Chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies from Martha Stewart

Martha Stewart has provided the recipe for these delectable chocolate gingerbread cookies on her website. I made them last weekend for a birthday party, and they were truly amazing. However…Martha’s recipe is much too fiddly for my taste. I’m sure the cookies would have been even better, and maybe would have looked a bit nicer if I’d followed all her directions to the letter. But I thought they came out just fine, and there were none left. Case closed!

This recipe comes from Martha’s new book, Martha Stewart’s Cookies.

Here’s my slightly easier version, or you can click over to Martha’s site and use her directions.

Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Makes 2 dozen
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate, chopped into 1/4 inch chunks
1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
Extra sugar for sprinkling on top
In a large bowl, beat the butter and fresh ginger together until light, 4-5 minutes with a mixer. Beat in sugar. Beat in molasses. Sprinkle the baking soda over the surface and mix in really well. Do the same with all the spices and cocoa powder. Switch to wooden spoon, and mix in the chocolate chunks by hand, and then add the flour by hand. Refrigerate the dough for a bit until cool enough to roll by hand (it took about 20 minutes for me).

Prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper. (Yes, I really do use it. Once you do, you’ll never go back!) Heat the oven to 325. Roll dough into 24 balls, about 1-1/2 inches each. Place 2 inches apart on sheets and press down lightly. Bake until surface begins to crack, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle each with sugar, let cool on the sheets for 5 minutes, and then remove to rack.