies at the top of the list. Here’s why:

  • They’re soft and chewy, with a tender center and crackly top
  • They taste like a honey-and-bourbon-kissed gingerbread cookie (YUM)
  • The recipe makes up to 3-dozen cookies, so they’re perfect for sharing!
  • The dough is no-chill and comes together in 10 minutes

Have I convinced you to make these cookies? That’s a rhetorical question. Let’s bake.

molasses cookies on a cooling rack

The Best Ingredients for Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies

Before we tie up our apron strings and preheat the oven, let’s talk through the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe to make it worth your while:

  • Butter, salted or unsalted (see Recipe Notes)
  • Granulated sugar, plus more for rolling the cookies so they get a nice chew/crunch on the exterior
  • Dark brown sugar (you can use light brown sugar in a pinch, but you won’t have as much softness or molasses flavor)
  • Large eggs
  • Molasses (I find this in the baking aisle at the grocery store in a glass jar)
  • Vanilla extract
  • Honey bourbon (or regular bourbon + honey; see Recipe Notes)
  • Orange zest
  • All-purpose flour
  • Baking soda
  • Ground cloves
  • Ground cinnamon
  • Crystallized ginger (you can often find this in the spice aisle at the grocery store, or in a special holiday section)
  • Kosher salt

Now you are 100% ready to make these delicious cookies!

molasses cookies on a cooling rack

How to Make Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies

As always, please scroll down to the bottom of this post for the full recipe with ingredient amounts, etc., but here’s the basic rundown of how to make these magical cookies:

  • Step One: Make the dough. Be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl often so all of the ingredients are incorporated! We’re working with a decent amount of cookie dough here, so it’s easy for some ingredients to get stuck at the bottom; use a spatula to scrape ’em up into the dough.
  • Step Two: Roll and bake! Roll the dough into balls, then roll the dough balls in a healthy amount of sugar. Place them on the baking sheets, press them down slightly (so they spread in the oven) and bake for about 10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are nice and crackled and the edges are set.
  • Step Three: Cool and eat. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer them to a cooling rack to cool completely (or until they’re cool enough to devour without burning your tongue, not that I speak from experience, ahem).

How Do I Store These Cookies?

You can store them in a resealable food-storage plastic bag or in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Can I Freeze These Cookies?

Sure can! You can freeze fully cooled cookies in a resealable, freezer-safe food-storage plastic bag for up to 3 months. If you want to freeze the cookie dough, you can roll the cookie dough balls in sugar, press them down slightly, and freeze in a resealable, freezer-safe food-storage plastic bag for up to 2 months. Bake them straight from frozen, adding a few minutes to the bake time as needed.

broken in half molasses cookies stacked on top of each other

Any Substitutions for the Bourbon?

If you don’t have bourbon or don’t want to add it to the cookies, you can just leave it out. Easy peasy!

Be sure to grab a copy of Sarah’s book for the holidays and make these cookies (plus all the other yummy recipes she’s got in those pages).

For another holiday classic, make these Snickerdoodle Cookies!

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molasses cookies on a cooling rack

Hot Toddy Molasses Cookies

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  • Author: Stephanie
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 10 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 24 to 36 cookies 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Soft, chewy and full of flavor, these hot toddy-inspired molasses cookies are sure to be a new holiday cookie favorite. Adapted from “Baking with the Bread Lady: 100 Delicious Recipes You Can Master at Home” by Sarah Gonzalez.

Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar, plus more for rolling cookies
  • 1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 teaspoons bourbon
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
  • Zest from 1 orange
  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and both sugars. Texture will be slightly sandy. Using a spatula, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure no butter is stuck.
  3. Add in eggs one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in molasses, vanilla, bourbon, honey and orange zest; beat well. Scrape the bottom of the bowl to make sure all of the ingredients are fully combined.
  4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cloves, cinnamon, ginger and salt. Add flour mixture to egg mixture; stir on low speed until a dough forms that can be rolled into a ball.
  5. Roll dough into balls the size of a golf ball; roll each in granulated sugar to coat. Place on prepared baking sheets spaced 2 to 3 inches apart (you will need to bake in batches; reuse the parchment paper for subsequent batches). Press down cookies slightly.
  6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies have crackled on top and are just set on the edges. Cool 5 minutes on cookie sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

  • Store fully cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
  • Sarah calls for salted butter in her recipe. If you want to use salted butter, omit 1/4 teaspoon salt from the recipe above.
  • Sarah calls for honey bourbon in her recipe. If you want to use honey bourbon, omit the honey from the recipe above.

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