Molasses Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

If you love a soft and chewy cookie these are for you! Sometimes gingersnaps or molasses cookies can be hard and crunchy…and these are simply the opposite! Super soft, chewy, with the perfect creamy cinnamon cream cheese frosting.

No joke…one pan will bake up in less than 15 minutes. I can get a batch of these made, baked, and frosted in less than an hour, and so can you!

They went over so well at work, I made another batch the same week! Great for a potluck, and a wonderful fall cookie to transition into Christmas baking! Enjoy!

Molasses Cookies with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting

Servings 24 cookies
Author Laura Doerr

Ingredients

  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup shortening
  • 1/4 cup molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp ground cloves
  • 1 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/8 tsp salt

For the cinnamon cream cheese frosting

  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 6 tbsp butter room temp
  • 6 oz cream cheese room temp
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

  2. In a medium bowl or stand mixer beat together brown sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg on medium speed until combined. Stir in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt until combined.

  3. Drop rounded spoonfuls (about 1 1/2 inch balls) onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart. Use a scoop tool if possible, to keep the cookies uniform in size.

  4. Bake for 13-14 minutes. Remove the cookies from the cookie sheet onto a cooking rack. Cool completely before frosting. 

For the frosting

  1. Beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add in the vanilla. Slowly add the powdered sugar, beating on med-high in-between each addition. Beat until all powdered sugar is incorporated and smooth. Beat in ground cinnamon. Spread evenly onto cooled cookies.

Recipe Notes

If you are a frosting lover you may want to double the frosting recipe, or make 1 1/2 times. This recipe allows for a thin layer of frosting on 25 cookies, so double if you're looking for a thick frosted cookie. 

Photographed in this post are cookies that I used a standard scoop, about 1.5 inch round balls. If you make them smaller (which I have used a mini scoop) just make sure to bake them for less time because they will bake faster. Start with 8-9 minutes.

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