These Molasses Cut Out Cookies combine warm brown sugar and molasses into a flavorful cookie that’s perfect for decorating. Finish them with the easiest flood icing ever for an extra touch of sweetness.
These Molasses Cut Out Cookies happened totally by accident. It all started while I was testing recipes for homemade Moon Pies. No matter how many versions I tried, none of them tasted like the soft, cakey OG Moon Pies I grew up with. But during all that testing I stumbled onto this dough. It wasn’t right for a Moon Pie at all. It wasn’t cake-like enough. But it turned out to be one of the best buttery, brown-sugar-molasses cut out cookie doughs I’ve ever made.
While the cookies look a bit like light gingerbread, they definitely aren’t gingerbread. They are mellow with a touch of honey, and enough molasses flavor to enjoy plain. And though these cookies don’t need icing, I’ve paired them with an incredibly easy shortcut flood icing. It contains no egg whites, no meringue powder, and you don’t even need an electric mixer. Simply whisk it together in a bowl, tint it any color, and decorate.
Make the Molasses Brown Sugar Dough
To begin, cream together the butter and brown sugar until they’re light and fluffy, which ensures your molasses cut out cookies bake up with smooth tops and tender centers. Next, beat in an egg, a touch of honey, molasses, and vanilla extract.
A mix of bread flour and all-purpose flour helps these cookies stay tender but not spread. Bread flour adds structure; all-purpose flour keeps them soft. Whisk the two flours with the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then add the dry mixture to the wet on low speed until a soft dough forms. Divide, shape into disks, wrap, and chill for an hour so the dough becomes easy to roll and cut.
Roll Out the Dough and Cut Cookie Shapes
1 cup unsalted butter softened3/4 cup light brown sugar packed1 large egg room temperature1 tablespoon molasses3 tablespoons honey1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 1/2 cups bread flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
Easy flood icing
4 cups confectioners’ sugar1/4 cup light corn syrup1 teaspoon clear extract such as almond, lemon, or orange1/4 cup water plus more for thinningGel food color
Make the cookies
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 5 minutes.
Beat in the egg, honey, molasses, and vanilla extract.
In a separate large mixing bowl, combine both flours, the baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk to combine. On low speed, gradually beat the dry mixture into the creamed butter mixture.
Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide in half. Form each portion into a disk then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two or more baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll each portion of dough on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4” thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutters (2”-3.5”). Place cut outs on the prepared baking sheets. Chill cut-outs for 15 minutes so they hold their shape during baking.
Bake for 9-11 minutes, or until the edges are browned and the tops of the cookies are no longer shiny. Let cool on the pans 2 minutes. Transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely before icing.
For the easy flood icing
Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a large mixing bowl. Add the corn syrup, clear extract, and 1 tablespoon of water; whisk to combine. Whisk in the remaining water 1 tablespoon at a time. The mixture should be smooth and thick, and it should fall in a ribbon from the whisk back into the bowl. The ribbons that fall back into the bowl should disappear by the count of 10. If it’s too thick, whisk in additional water 1 teaspoon at a time until the correct consistency is achieved. Cover the bowl with a damp towel so the icing doesn’t dry out.
Divide the icing between bowls and tint with gel food color as desired. Transfer to disposable piping bags with a tiny hole snipped in the end. Or use zip-top bags with one corner snipped.
Pipe the icing onto the cookies, decorate with sprinkles or sanding sugar if using, and let stand until set, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
This recipe uses a blend of flours so the cookies stay soft while still holding clean, sharp edges. The extra protein in bread flour adds strength, and the all-purpose flour keeps the texture tender instead of tough. This dough is ideal for impression style cookie cutters.
Chill the cut-outs before baking.
Placing the shaped cookies in the fridge for 15 minutes helps them keep their shape in the oven. This is especially helpful for detailed shapes or impression-style cutters.
Icing sets, but stays soft.
This icing dries firm enough for stacking, packaging, and even shipping in care packages – but it never gets rock-hard like traditional stiff royal icing. It stays smooth, soft, and delicious.
