As the Christmas season approaches, my mind turns to cookies, both as a simple project that doesn’t take up too much time, and as something tasty to enjoy over the holidays. I’ll have more cookies for you all next week too!
Today’s recipe is sort of a combination of a few things I’ve made before. The base cookie is a lot like the chocolate lava cookies, with added spices like what makes my gingerbread hot cocoa so spiced and delicious. A third of a cup of molasses helps round out the flavor.
The cookies you get will be nice, thick, and soft, with a bit of a crisp outer edge and a layer of crystalline sugar on the outside. They’re rich with chocolate and have a nice warming spice to them, without going too overboard. You’re free to adjust the spice to your liking, of course! I know some people add crystallized ginger, even, as a way to spice it up even further.
I will say, I like to use a cookie scoop for cookie doughs like this, to measure out perfect portions, but I’ve had bad luck with mine just not holding up. The Kitchenaid cookie scoop I’ve been using just slips gearing and ends up impossible to use on thicker doughs. If you have a recommendation for one with a different design, let me know!
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Cookie Scoop
- Baking Sheets
- Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Flour
- ½ Cup Cocoa Powder
- 1½ Tsp Baking Soda
- 1 Tsp Ginger
- 1 Tsp Cinnamon
- ¼ Tsp Cloves
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar
- ½ Cup White Sugar
- ¾ Cup Butter
- ⅓ Cup Molasses
- 1 Egg Room temp
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
- Extra Sugar For coating the cookie balls
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325℉. If you want, line your baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Sift the flour and whisk it with baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves.
- In a stand mixer, beat together the brown sugar, white sugar, and butter until it's fluffy and combined. Add the molasses and mix it in well, then do the same with the egg and vanilla.
- Slowly add in the flour mix while mixing on low, until it just combines. Try not to overmix to avoid tougher cookies.
- Scoop the dough and roll it in balls of about 1-2 tablespoons each. Roll each ball in extra sugar (I added some sprinkles to mine too), then place them on your baking sheet and flatten them. They'll spread a tiny bit when cooking, but not a lot.
- Bake the cookies for about 10 minutes, until they start to crack. Let them cool for about 10 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a cooling rack to finish if you want.