Imagine the warm, nostalgic scent of ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves filling your kitchen. And then, picture a molasses-spice cookie so perfectly soft and chewy that it practically melts in your mouth. Now, add a sweet, fudgy dollop of rich cocoa icing right in the center. And for the grand finale, a salty, crunchy sprinkle of crushed pretzels. It’s sweet, it’s salty, it’s soft, it’s crunchy. These cocoa-iced cookies with pretzels are everything you’ve ever wanted in a single treat. Get ready to fall in love.
When my first disastrous attempt at making Reindeer Cocoa Iced Molasses Spice Cookies went tragically wrong this holiday season, I wasn’t about to let a little cookie chaos go to waste. Instead, I used the cocoa and heavy whipping cream iced cookies to make these pretzel-topped cookies, along with a batch of Hot Cocoa & Marshmallow Molasses Spice Cookies. And while the hot cocoa version was by far a whole lot easier on the eyes, the real star of the show turned out to be the pretzel version. Out of ten taste-testers, eight went straight for the salty crunch of the Soft & Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies filled with their rich, creamy icing and then decorated with broken pretzel pieces. And yes, B.O.B. Bob and I were absolutely two of those eight. Now, keep in mind, pretzels are basically their own food group in our house, so maybe we weren’t exactly the fairest of judges. So, perhaps you should make a batch of both of these cookies and judge for yourself. See which one wins you over.
Ingredients:
Cookie Dough:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Cup Molasses
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of Ground Cloves
- Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
Cookie Add-Ins & Add-Ons:
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 5 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- Cold Water
- Pretzels
Directions:
Cookie Dough:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses; mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the dough. Do not overmix.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, slowly press a well into the center of each cookie with the bottom of a shot glass or the backside of a large, round measuring spoon.
- Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
Cookie Add-Ins & Add-Ons:
- Sift or whisk the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl to remove any lumps.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until the hot cocoa icing is spreadable. The icing should not be overly thick or overly thin. It will be creamy and have a consistency similar to Cool Whip or chocolate mousse. (I used 1 tablespoon.)
- Spoon a dollop of the icing into the center of each cookie, then use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the icing evenly in the well, in a circular motion.
- Place some pretzels in a resealable plastic bag and use your hands to crush or break them. Sprinkle each cookie with some of the crushed or broken pretzels.
- Allow the cookies to rest at room temperature for a few hours, giving the hot cocoa icing time to firm up.
Suggestions:
- When mixing the cookie dough, make sure to scrape down the bowl as needed to make sure that all of the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
- I used the bottom of a shot glass to form a well in the center of each cookie. You can also use the back of a large measuring spoon or any round-shaped object. I found that pressing slowly down worked best. If you go too fast, the edges of the cookies develop more cracks and crevices.
- You can use whatever type of pretzel you choose for this recipe. I used Snyder’s of Hanover Snaps Pretzels because they are a personal favorite. Don’t be afraid to use the “pretzel dust” as well as the larger bits of crushed or broken pretzels. Sprinkle a little bit of it over each cookie.
- This recipe will yield approximately 2 dozen cookies.
- Store the baked cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax paper.
- If you don’t plan on eating all of these cookies within a few days of baking them, I suggest storing them in the fridge because of the heavy whipping cream in the icing.
Improvements:
- If you aren’t a fan of ground cloves or nutmeg, feel free to make these a ground ginger and/or a ground cinnamon cookie only. Simply omit the ground cloves and freshly grated nutmeg.
- Add semi-sweet miniature chocolate chips to the cookie dough for an extra dose of chocolaty goodness.
- In addition to the crushed or broken pretzels, sprinkle each cookie with a few finely chopped pecans or walnuts.
- CLICK HERE to check out all of our past cookie recipes. Don’t forget to check out our Christmas cookies section.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter, Softened
- 3/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Egg
- 1 Teaspoon Vanilla
- 1/4 Cup Molasses
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
- 1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- Pinch of Ground Cloves
- Pinch of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 1 Cup Powdered Sugar
- 3 Tablespoons Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 5 Tablespoons Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla
- Cold Water
- Pretzels
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes.
- Add the egg, vanilla, and molasses; mix for 1 minute on medium speed.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Add a third of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until just incorporated. Repeat until all of the dry ingredients are just incorporated into the dough. Do not overmix.
- Use a cookie scoop to scoop the dough out onto a Silpat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Immediately upon removing the cookies from the oven, slowly press a well into the center of each cookie with the bottom of a shot glass or the backside of a large, round measuring spoon.
- Allow the cookies to rest for 5 minutes before removing them to a baking rack to finish cooling completely.
- Sift or whisk the powdered sugar and cocoa powder together in a small bowl to remove any lumps.
- Add the heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
- Add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until the hot cocoa icing is spreadable. The icing should not be overly thick or overly thin. It will be creamy and have a consistency similar to Cool Whip or chocolate mousse. (I used 1 tablespoon.)
- Spoon a dollop of the icing into the center of each cookie, then use the back of a spoon or an offset spatula to spread the icing evenly in the well, in a circular motion.
- Place some pretzels in a resealable plastic bag and use your hands to crush or break them. Sprinkle each cookie with some of the crushed or broken pretzels.
- Allow the cookies to rest at room temperature for a few hours, giving the hot cocoa icing time to firm up.
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Try our original Soft & Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies recipe. If you could only bake one cookie this holiday season, this should be it. Seriously. Forget the fussy, decorated sugar cookies and the crumbly shortbread for a moment. These Soft & Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies are a stand-alone star, boasting a deeply comforting flavor profile of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and rich molasses. More importantly, this has the potential of being the most adaptable recipe in your cookie arsenal. Think of it as the little black dress of your recipe box. Perfect on its own, but ready to be accessorized with anything from white chocolate, dried fruit, or candied ginger to festive holiday-colored chocolate candies or a sweet powdered sugar icing drizzle. This perfect molasses spice cookie recipe is the ultimate blank canvas, ready to be transformed into whatever your lil’ holiday heart desires. CLICK HERE for the recipe.
Molasses Spice Cookies are undeniably soft, delightfully chewy, and absolutely bursting with rich, comforting flavor. They’re practically bursting at the seams with the cozy, comforting flavors of ground ginger and cinnamon, with just a hint of freshly grated nutmeg, and the tiniest pinch of ground cloves, all wrapped up in a big molasses hug. They’re the kind of treat that makes you want to sneak back into the kitchen for just one more. And then maybe another after that. Whether you’re in the mood for a cookie loaded with chocolate chips, crammed with crushed sandwich cookies, or slathered with chocolate icing and a sprinkle of salty pretzels, we’ve got you covered. Your new favorite cookie recipe is about to make itself right at home. CLICK HERE for the recipes.
Christmas is a time for family, friends, and delicious holiday cookies. From classic butter cookies to iced gingerbread cookies, this list of ultimate Christmas cookie recipes has something for everyone. Whether you’re looking for festive colors, unique seasonal ingredients, or just a cookie that’s super easy to make, these Christmas cookie recipes will help you find the perfect cookie for the season. CLICK HERE for the recipes.
