These are a winter favorite in my house! Or I guess just with me, as my husband isn't a big fan of molasses (his loss). Either way, I love the warming, comforting flavors of molasses, cinnamon, and ginger. Like most cookies, I tend to under-bake them just a tad, since they will continue to cook after being removed from the oven. These just scream "holidays" to me, and are also a crowd-pleasing treat to bake for any cookie exchange you might be attending this season! Enjoy!

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, packed

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour

• 2 tsp baking soda

• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

• 1 tsp ground ginger

• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom

• 1/4 tsp ground cloves

• 1/8 tsp ground all spice

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, for coating

• optional mix-in: 1/2 cup candied ginger, dark chocolate, pumpkin purée

Preheat oven to 375 F. Cream butter and both sugars together in bowl of stand mixer until fluffy. Add in egg and molasses, and mix well. Gradually add all dry ingredients, mixing to combine. Fold in optional mix-ins, if desired. Chill dough for at least one hour. Put remaining sugar in a small bowl. Roll dough into balls, dip into sugar, and place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake cookies for 8-10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely. Makes about 32 cookies, just under 1 oz. each.

*Can be made vegan by substituting a flax "egg" for egg, and coconut oil for butter.

Useful Tools:

• handheld mixer or stand mixer

• cookie sheet

• silpat baking mat

• cooling rack