chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies

So I've deviated from the Hors D'oeuvres book lately because of the holidays, which is a season of baking to me. My house has been filled with the warmth of the oven and the smells of baked cookies a couple times each week this month. And as with the season of giving, I'd like to introduce the cookie recipes I'm going to share in the next few days leading up to Christmas. These are brand new recipes that I tried from an early Christmas gift from Audgbodge, the Martha Stewart's Cookies recipe book.

As part of our gift exchange, A. decided to flip through the book and earmark recipe requests. This was one of the first ones she requested as part of my holiday baking. I agreed that they looked quite delicious, especially since Martha Stewart referenced them first in the introduction of the book.

These were simple enough drop cookies spiked with a hefty amount of ginger, making them a much more sophisticated treat for adults. The strong ginger flavor was a surprise on the palette, adding a nice zing to the rich chocolate dough. My recipe made much more than expected, since I used a 2-tsp cookie scoop, and a bag was packed and given to A. to share with her coworkers.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies  -Martha Stewart

makes about 3 dozen

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tbsp AP flour
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tbsp unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1/4 lb unsalted butter, room temp.
1 tbsp freshly grated peeled ginger
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp boiling water
7 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chips or 1/4 inch chunks
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Line baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa. In a bowl of an electric mixer with paddle attachment, beat butter and fresh ginger on medium speed 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. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda mixture, and then remaining flour mixture. Mix in chocolate and turn onto plastic wrap. Pat to a 1 inch thickness and seal with wrap. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 325. Scoop dough with 2 tsp cookie scoop and roll into a ball. Place 2 inches apart on baking sheets and chill for 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surface just begins to crack, about 10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool for 5 minutes and then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.