Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

When I was growing up my mom would bake cookies for weeks and freeze them leading up to Christmas.  Then a week or so before, we would make up plates of the various cookies and deliver them to our neighbors.  I have always wanted to do this but the season gets busy and away from me and I find I have never done it.  This year I'm determined to make a few deliveries.  If I can get my family to stop eating the cookies I'm making, it will most likely happen!!

Today I thought I'd share with you one of my all time favorite Christmas cookies I've ever made.  I love gingerbread and I love chocolate, so the two together in this cookie are amazing to me.  They are also a soft cookie and I really do enjoy myself a soft cookie - especially with chocolate chips.

A few tips in making these a success.  First, DON'T forget the baking soda.  I did that one time and the soft chewy cookie turns into a hard rock.  Very disappointing.  Second, bake them until they start to crack along the tops.  That's when you know they are done.  Third, don't skimp on the fresh ginger.  It's vital to this cookies success.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 
• 1/2 cup packed dark-brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger 
• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder 
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses 
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Directions:

1. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water; set aside. 
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter with brown sugar until combined. Add fresh ginger and mix until combined. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Slowly add to butter mixture, mixing until well combined. 
3. Add baking soda mixture and molasses; mix to combine. Stir in chocolate; Transfer to refrigerator. Refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours. 
4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 
5. Using a 2-inch ice cream scoop, scoop dough onto baking sheet, 2 1/2 inches apart. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll dough balls in granulated sugar and return to baking sheets. Transfer to oven and bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 18 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a wirerack to cool completely.
   
   
   This recipe is originally from Martha Stewart and can be found HERE.