Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

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.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookies, Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 10

Chilling 1

Total Time 2

Servings cookies

Calories 154kcal

Author Fiona Dowling

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.

Nutrition