Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies

I wish it were always fall or the holidays. I love the spicy flavors of gingerbread, but I feel just a little strange making gingerbread cookies in the middle of spring. I love ginger in cookies, so I’m always apt to try new recipes that call for ginger. My favorite cookies are the triple ginger cookies that I made back in September. Would these be as good? Ginger with chocolate, so I figured that they certainly couldn’t be bad!

I had planned on making something else this week, but I’ve made quite a few bar cookies lately and I wanted to do something else. Inevitably, the nights that I bake are usually nights that I get home late from work. How does that always happen? So my husband and I were eating dinner and I was quickly looking for another recipe to make. I didn’t really have time to go to the store so that limited my choices somewhat. These cookies are on the cover of Martha Stewart’s Cookies, so I figured they must be good. They sure look good! I thought I had everything on hand, but my fresh ginger was kind of shriveled up so I ended up using virtually zero fresh ginger. I also used a combination of dark chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate chunks.

I’m not sure why you are supposed to chill these quite so much, both before they are shaped and then after they are rolled into balls. Some I didn’t chill as much and I didn’t notice much difference at all. They don’t really look like the picture in the book; they aren’t nearly as thin as the ones in the picture but I’m ok with that as long as they are still chewy. They have a good ginger flavor, even without the fresh ginger. The chocolate adds an interesting flavor. You can distinctly taste both the ginger and the chocolate, which you would think one or the other would overpower. These are good, not as good as my triple ginger cookies, but still worth a try.

1-1/2 cups plus one tablespoon flour

1-1/4 teaspoons ginger

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 stick butter, softened

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

½ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1-1/2 teaspoons boiling water

7 ounces semisweet chocolate chunks

Sugar, for rolling

In a small bowl combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa powder. Set aside. In a large mixer bowl, beat butter and grated ginger on medium for several minutes, until lightened. Add brown sugar and beat until combined. Add molasses and beat until combined.

In a small bowl dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Mix half of the flour into the butter mixture and then add the baking soda/water mixture. Stir in the remaining flour and then finally stir in the chocolate. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line baking sheets with silicone baking mats. Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Chill for 20 minutes. Roll in sugar. Bake until surfaces begin to crack ,for 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway during the baking time. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool.

Recipe from Martha Stewart’s Cookies