Tessa's Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Chocolate + ginger is slightly unexpected, but positively addictive.
TEXTURE: The molasses adds SO MUCH CHEWINESS to these cookies, and helps keep them soft for days!
EASE: 30-minute recipe, no chill time required. No chopping chocolate.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: You won’t be able to get enough of these!
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This is one of those holiday cookie recipes you will not want to share. You’ll want to keep these cookies all to yourself.
If you do plan to take them to a Christmas party, potluck, or cookie exchange, do yourself a favor and hide a few beforehand. I’m telling you, they will not last long otherwise!
They’re incredibly chewy yet soft and thick and perfectly balanced in flavor.
I originally posted this recipe in 2009 (!) after having tweaked it from Martha Stewart’s Cookies. Since then, quite a few readers have had issues with their cookies spreading too thin.
I decided to take the recipe back to the drawing board to ensure nice thick cookies, and to also see if I could eliminate the original required chilling time. And the need to chop any chocolate!
Well, I’m happy to say I succeeded on both fronts! I pulled some ratios from my Chewy Gingersnap cookie recipe found in my own cookie cookbook, added eggs, and increased the flour and cocoa powder to thicken the cookies and strengthen the chocolate flavor.
The result is a delightfully beautiful, festive, flavorful, and addictive cookie I hope you’ll love.
Sprinkle of Science
Ingredient Notes for Success
Do I Really Need Fresh Ginger and Ground Ginger?
Yes! The combination of both is what makes this recipe truly something special. It’s worth the extra few minutes of prep, promise.
TESSA’S TIP: I always keep big knobs of ginger in a resealable bag in the freezer. Not only does this extend its life so you have ginger whenever you need it for cooking and baking, but frozen ginger is super easy to peel and grate. Just note, the frozen grated ginger will appear more voluminous than it is immediately after grating. Press it a bit in the measuring spoon to get a more accurate measurement.
What Can I Use Instead of Molasses?
I highly recommend sticking with molasses as it’s essential to the taste and texture of this recipe. If you cannot get molasses where you live, you can try substituting golden syrup, though the results will not be the same.
The Spices
Check your spices to ensure they’re not expired. They should release a strong aroma when the container is opened. Older spices will be less flavorful so you may need to add more.
The Chocolate Chips
I recommend sticking with semisweet chocolate, or even something darker (like bittersweet). For extra pretty cookies, dot the cookie dough scoops with extra chocolate chips after rolling in sugar.
Do I Need to Chill the Cookie Dough?
Nope! I re-engineered this recipe to eliminate the chilling step. However, if you would like to chill, which will intensify the flavors and thicken the cookie’s texture, feel free.
You can either cover and chill the entire mass of dough for up to 3 days and let it come to room temperature before scooping (this may take several hours).
Or, you can wrap the pre-scooped dough in plastic and chill for up to 2 days. Roll in sugar just before baking to avoid the dough absorbing the sugar as it sits.
The Best Baking Pans for Cookies
I always use unlined aluminum half-sheet pans lined with pre-cut parchment for baking cookies. Never use dark-colored pans to bake cookies, as they tend to overly brown or even burn the bottoms of the cookies. Learn more about the best baking pans here.
Storage Notes:
Place in an airtight container at room temperature and store for up to 5 days (if they last that long!).
To freeze, scoop dough balls and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Press chocolate chips on top, then freeze until solid. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to 1 month.
When ready to bake, smooth each dough ball between your palms, then roll in granulated sugar. Bake at 325°F for 12-13 minutes.
More Christmas Cookie Recipes:
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Ingredients
- 2 ¼ cups (286 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (22 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 stick (113 grams) unsalted butter, at cool room temperature (67°F — warm butter will make your cookies spread)
- 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) lightly packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (170 grams) unsulphured molasses
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (227 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, divided
For rolling:
- 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg until combined.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and fresh ginger on medium speed until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
- Add the molasses and beat until combined. Then add the egg and vanilla, beating until very well combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl again.
- On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture. Stir in three-quarters of the chocolate chips (170 grams) until just combined. Dough will be sticky.
- Using a medium spring-loaded scoop, divide the dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon-sized scoops.
- Place sugar in a shallow dish and roll each scoop in the sugar. Gently form each scoop into circular balls before placing on baking sheets. Dot each scoop with a few chocolate chips.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until the tops are set.
- Let cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to cooling racks to cool completely. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Notes
This post was originally published in 2009 and has been updated with recipe improvements and new photos. Photos by Jess Gaertner.
This is my absolutely fav cookie recipe from Tessa. 2nd place goes to the M&M cookie that’s another Xmas cookie. I bought frozen ginger already portioned to save me time with the micro planer. Love the heat from the spices with the richness of chocolate.
Take a bite … and wait 15 seconds for the fresh ginger to hit the palate. What a flavor explosion! These are without a doubt THE best gingerbread cookies! I made the recipe exactly as written, except I used ginger that I had previously grated and frozen, which tastes the same as fresh. I was concerned about the stickiness mentioned, but it really wasn’t a problem. Excellent recipe and cookie!
The original recipe was one of my absolute favorite holiday recipes! I’m sad it’s changed because I didn’t save the original, just had it bookmarked. Never had any problems with spreading – it was perfection!
So I think this is the recipe I’m searching for but with the new photos I’m not certain!
I seem to remember the old recipe having chocolate chunks instead of chocolate chips?
Where can I find the old recipe?
Perhaps I should try it with the changes but I my heart is with the original haha
The original ones are by Martha Stewart.
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies Recipe https://share.google/pTVrRwXAfkimpvcmp
Love how chewy these cookies are! I like gingerbread cookies but don’t like how hard they can be, so these are great. Also, the chocolate is a fun variation for chocolate lovers. Yum!
The dough was really sticky, but if you use the cookie and drop it straight into the sugar for rolling, it barely touches your fingers before having the layer of sugar to keep it together.
I didn’t have fresh ginger (made them in a hurry for an event), so I added dried ginger to the butter. They had a lot of flavor, but I’d like to try the fresh or candied ginger to see how it changes the profile.
What is the best way to grate the ginger? Also, you mention “extra chocolate chips before rolling in sugar”. Did you really mean to put the chips on top and then try and roll them? Normally I would roll in sugar and then dot them with chips on top.
Hi James! For the ginger, we love using a fine grater/zester like this one, but any grater with small holes will work well. And great catch on the chocolate chips! We actually tested adding them both before and after rolling in sugar and didn’t notice a difference, but I’ve updated that section to reflect the recipe. Thanks for pointing that out!
Thank you! I used a microplane grater just like that one.
Do I need to add/omit anything if I want to use natural unsweetened cocoa powder? That’s all I have on hand.
Sorry for our delayed response, Glin! This recipe can also work with natural cocoa powder since it contains both baking soda and brown sugar, which react with natural cocoa. No need to add or omit anything, but just note that your cookies will be a bit lighter in color and slightly less rich in chocolate flavor. If you’re curious to learn more, Tessa has an article on Natural vs. Dutch-Processed Cocoa Powder that explains how they both work and when swaps are possible. Hope that helps!