My mother and I stand on opposite sides of one of the most important debates of our time: chewy or crunchy? I stand with chewy, and I am on the right side of history. Especially when it comes to these ginger molasses cookies.

I stole, and slightly altered, this recipe from the Food Network. I probably could have found a more exciting one from a fancy blogger, but if it ain’t broke, etc etc.

Crazy Delicious CHEWY Ginger Molasses Cookies

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger AND 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
1/3 cup molasses
1 large egg

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, allspice and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Beat the butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well combined, about 3 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, and ginger and beat until lighter in color, about 3 minutes. Add the flour mixture and mix on low until well blended.

Using a tablespoon, form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in sugar. Place each ball 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until golden and crackled, 12 to 15 minutes; the cookies will still be a little soft. Probably eat one now. 

Baking these in 3 batches one sheet at a time gets you the nice, crackly top. The second sheet of cookies can stay on the counter until ready to bake. Form the remaining dough, roll the balls in sugar and place on the now cooled first baking sheet. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, and then remove to a rack to cool completely. The end.

I added in a bit more ginger and threw in some allspice just for kicks. I’m happy with the results, but note that I got distracted, didn’t read the last part of the recipe, and didn’t cool the dough at all. The cookies are still chewy and delicious and everyone is going to be fine.

Happy Sugar-Crashing.

All photos by Caitlin Decker. No licking.