If you’re a chocolate lover, these Fudgy “Molasses” Cookies are a must-make favorite that you and your family will absolutely adore! Whether you’re craving a delicious dessert, planning your holiday baking, or looking for a quick edible gift idea, this recipe is guaranteed to impress.

They taste somewhat like an old-fashioned molasses cookie, paired with the subtle spiced flavor of a gingersnap cookie. The result is a PERFECTLY fudgy, molasses-flavored cookie. Super soft and packed with the amazing, rich flavors of palm sugar, cacao powder and cinnamon, they taste just like cookies grandma used to make.

When it comes to cookies, we are big proponents of from-scratch, as opposed to box mixes. Packaged versions are generally made with refined sugar, refined white flour, hydrogenated fats, additives, preservatives, artificial colors and artificial flavoring. Some of these ingredients, such as tartrazine, have even been linked to ADHD disorders.

These home-baked from-scratch cookies are made with FfL-friendly, REAL-food ingredients. This recipe is also far healthier than most commercial mixes because it uses half the amount of sugar and fat. Don’t worry, it still delivers a fudgy cookie that’s equally as (if not MORE) delicious.

If you’ve spent time perusing FULLforLife, then you know the recipes you’ll find here use real-food, minimally processed ingredients whenever possible. Because white flour doesn’t fall into the realm of real food, this recipe uses white whole-wheat flour, which does. By using white whole-wheat flour, you’ll achieve moist cookies, while still receiving all the nutritional benefits whole-grain flour has to offer.

Because white whole-wheat flour doesn’t have the bitter tannins of regular whole-wheat flour, it yields a lighter, fluffier batter with a mild, natural sweetness. This means you still get all the benefits of 100% whole-grain flour, without any bitterness.

You can prep your cookie dough ahead and store it in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you’re ready to make your cookies, spoon the dough onto your baking sheet and bake as directed.

If you frequent FULLforLife, you know we’re a huge advocate and fan of batch cooking whenever possible. At this point, we make double batches of 75 percent of our recipes to simplify the weeks to come. While the ingredients are out and the dishes are dirty, why not make more to use throughout the week or to freeze for future meals, snacks and desserts? These cookies are no different! They’re simple to freeze and are great for a batch of impromptu cookies when friends or family pop over.

Drop large spoonfuls onto a baking sheet, freeze them until they’re firm (about 1-2 hours), then transfer them to an airtight container or freezer bag and store them in the freezer. When you want to bake them, remove the dough balls from the freezer, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, loosely cover them with a light cloth and once thawed (about 90 minutes), bake as directed.

Portion control tip: Because I (Kalie) have such a sweet tooth and can’t be trusted with two dozen warm, just-out-of-the-oven cookies, I often make just one batch and freeze half the dough. This is only necessary if you struggle with portion control like I do.

You can store these cookies in an airtight container on the counter for up to 4 days or in the refrigerator for a week. They taste so delicious, we doubt they’ll last that long! The other great news? These cookies freeze extremely well. Seal your cooled, baked cookies in an airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months for a tasty treat whenever you want.

Chill the dough. If your butter is too warm, it will cause your cookies to spread out and become flat and greasy. Chilling the dough will also make it less sticky and much easier to work with.

Measure your flour correctly. Measuring flour incorrectly is one of the most common mistakes people make while baking. While weight is the BEST way to accurately measure your flour, not all of us have scales at home.

1. Start by stirring the flour in case it’s packed tightly in its container.
2. Don’t scoop out the flour from the container or bag directly with the measuring cup. Spoon the flour into the measuring cup until it mounds above the rim. Don’t pack the flour down into the cup while doing this.
3. Use the non-serrated side of a dinner knife to level off the top until you have a smooth flour surface (you’ll probably need to do this a few times before it’s completely level).

Don’t overmix your dough. Overmixing often results in tougher, flatter cookies.

Don’t grease the pan. Greasing the pan can cause your cookies to spread out too much. Instead, use a baking mat or line your pan with a sheet of parchment paper.

Use a LIGHT-colored pan. Dark pans absorb more heat than light pans and tend to burn the bottoms of the cookies. Trust us, we know from experience, and there’s nothing more depressing than a delicious dessert coming out burnt!

Do NOT overbake them. There are few things worse than over-baked cookies. The trick to doughy, yet fully baked cookies is to not overbake them. You don’t want to wait until your cookies necessarily look completely done. They’ll continue to set up after they’re removed from the oven. Different ovens may bake too hot or too cold and the size of the cookies plays a role in their cook time. Watch for a slight crisp around the edges. You can also use the toothpick test to make sure they’re fully baked but still slightly gooey in the middle. You’ll want the toothpick to come out free (or almost free) of cookie particles when you pull it out. You’ll be left with perfectly baked cookies with a deliciously fudgy center.

Don’t rotate the pan while they’re baking (unless you know your oven bakes unevenly). You’ll let out all your precious heat, which messes with the bake time.

Use a cooling rack. Cooling racks allow the steam to escape from the bottom of your cookies as they cool. This prevents the bottoms from becoming a soggy mess. It also prevents them from continuing to bake after being removed from the oven and over-browning on the bottom.