If you are looking for a perfect fall cookie that captures the smells and tastes of the holidays, these chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies are for you! You will love the smell in your kitchen while baking them, but you will especially love the warm gooey chocolate in every bite of these cookies. They have the perfect combination of a crispy outer shell from the sugar, and a soft gingerbread center. It's perfection in my book, but don't take my word for it. Make some right now!
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Makes 4 dozen small or 2 dozen regular cookies
1 1/2 cups gluten free flour (I use Cup4Cup)
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
7 ounces good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
1/2 cup coarse sugar
In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat the softened butter and fresh ginger with a paddle attachment on medium speed until light, about 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar and molasses. Mix until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat, then add the baking soda/water mixture. Add the remaining flour mixture and beat until smooth. Mix in the chocolate chips. Cover the dough and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. When the dough is fully chilled, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment. Roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls for small cookies or use a regular cookie scoop for medium cookies. Roll the cookies in coarse sugar and line up on the baking sheets. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops crack slightly. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Step-by-step tutorial:
Gather your ingredients. You will need gluten free flour (I recommend one that is a 1:1 substitution for regular all-purpose flour and includes xantham gum), cocoa powder, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, butter, fresh ginger, brown sugar, molasses, baking soda, semi-sweet chocolate chips, and coarse sugar.
In a bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups gluten free flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg. Set aside. In a large mixing bowl, beat 1/2 cup butter with 1 tablespoon freshly minced ginger until light and fluffy.
Add 1/2 cup packed brown sugar and 1/4 cup molasses. Beat until combined. Add half of the flour mixture and beat.
Pour in the baking soda/water mixture, then the remaining flour mixture and beat until fully combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.
After eating some of this delicious dough (no eggs in there!) cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight. You want the dough fully chilled.
Roll the chilled dough into 1 1/2-inch balls, then roll in the coarse sugar. Try to do this quickly without working with the dough too much so it stays cold.
Place the sugared dough balls on a baking sheet and bake in a 325°F oven.
Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops start to crack. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes.
Remove to a wire rack to cool completely. You will want to eat most of them while they are still warm though!
The contrast of the crisp sugar coating and the soft gingerbread center studded with melted chocolate is DIVINE.
These are a great cookie to make all year long, but we crave them in the fall and at Christmas especially. You will love them!
Recipe Source: Recipe adapted from a recipe from Martha Stewart Living