
Spicy yet rich. Chewy on the inside. Crisp at the edge. Almost as big as a salad plate. This is the kind of cookie that comes from not just a culinary genius, but a culinary artist with a deep understanding of chemistry. I’ll give the credit to LA Pastry Chef Brad Ray (the culinary scientist behind Los Angeles restaurant Antico’s impossibly smooth honeycomb ice cream). But he says in the LA Times the recipe for these Giant Ginger-Molasses Cookies was handed down to him in 2012 from Pastry Chef Mark Welker (of the NYC restaurants NoMad and Eleven Madison Park). Which only goes to prove my “mad” scientist theory.
I’m sure you know that good baking requires precision. This is a very precise recipe. On the first read I was tempted to say too precise. There are some steps that seem unnecessary. The know-it-all in me was tempted to skip the freezer and go straight to the oven. What could it hurt? Next I read that the burger-sized raw cookies go into the oven just three to a sheet pan. That might take all day, I thought. Perhaps I might like 32 medium-sized cookies better than 16 giant cookies? If I’m so hungry I can just have two, right?
And the molasses. The recipe calls for more than a cup. More than a cup? Nobody likes molasses that much! I should probably cut back on the molasses. Right?
Nope wrong. Because there’s science behind these work-of-art Ginger-Molasses Cookies. So don’t skimp on the molasses and make room in the freezer. The overnight chill is needed to “get rid of the chemical taste from the amount of baking soda that you need to counteract the molasses.”
See. Science.
As for their giant size– well, that’s what makes these cookies masterpieces. GREG

Hey Greg! Well, I finally got around to baking these, and they remind me of my grandmother’s recipe that was always a first treat, when we would visit her. She would bake like a madwoman before we arrived, making all manner of lovely baked goods, including the best lemon meringue pie I’ve ever eaten, and I’m 63. Anyway, I digress. Hers were smaller of course, but the taste and crumb are very similar. I have none of her recipes. The family member that “collected” them back years ago when she passed away apparently lost them, so it’s a good thing you posted this recipe. Thanks again, Greg!
That’s so nice to hear. XOGREG
Science always wins. Especially on baking. I trust you; I trust science. Thanks for this recipe, Greg. Saved for baking soon.
What a great treat, we just love a good ginger cookie. This one sounds perfect with a glass of vino (oh my gosh, did I just say that?). My recipe for ginger cookies turn out a lot darker, wonder why? Love that you freeze them unbaked, I’d just bake off what I needed each day to prevent gluttony!
When you said spicy, rich, and chewy, and crisp, you had me. But then when you said big as a salad plate I was fully on board. I don’t have a good recipe for ginger cookies, so I will definitely be trying this.
I have been baking ginger molasses cookies in a Victorian kitchen with school children. ( not this year) Ours are nothing like yours. I have to try them and then compare.
Thanks Greg! I just looked at my molasses and it is Organic Unsulphured Blackstrap Molasses. Not sure what to do with that! LOL
What an interesting recipe! I’m all for giant cookies. And love ginger and molasses together. Wonderful post — you blinded me with science. 🙂
Science or no science, those look absolutely amazing. I love that these cookies use so much molasses.
Curious… why not black strap molasses? I suppose that is part of the science.
Blackstrap has become all the rage recently. It has a high mineral content which makes it alluring to health food junkies. This cookie is NOT health food. So my guess is because blackstrap endures a third boiling it is considerably less sweet than standard molasses. And since there’s so much of it in this recipe I bet blackstrap would make for a very bitter cookie. As somebody I used to know would say, “molasses on my cornbread, blackstrap in my bourbon.” GREG
Wow! Those are BIG! Love it. I had dinner with my daughter at Nomad, and we were introduced to the truffle we had on our pasta for dinner!