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Molasses Cookies Recipe (With Dates)

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molasses cookies
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Molasses Cookies Recipe (With Dates)

I’ve never been much of a cookie-maker, but one year the kids requested gingerbread cookies. They’d been visiting friends and making gingerbread houses. The result was these chewy molasses cookies that have all the flavors of gingerbread!

When I first tried my hand at making these cookies, I liked the idea of including dates as a sweetener. I was pregnant at the time and since dates help shorten labor, date-sweetened molasses cookies sounded pretty good. I also love that they’re grain-free and high in protein.

Nutrient-Dense Ingredients for Healthy Molasses Cookies

Most traditional ginger molasses cookies have ingredients like granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, and brown sugar. White sugar-filled holiday cookies aren’t on my list of favorite cookie recipes!

After several failed attempts, I’m happy with these fragrant, yummy cookies. They’re free of refined sweeteners and packed with nutrient-dense ingredients. Not only do they taste delicious, but I don’t mind letting the kids have them (or eating them myself).

The best molasses cookies start with great ingredients:

  • Molasses: A great natural source of iron, B vitamins, magnesium, and copper. It’s great for improving digestion, reversing gray hair, and helping anemia (among other things). While blackstrap molasses is the healthiest, I like using unsulphured molasses in recipes since it doesn’t have a bitter taste. It gives the cookies a rich, molasses flavor.
  • Dates: A fruit that’s often eaten alone or used as a natural sweetener. They’re said to be anti-inflammatory. Dates are also suggested for heart health, healthy blood pressure, and brain health. When I found a study about how consuming dates regularly could shorten labor, I decided to give them a try.
  • Almond Flour: High in protein, filling, and nourishing.
  • CinnamonA little spice with a lot of benefits! Cinnamon has immune-boosting and infection-fighting properties. It’s also often used to help regulate blood sugar. And it tastes delicious!
  • Ginger: So many great health effects, including easing nausea and calming coughing. Read more about it here. And check out this post for some great info on storing fresh ginger. I prefer fresh, but you can use 1 teaspoon of ground ginger if that’s what you have.

Of course, no cookie is great for daily consumption. Although between the healthy ingredients and minimal sweeteners, I’d say these are as close as they come.

Tips For Making Soft Molasses Cookies

Gingerbread or molasses cookies are classic Christmas cookies. The scent evokes memories of childhood gingerbread house making at grandma’s and tree decorating.

In general, making cookies is pretty straightforward. You mix together the dry ingredients, mix together the wet ingredients, then mix the two together. I follow the same pattern with these cookies, except I use a blender for the wet ingredients. It’s the easiest way to get a smooth consistency with the dates.

I usually chill to dough for at least 15 minutes to let it firm up a bit before rolling it into balls. If you don’t you’ll have a sticky mess on your hands… literally.

The final two steps are optional. The first is the sugar. I like to roll my cookie dough balls in organic coconut sugar. It looks beautiful and gives the cookies a nice crunchy crust on the outside.

The second is the pressing. These cookies don’t flatten out on their own while they’re cooking or have a crinkle on top. You can either smash them gently with the bottom of a glass before baking or make a criss-cross pattern with a fork halfway through baking. Or make life simpler and just leave them in balls!

These cookies are stickier than regular gingerbread cookies. They’re not ideal for use with cookie cutters or to make gingerbread houses. Unlike baked goods made with regular flour, these don’t have gluten to help hold them together. They’re still just as delicious though!

Or Use It as a Crust!

It didn’t take me long to discover this recipe also makes an incredible grain-free crust for a pumpkin pie or gingerbread cheesecake! It’s a healthier option than the typical crushed gingersnaps crust.

We had a great time making these for Christmas and I hope you will too. They aren’t overly sweet. But if you aren’t used to a lot of processed desserts, they have the perfect balance of sweetness and spice.

molasses cookies

Molasses Cookies Recipe

Homemade healthy molasses cookies that have all the flavors of gingerbread! They're nutrient-dense and packed with health benefits.
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Refrigeration Time 15 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Calories 96.75kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

36 cookies

Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a medium-sized mixing bowl or stand mixer, mix together the almond flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and coconut flour.
  • In a blender blend the eggs, melted butter or coconut oil, dates, almond or coconut milk, and molasses.
  • Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a hand mixer or stand mixer. The dough should be thick enough to form balls, but not quite as thick as playdough.
  • Refrigerate dough for at least 15 minutes to let harden slightly. This will make it easier to form for baking.
  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Carefully roll the dough into 1 inch balls. A cookie scoop can help with portioning.
  • If using sugar, roll the dough in a light coating of sugar for texture and to help prevent sticking.
  • Place dough on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper. Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a glass or measuring cup if desired.
  • Bake cookies for 15 minutes. Halfway through baking, remove from oven and make marks with a fork, if desired. (if you didn't already flatten them before baking). This step is completely optional but creates the look of traditional molasses cookies.
  • Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before carefully removing from baking sheet onto a cooling rack or wire rack.
  • Enjoy! Store any leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Molasses Cookies Recipe
Amount Per Serving (1 cookie)
Calories 96.75 Calories from Fat 64
% Daily Value*
Fat 7.07g11%
Saturated Fat 1.4g9%
Cholesterol 12.48mg4%
Sodium 52.47mg2%
Potassium 75.58mg2%
Carbohydrates 7.18g2%
Fiber 1.76g7%
Sugar 4.28g5%
Protein 2.83g6%
Vitamin A 52.59IU1%
Calcium 41.04mg4%
Iron 0.67mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

  • Different brands of almond and coconut flour work differently in recipes. There are even differences between the kinds of dates and molasses in baking. You may have to adjust ingredients up or down slightly to get the correct consistency.
  • When the cookies are done baking they should still be semi-soft to the touch, but start to get crispy around the edges. 

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Were gingerbread or molasses cookies a part of your childhood? Share below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

38 responses to “Molasses Cookies Recipe (With Dates)”

  1. Lauren Avatar

    I’ve been seeing more and more in the health space people saying we should very much avoid nuts and baking with almond flour due to PUFA content, also concerns for antinutrients in raw nuts not prepared properly. Thoughts on this?

  2. Jincy Avatar

    Can we use dark jaggery in powdered form like Organic Palm Jaggery in place of molasses for this recipe? Will it be a 1 to 1 substitute?

  3. Britta Avatar

    I’m so excited to try these. But curious why doesn’t it have ginger in it?!?

  4. Joy Avatar

    Hi there is no ginger listed in these, perhaps a mistake? We had to find from another ginger cookie recipie online and guestamate. Also, the molasses is not listed in the mixing instructions anywhere, but only in the list of ingredients.

  5. Mare Avatar

    Hi! Looks delish but I can’t do dairy. Would coconut oil sub for butter? Have you seen this work in other recipes? Thanks mama <3

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