Chef notes

Thick and chewy ginger cookies are delicious: you’ll get no argument there, but thick and chewy chocolate ginger cookies are even better. There is something about the way the chocolate plays with the slightly spicy, yet fruity, ginger that is literally that of which holiday cookie dreams are made. The cookies are assembled in a single bowl with a whisk and a spatula and require no resting pre-bake (you’re welcome) and the ingredients are everything you’d expect in a ginger cookie — and more.

There are warming spices like ginger, cinnamon and cloves; as well as molasses and a tiny bit of corn syrup (for guaranteed chew); plus some finely chopped crystallized ginger for texture and zing. But then the real fun begins. To bring these babies from good to great, Dutch process cocoa powder, as well as chocolate chips, are added to the mix and brown sugar, rather than granulated, is called for, as the molasses vibe it brings is perfect with the chocolate (and the ginger for that matter!).

To assemble, cocoa is bloomed in warm melted butter and a little bit of shortening. The shortening precludes the cookies from spreading in the oven and also contributes to their chewy texture. Sugar and an egg are added - and a cold egg is nice here, as it keeps the temp of the dough cool and so, like the aforementioned shortening, helps the cookies to keep their shape in the oven. Molasses is present, for it wouldn’t be a ginger cookie without it, and the spices and leavening and salt are added right into the wet ingredients, saving the need to whisk them into the flour in a separate bowl (we’re one-bowl baking here, folks). Some chocolate chips and crystallized ginger are added into the mix and the dough is scooped and rolled in sugar, placed in the oven and 10 minutes later you’re eating cookies.

Not a bad way to holiday, if you ask us.

Technique Tip: To melt and cool your butter at the same time, be sure to pull the butter from the microwave or the stovetop when there are still a few solid butter chunks remaining. As those melt, they will cool the butter down a bit for you.

Whisking the cocoa powder into the still warm butter blooms the chocolate, intensifying its flavor.

Swap Option: Play around with the spices; adding more or less ginger and cinnamon or a little all-spice instead of the cloves. You do you, you spicy devil, you.

Ingredients

1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/3 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 large egg, cold
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup coarsely chopped crystalized ginger, plus more as needed
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

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Preparation

Heat the oven to 350 F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk the shortening into the warm melted butter until the shortening is mostly melted. Add the cocoa powder, brown sugar, molasses, corn syrup and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add the egg and whisk to combine.

Sprinkle the baking soda, salt and spices into the bowl and vigorously whisk to combine. Gently fold in the chips, crystallized ginger and flour with a flexible spatula until the last streak of flour disappears, being careful not to overmix.

Place the granulated sugar in a small shallow bowl. Using a 1½ tablespoon cookie scoop or measuring spoons, evenly portion out 12 cookies per baking sheet. Roll each one in the sugar to coat. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are puffy and just slightly dry.

Once removed from the oven, gently press the cookies with a spatula to flatten them if puffy is not your jam.

Serve warm or at room temperature.