These chocolate gingerbread cookies are a soft and chewy ginger molasses cookie with a hint of cocoa. The cocoa pairs perfectly with the warm spices for a flavor that’s warm, comforting and perfect for the holidays. They’re rolled in sugar for a slight crunch that pairs perfectly with the chewy centers. 
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies – a Unique Christmas Cookie
If you’re looking for a Christmas cookie that’s tastes like Christmas, but is just a little different, then these chocolate gingerbread cookies may just be the thing. The recipe is based off of my ginger molasses cookies only we’re slightly reducing the amount of molasses and replacing some of the flour with cocoa powder. The chocolate flavor really complements the warm spices, brown sugar and molasses. What I especially love about this recipe is the texture. They’re soft and chewy, then there’s a delicious crunch thanks to the cookies being rolled in coarse sugar. I also like to add in chocolate chips, but they’re equally delicious with or without the additional chocolate.
My sister and her family make a cutout chocolate gingerbread recipe every year. The cookies are delicious, but frankly, I didn’t want to go through the effort of rolling out the dough, cutting out the cookies and then decorating. So these chocolate ginger molasses cookies are truly the perfect option.
Baking Tips & Tricks
- The amount of spices is slightly up to you and how heavily spiced you’d like your cookies to be. I actually reduce the spices slightly in this recipe compared to my classic ginger molasses cookies because I find you don’t need quite as much with this chocolate version.
- I do not recommend baking with blackstrap molasses because I find the flavor is too bitter and overwhelming for baked goods. I typically use what is labeled cooking molasses or light molasses.
- The dough will need to chill in the fridge for at least 2 hour before forming into balls and rolling in sugar.
- I recommend rolling the cookie dough balls in coarse sugar because it won’t melt into the dough as much as granulated sugar will.
- After forming the dough into balls, you can place them in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Then bake the dough balls from frozen. They will just need 1-2 extra minutes.
- I do no flatten my cookie dough balls and end up with thick cookies. If your cookies aren’t flattening as much as you like as they bake, press them down slightly.
You’ll love these chocolate gingerbread cookies because of they’re unique flavor, warm spices and the way the gingerbread flavor pairs with dark chocolate. The flavor is grown up, and the texture is what truly makes these cookies addictive.
And if you love gingerbread, then I highly recommend trying these other Christmas favorites:
- Gingerbread Brownies – in case you can’t get enough of the chocolate gingerbread flavor
- Soft Gingerbread Cookies
- Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Butterscotch Sauce
- Gingerbread Cupcakes
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Equipment
- Cookie Sheets
Ingredients
- 2 ⅓ cup all-purpose flour (292 grams)
- ¼ cup cocoa powder (23 grams)
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger feel free to use 1 teaspoon pronounced ginger flavor
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (170 grams) softened to room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar (210 grams) packed
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses (60 ml) I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chocolate chips (180 grams) optional
- ¼ cup coarse sugar (50 grams) for rolling the cookie dough balls in
Instructions
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the butter and brown sugar until creamy.
- Then mix in the egg, molasses and vanilla extract.
- Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl.
- Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture about ½ at a time and beat together starting on a low speed until incorporated.
- Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour our up to 48 hours.
- When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) or 325F (170C) on a convection oven (some convection ovens make this adjustment automatically). Line cookie trays with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Pour the coarse sugar onto a small plate.
- Form the dough into balls with about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons of dough each (I do this using a cookie scoop). Each will be somewhere in between the size of a ping pong ball and a golf ball (likely a little smaller than a golf ball). Roll each dough ball in the sugar.
- Place the cookies 1.5 to 2 inches (about 3.5-5 cm) apart on the lined cookie sheets.
- Bake 1 cookie sheet at a time in the middle of your oven for 8-11 minutes or until the tops look just set.
- Cool the cookies on the cookie sheets for at least 10 minutes, then carefully transfer to a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Notes
- Molasses: I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses because it is too bitter for baking.
- Coarse Sugar: Using a coarse sugar, often labeled raw sugar, will allow you to see the sugar on the cookies and offers a delicious crunch. Turbinado sugar works well.
- Chocolate Chips: I like to use dark chocolate chips in this recipe. Semi-sweet work too.
- Freezing the Dough: After forming the dough into balls and rolling in sugar, cookie dough balls can be placed into a freezer bag and frozen for up to 2 months. Bake from frozen as directed in the recipe. They may take 1-2 minutes longer.
- Storage: Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Baked and cooled cookies can be frozen for up to 2 months. I recommend thawing in the fridge.
- Nutrition: Details provided are an estimate only and based on 1 cookie, assuming the recipe yields 30 uniform cookies.
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