When it comes to cookies, I am very much a creature of habit. When we need a batch of something sweet, I’ll usually whip up our house chocolate chunk cookies or maybe some snickerdoodles. And every fall, I have to make at least a couple of batches of chewy ginger molasses cookies.

For the past several years, this Bon Appetit recipe has been my go to. Soft and chewy centers, sugared exteriors, a vibrant amount of spice, and dead easy to make — can’t ask for much more!

This year, though, I’ve been tinkering with this recipe and made a couple of tweaks to pack even more of a punch into each bite. Swapping in some rye and bread flour adds even more chew and richness of flavor. A little fresh ginger and black pepper add a spicy kick. I like to roll my cookies in a mixture of turbinado and sanding sugar for a nice balance of shine and crunch and top each cookie with a small piece of candied ginger. These are hands down my favorite fall/winter cookies — I hope you’ll love them too!

Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

Makes about 15 cookies | Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

• 125g AP flour
• 75g bread flour
• 50g rye flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground cardamom
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 113g unsalted butter, melted
• 65g granulated sugar
• 113g fancy molasses
• 50g dark brown sugar

To finish:

• 40g turbinado sugar
• 40g sanding sugar
• Candied ginger

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the center, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
2. In a small bowl, whisk the flours, baking soda, spices (except for the fresh ginger), and salt together.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar and dark brown sugar. Add the grated ginger and rub it into the sugar with your fingers to distribute.
4. Whisk in the melted butter, molasses, and egg to combine.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the batter up slightly to make it easier roll. (If refrigerated longer than an hour, let stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes to soften slightly.) Meanwhile combine the turbinado and sanding sugar in a small bowl.
6. Using a cookie scoop or your hands, form golf-ball sized rounds (about 40-45g each). Roll in sugar and place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Press a piece of crystallized ginger on top of each cookie.
7. Bake sheets one at a time for 8-10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until cookies are puffed and starting to crack and the edges are set. Cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.