Double-Ginger Chocolate Molasses Cookies
These tasty cookies from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan belong to the molasses cookie family but have so many surprises.
Double-Ginger Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Photo Credit : Mark Weinberg; styling by Maggie Ruggiero (food) & Caroline Woodward (props)These tasty cookies from award-winning cookbook author Dorie Greenspan belong to the molasses cookie family but have so many surprises: crystallized ginger, lots of dark chocolate, and an optional bit of instant espresso. Dorie suggests molding them in muffin tins for thicker, more uniformly shaped cookies.
From “The Sweet Life: Holiday Baking with Dorie Greenspan,” November/December 2019
Yield:
About 36 cookiesIngredients
2 ¼ cups (306 grams) all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1–2 teaspoons instant espresso, to taste (optional)
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon table salt
1⁄3 cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
1⁄3 cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar
1 ½ sticks (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
½ cup unsulfured molasses
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1⁄3 cup chopped crystallized ginger
7 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips
Granulated sugar, for rolling
Instructions
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso (if using), spices, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer with a large bowl), beat the butter and sugars together on medium-low speed until fluffy, scraping the bowl as needed, about 3 minutes. Add the yolk and beat for 1 minute, then add the molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once, and pulse until the risk of flying flour passes. Working on low speed, mix the dough until the flour is almost but not completely incorporated. Add the crystallized ginger and chocolate chips and mix until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough and the ginger and chocolate are evenly distributed. Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it, and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days.
Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat to 350°. Butter or spray regular muffin tins.
Have a medium cookie scoop at hand. (Alternatively, you can use a rounded tablespoonful of dough for each cookie.) Find a glass with a bottom measuring about 2 inches in diameter that you can use to flatten the dough; cover the bottom in plastic wrap. Spoon some sugar into a wide shallow bowl.
For each cookie, mold a scoop of dough into a ball between your palms, then turn it in the sugar to coat and put it into a muffin cup. Use the glass to flatten each ball until it almost reaches the sides of the cup.
Bake for about 13 minutes, rotating the tins from top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be lightly set around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer to racks and let rest for 15 minutes before unmolding the cookies and placing them on racks to cool completely (if you’re baking in batches, make sure the tins are cool before reusing). The cookies can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
