Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Because it’s never too late to put out cookies and milk for Santa...

Merry Christmas!

 

Notes:
Grinding the crystallized ginger with the sugars allows these cookies to have a nice gingery pop without visible pieces of crystallized ginger.  Processing the crystallized ginger with the sugars keeps the ginger from turning into a paste that would be difficult to evenly incorporate.  Slice the crystallized ginger before you measure it.  If you don’t have a food processor, chop the ginger as finely as you can by hand and then toss it with the sugar.  These cookies spread a bit, so make sure you leave about 2 inches between each dough ball on the cookie sheet.  I like to scoop all of my dough balls at once and place them on a clean plate and then roll them in the sugar.  If you like to coat each cookie with sugar as you make it, go for it!  Baking these for 8-10 minutes will give you a cookie that is soft and chewy.  If you like crispier cookies, bake them for an additional minute or two. 

Ingredients:
1½ cups (200 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (48 g) cocoa powder
1 teaspoon (2 g) ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons (4 g) ground ginger
1 teaspoon (7 g) baking soda
½ teaspoon (4 g) salt
¼ teaspoon (less than 1g) ground cloves
½ cup (80 g) sliced crystallized ginger
½ cup (106 g) granulated sugar
½ cup (111 g) packed light brown sugar
¾ cup (165 g) butter
1 egg
¼ cup (83 g) molasses
2 teaspoons vanilla
additional granulated sugar for rolling

Whisk, Process, Cream, Add:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 375ºF.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, and set aside.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, and ground cloves, and set aside.  Combine the sliced crystallized ginger and the granulated and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor and process for about 1 minute until the ginger disappears into the sugar.  In the bowl of your mixer (or in a large bowl if you don’t have a mixer), combine the butter and the sugar mixture, and beat until fluffy.  Add the egg, and beat until incorporated.  Then beat in the molasses and vanilla.  Add the flour mixture in halves, beating just until all of the flour streaks disappear. 

Shape, Roll, Bake:
Place some additional granulated sugar in a shallow bowl.  Use a cookie scoop or two spoons to scoop out a tablespoon worth (approximately 16-17 grams) of dough. Roll the dough ball between your palms to smooth out the edges, and place it on a clean plate.  Repeat until all of the dough has been shaped into balls.  Roll each ball in the granulated sugar until it is fully coated, and then place it on the prepared cookie sheets. Once the cookie sheets are full, bake the cookies at 375ºF for 8-10 minutes, rotating the cookie sheets halfway through baking.  The cookies will be set but won’t be crispy.  Remove the cookies from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool.  Store cooled cookies in an airtight container between layers of wax paper at room temperature or in the freezer.

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