If you adore soft, crinkly molasses ginger cookies as much as we do, then these triple ginger chocolate cookies need to be at the top of your must-bake list. The addition of ground, fresh, and candied ginger, as well as cocoa powder and dark chocolate elevate this classic cookie to super-stardom.–Angie Zoobkoff
Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2/3 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chunks (chop a quality chocolate bar for the best results)
- 1/3 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and cocoa powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Beat in the fresh ginger and egg yolks until combined. Add the molasses and vanilla and then add the flour mixture and mix on low speed just until no flour pockets remain.
- Stir in the chocolate and candied ginger. Cover and refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 3 hours and preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place the granulated sugar in a bowl. Pinch off pieces of dough about the size of a golf ball (about 1 1/2 ounces | 43 g). Roll each ball in sugar and place on a separate unlined baking sheet.
- Freeze for 10 minutes. Roll each dough ball in the sugar again.
- Working in batches, place the dough balls 2 inches (5 cm) apart on the prepared baking sheet. Stash the remaining sugar-coated dough balls in the refrigerator while the first batch bakes. (Alternatively, you can freeze the unbaked dough balls on a baking sheet until solid, pop them in a resealable bag, and bake them whenever craving strikes.)
- Bake the cookies, rotating the pan after 5 minutes, until the tops begin to crack and the edges are just set, 10 to 14 minutes. Be careful not to overbake.
- Let the cookies cool for about 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
These ginger cookies have a great flavor, they’re a lovely soft and chewy texture, and would make a magnificent addition to any holiday cookie plate.
The cookies had a great flavor and everyone I shared them with really enjoyed them. These cookies take about 2 hours to make (excluding the overnight resting of the dough) and almost all of it is hands on with the way the recipe is written. You can’t really ever walk away or fully step back from the process so I really feel that most of this time is hands on due to that. Even though you have minutes where you aren’t active I still feel like you’re “on deck” the whole time.
The cookies are delightful and they stay soft and moist for days. Even after a week the last one was still somewhat soft. Everyone who tried them really enjoyed them and so did I!
I’m a big fan of ginger nut cookies, and when I saw this recipe that added chocolate to the mix, I had to give it a try. I always have some fresh ginger root stored in my freezer for Asian recipes, or when a recipe like this one turns up, so its something to consider for your pantry.
Everything comes together in under a half hour, and then it’s a matter of being patient whilst the flavors meld in the dough as it rests in the fridge for 30 minutes. I used a medium cookie scoop to get 24 balls in total. I placed 6 balls on the baking sheet, and flattened them a bit so I would get a more consistent round and similar height for the cookies. They were ready in 10 minutes and the smell of the ginger was wafting throughout the kitchen. As there are only 2 of us in the house, I decided to freeze the remaining dough balls so I can bake quickly a half-dozen whenever I want!
Now, I’m a big fan of that San Francisco chocolate company, and used their cocoa power and two 60% dark chocolate bars for my dough. I did not too bitter a chocolate to spoil the ginger taste, and my choice proved correct. I’ll be adding this recipe to my holiday cookies collection this season!
I tested 2 versions of this recipe, the original as written and a gluten-free version with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Baking Flour. I wasn’t sure how a GF version would come out because there isn’t a lot of liquid in this dough (the more liquid in a recipe, the easier it adapts to a 1:1 swap with GF flours). I also find that when I’m baking with GF flours they often require a longer hydration period to get a good result.
Since this recipe already called for an overnight rest of the dough, I thought it could be a good candidate. I’m happy to report that both versions are really excellent! I love the flavors of chocolate and ginger together and the ginger in this recipe came through all spicy and bright. Neither the chocolate nor the ginger overpowered each other resulting in a nice balanced flavor. Both versions came out delicately sugar-crisped on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside (although the regular version was slightly more tender). The GF cookies did end up being a bit more orange looking and for some reason the sugar on the surface wasn’t as visible, but the crunch was still there.
Really great cookie. I think it would make a really nice holiday cookie. My cookies came out darker and more overtly chocolatey looking than those in the photo. I only had Dutch-process cocoa in the house and since the recipe didn’t specify, I went ahead and used it. It wasn’t overpoweringly chocolate flavored, only colored. I would use regular cocoa next time to see if there’s a difference.
I love cookies and could not resist the combination of ingredients in these. I have a few different ginger cookie recipes that I am very fond of. These add dark chocolate chunks to the mix. How bad could that be? Well, it turns out, not bad at all.
I rolled all of the dough into golf ball-sized balls, rolled them in sugar, and froze them on trays. I got 36 balls of dough. When they were frozen, I put them in bags and they are now in the freezer where I will be able to grab any number that I want, to bake up as many cookies that I desire to have, whenever I want them. I’ve already dipped into my special stash twice when the urge for fresh cookies hit me. Once, I let them defrost, and the other time I didn’t. I was very happy with both versions.
I made these; they take more time than cookies I typically make because of refrigerating and freezing, but they are delicious. HOWEVER (big however) mine did not look like the picture. Once I added the molasses and cocoa the dough was very dark. They look like a chocolate cookie through and though. Honestly, how could the cookies in your picture not look the same?
Thanks, Karen. I’m so happy that they turned out so well for you. As for the image, I agree. I think there is light hitting them at an angle that makes them look lighter than they are. The cookie on the far left is considerably darker, and likely more representative of their true coloring.