Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

 

I don’t remember where I got this recipe but I have made them several times and they are wonderful. As my wife and I were sharing a warm one tonight, I asked, “How could you even eat an Oreo after having a cookie like this?” The warm, soft chocolate chips coating my tongue along with the bite of the ginger. Wonderful!

Yield:

24

Ingredients:

1½ cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

½ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons boiling water

7 ounces chocolate chips

½ cup granulated sugar*

Directions:

1. Line two baking sheets with parchment.

2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa. Set aside.

3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes.

4. Add brown sugar. Beat until combined.

5. Add molasses. Beat until combined.

6. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Set aside.

7. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture.

8. Beat in baking soda mixture.

9. Beat in remaining half of flour mixture.

10. Mix in chocolate chips.

11. Turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick. Seal with additional wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.**

12. Heat oven to 325 degrees.

13. Roll or scoop into 2 tablespoon balls. Roll balls in granulated sugar. Place on baking sheets two inches apart. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 Notes:

* Instead of regular granulated sugar, I use Sprinkle King, Kingsblingz Diamond Crystals that I buy online from www.supplyvillage.com. They are large, shiny and give the cookies a great crunch. I only put them on the top of the ball, not all over it.

** I skip the chilling. It will help you handle the soft dough better but I just use a cookie scooper and handle the dough ball gently as I move it from the sugar bowl to the cooking sheet.