Black Dog Ginger Cookies

I got this recipe from my daughter-in-law, Elizabeth. My favorite ginger cookie, without a doubt, is the Taku Ginger Cookie. Takus are chewy whereas these are very dense and firm.  I twisted this recipe, as I so often do, by adding chocolate chips. That causes a complication in that the dough is already stiff and doesn’t flatten out very well. Filling it full of chocolate chips only makes them less likely to flatten out. They are really good! (But not at good as Taku Ginger Cookies.)

Recipe By:

Elizabeth

Ingredients:

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh ginger
1½ cups canola oil, divided
4 cups granulated sugar, divided
¾ cups molasses
3 eggs
1½ teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
5¼ teaspoons baking soda
¾ teaspoon ground cloves
7 cups flour
3 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°.

2. Mix fresh ginger with ½ cup of the oil in a food processor until well-minced. Strain out the fiber and throw it away. Set aside the ginger-infused oil.

3. In a large mixing bowl blend 3 cups of sugar, molasses and eggs.

4. Add ginger oil plus the remaining 1 cup of oil to the egg mixture and blend until smooth.

5. In a separate bowl, mix together the salt, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves and flour.

6. Add the dry mix to the wet mix and blend well.

7. Stir in chocolate chips.

7. Line  cookie sheets with parchment paper.

8. Scoop the cookie dough into 2 tablespoon balls and roll in the reserved 1 cup of granulated sugar.

9. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake for about 8-12 minutes. About half way through, remove them quickly from the oven and flatten each ball with the buttered bottom of a drinking glass, dipping it into sugar between each flattening, the return quickly to the oven to finish baking. Bake just until the tops crack and the cookies are flat. They will look raw even after 10 minutes even though they are golden brown. They will stiffen up. The original recipe calls for you to drop the baking sheet onto the counter three times as you take them out of the oven, so they flatten even more.

10. Cool completely on wire racks.