Recipes

[Carol1229]

I love ginger. I love ginger in cookies and baked goods...gingersnaps, molasses cookies...gingerbread cookies....biscotti...gingerbread...pumpkin pie..... I love crystallized ginger....fresh ginger...doesn't matter to me....I LOVE GINGER!

And I LOVE to bake cookies.....

I saw this recipe on Tasty Kitchen and I was drawn to it......I know chocolate and ginger are a good combination (Becky had sent me Gingerbread Biscotti for one of the cookie swaps here and they were outstanding).....but FRESH ginger? In a cookie? The author of the raved about how good the combination of the fresh ginger and chocolate is.....I saved the recipe a while back....and it kept creeping into the back of my mind. Ginger and chocolate....it's SO interesting...you really need to try this.

Well.....I finally had had enough subliminal messages.....I decided to take the bull by the horns and give this recipe a trial run. The author is right........this is a WINNER! A winner if you REALLY REALLY like ginger that is! The intensity of the freshly grated ginger shines through-especially after the cookies are in an airtight container overnight. You KNOW what kind of cookie it is when you open the lid.

Having said that...Bob and I LOVE these. The heat of the ginger mixing with the semisweet chocolate chips is a marriage made in heaven. The cookies are crisp on the outside because they're rolled in sugar but chewy on the inside.

As I was assembling the ingredients, I was surprised to see there were no eggs included. I double checked the recipe to make sure I hadn't forgotten something....no, I didn't...and I will admit I was a little leery of the outcome. No worries....they came out fantastic.

Will I make these again? I sure will! I love the classic cookie recipes, but I also love recipes like this.....the ones that take ingredients you'd never imagine adding to cookie dough, but once you do, you wonder why you didn't do it sooner?

Off to find another non-classic cookie flavor!

Carol

CHEWY CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES
(Source: adapted from recipe by Sundayrain on Tasty Kitchen)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger
1/2 c. lightly packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. molasses
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. hot water
1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips
1 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray.

Cream butter and freshly grated ginger together with an electric mixer till light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; mix. Add molasses; beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa powder. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in the hot water. Add half of the flour mixture to the creamed mixture; beat. Add the baking soda mixture and mix, followed by the remaining flour mixture. Add chocolate chips; mix well.

Using a small cookie scoop or melon baller, scoop out the dough into 1 1/2" balls, Dredge the balls in sugar to coat; place on prepared cookie sheets.

Bake @ 325 degrees for 10-12 minutes until their surfaces begin to crack. Cool 2-3 minutes on pan; remove from pan to wire racks and cool completely. Makes about 3 dozen.