Ginger molasses cookies are always at the top of my holiday must-bake list. My favorite recipe is generously spiced, chewy, and instantly makes the house smell like Christmas. On a whim I stuffed a batch with some salted butter caramels I had leftover from some recipe testing. Best/worst idea ever: best because the caramel levels up a cookie I thought couldn’t be improved — the caramel adds another level of chew in addition to a surprise hit of sweetness. Worst because these have sort of ruined me for the “regular” version.

A couple of notes:

• You can use any kind of chewy caramel candy for stuffing, though I like to an extra dark one that has just a hint of bitterness.
• You can refrigerate the dough (stuffed or unstuffed) for up to 5 days. I like to bring the dough to room temperature while the oven is preheating and toss in sugar right before baking. I haven’t yet tried freezing this dough with the caramel stuffing but will update this post when I do.

Caramel-stuffed Ginger Molasses Cookies

Makes about 13 large cookies | Adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients:

• 125g all purpose flour
• 75g bread flour
• 50g rye flour
• 2 tsp 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 (Diamond Crystal)
• 65g granulated sugar
• 50g dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp freshly grated ginger
• 113g unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 113g fancy molasses (not blackstrap)

To finish:

• 40g turbinado sugar
• 40g granulated sugar
• 13 chewy caramel candies, storebought or homemade (mine were roughly 3/4″ squares)

Method:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, spices (except for the fresh ginger), and salt.
2. 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.
3. Whisk in the melted butter, molasses, and egg to combine.
4. Add the dry ingredients and mix just to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm the dough 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.)
5. While the dough is chilling, preheat the oven to 375F with a rack in the center, and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Combine the turbinado and granulated sugar in a small bowl.
6. Divide the chilled dough into 26 equal portions (25g each).
7. To stuff the cookies, take two portions of dough and flatten each into a thick disc. Take a caramel and press it gently into the middle of one piece of dough (trim or squish the caramel to fit, if needed), then place the other piece of dough on top. Pinch the edges of the two pieces of dough together to seal in the caramel, then roll gently between your hands to form a ball. Repeat the process with the remaining dough.
8. Roll each ball in sugar and place on the prepared baking sheets about 2.5 inches apart. (Cookies will spread a bit so leave plenty of room!)
9. Bake sheets one at a time for about 9-11 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.