Double Chocolate Ginger Cookies

These Double Chocolate Ginger Cookies are so festive and flavorful with a wonderfully soft and chewy texture. Sometimes I roll them in sugar and sometimes I don't because I love them both ways. It's a chocolate version of my best chewy ginger cookies made with cocoa and a lots of ginger plus cinnamon. They taste like the holidays and they make a beautiful addition to a holiday cookie platter. I never let the holidays pass without making several batches of these. They store well and stay soft and chewy for days which makes them a great cookie for gifting. If you like soft and chewy cookies, check out my Best Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies, my most popular Chewy Pumpkin Cookies and my Brown Butter Snickerdoodles.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• Super chewy molasses cookies - these cookies are so wonderfully soft and chewy with a crunchy sugar crust. Even if you leave off the sugar coating, they are delicious - I like them both ways.
• Double chocolate cookies - the cocoa molasses cookie dough is studded with dark chocolate chunks and this combination is irresistible.
• Double ginger flavor - these ginger cookies are very ginger-y with the addition of chopped crystallized ginger in the dough. It is optional, however, and you can leave it out. But, if you love ginger, you will really really like it!
• Soft for days - one of the best things about molasses cookies is that they stay soft for a long time and store very well thanks to the molasses in the cookie dough. They don't stale quickly.
• Sugar coating - you can roll these cookies are in sugar for a sweet crunchy coating.

INGREDIENTS FOR DOUBLE CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIES

• Unsalted butter - for this recipe you can use unsalted or salted butter. If you use salted butter, then reduce the added salt by half.
• Brown sugar - this recipe uses all brown sugar to really bump up the molasses taste. You can use light or dark brown sugar here. The difference is that there's twice as much molasses in dark brown sugar and it won't affect the texture too much in this case since we're also adding molasses.
• Pure vanilla extract - vanilla is optional in this recipe since there's so much flavor from the spices and molasses. If you choose to use up to 1 teaspoon, I recommend this Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla extract.
• Molasses - this is important! Use fancy molasses which is light molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses because it is several times more concentrated (less refined) and will change the color, texture and taste of the cookies. Molasses is what gives these cookies the wonderful chewy texture!

• All purpose flour - AP flour is ideal for chewy cookies. I always use unbleached flour.
• Cocoa powder - you should get your hands on some good quality cocoa powder! It's the main flavor and you want it to shine so use the best you can find. You can use natural or Dutch cocoa. I love to use this Dutch Process cocoa powder for this recipe for the darker color it gives to these cookies and it has a nice rich chocolate taste. Make sure you use unsweetened cocoa powder and not cocoa mix.
• Spice - of course there is ground ginger in molasses ginger cookies, but I also use cinnamon and clove. This is my secret blend that makes these cookies pop!
• Crystallized ginger - this is optional but the addition of crystallized ginger adds even more ginger flavor as well as little bits of chewiness.
• Dark chocolate - you can use chocolate chips, but it's really nice if you use chunks that melt more randomly for these sultry puddles in the cookies.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

• STEP 1). Cream butter and sugar. Beat butter and brown sugar in a large bowl for 2-3 minutes using an electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth and a bit fluffy.
• STEP 2). Mix in egg & molasses. Mix in molasses. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Beat in egg until well incorporated and the mixture is pale and creamy.
• STEP 3). Blend dry ingredients. Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, spices and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk to blend evenly.
• STEP 4). Add dry ingredients. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture and fold it in until mostly combined but before all of the dry ingredients are incorporated and a few streaks of flour remain.
• STEP 5). Fold in chocolate. Add chocolate chunks and chopped crystallized ginger and fold them in until evenly combined.
• STEP 4). Chill. Cover the bowl and chill the dough in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
• STEP 5). Roll in sugar. Use a 1 ½-oz cookie scoop to portion dough and roll into smooth balls and then roll them evenly in granulated sugar to coat.
• STEP 6). Bake. Place them onto your prepared baking sheets spacing them 3 inches apart and bake for 10-12 minutes until puffed and cracked at the surface, but still soft in the middle. If you make smaller cookies, bake for just 8-10 minutes.

EXPERT BAKING TIPS

• Measure the flour accurately to ensure you get the right texture. Too much flour will make them dry and the dough will not spread the right way, while not enough flour means that they will spread too much.
• Let the dough chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours so that you get thick cookies with a chewy texture.
• Use a trigger-release ice cream scoop to portion these cookies for even baking and roll the dough portions into smooth balls for a uniform shape.
• Use the correct type of molasses. Look for "fancy molasses" which is the lightest type of molasses. It is sweeter and runnier than cooking molasses or blackstrap molasses. Cooking (also called "robust") molasses will make darker cookies and will still work (although the flavor will be stronger), however blackstrap molasses is too dark, bitter and thick for the proportions specified in this recipe.

RECIPE FAQ

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