Chewy Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookies

A chocolate twist to a favorite Christmas cookie - These Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookies are chewy and bursting with a ginger flavor that pairs nicely with the dark chocolate chunks. A must have recipe to add to your holiday baking list!

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Chocolate chunk gingerbread cookies on cookie sheet

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I love baking during the Christmas season more than any other time of the year. Would you agree?

Between it being a time of having visitors to share baked goods with and the fact that we are almost given permission to overindulge in treats, it is a time when my cookie and candy making supplies are always close by. Plus, the smell of freshly baked cookies only adds to the ambiance of a holiday home.

Stack of Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookie

Stack of Chocolate Chunk Gingerbread Cookie

Gingerbread is one of the staple flavors of Christmas and when I saw this recipe for Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread cookies on Martha Stewart's website, I knew I had found something worth trying. I'm so glad that I did as the intense ginger flavor pairs nicely with the chocolate. And you can't beat the crystallized sugar coating on the outside.

The recipe itself is very easy to prepare, although it does take some time grating the fresh ginger and chilling the dough. But the time is so worth it for a delicious Christmas cookie!

Plate of Christmas Gingerbread Cookies

Today I am joining in with some friends to bring you a large assortment of different Christmas cookie recipes. You are sure to find something you'll love to try this holiday season. I know I'll be stocking up on the supplies to make these Caramel Thumbprint Snickerdoodles for sure. Links to everyone appear at the end of this post.

OTHER CHRISTMAS COOKIE RECIPES YOU MIGHT LIKE

CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI

SOUR CREAM COOKIES

RASPBERRY JAM GINGERSNAPS

Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies on White plate

TIPS FOR MAKING CHOCOLATE GINGERBREAD COOKIES

ADD GROUND GINGER AND FRESHLY GRATED GINGER

As I mentioned, these cookies are packed with gingerbread flavor. That is thanks to the addition of the freshly grated ginger. (If you don't know how to use fresh ginger, there is a tutorial a little further down in the post.) It gives another dimension to the way these cookies taste that you aren't going to get with just a ground spice.

USE HIGH QUALITY CHOCOLATE

The flavor of chocolate is dependent on the quality. For the best cookies, you should look for the best semi-sweet baking chocolate you can find. If you've never shopped for it before, the chocolate comes wrapped like a candy bar in the baking section of the store. For this recipe, I used Ghirardelli brand.

BRING YOUR BUTTER TO ROOM TEMPERATURE

Butter does not cream well when it is cold from the refrigerator. You'll need to allow your butter to soften by coming to room temperature. This will take about 30 minutes so set the stick out on the counter about a half hour before you're ready to mix the dough.

ALLOW YOUR DOUGH TO CHILL

When making this recipe, the dough needs to be chilled two different times. First, after preparing the dough and again after making the balls of dough to bake. This is an important step, as chilling the dough solidifies the fat (the butter) in the cookie allowing it maintain it's shape and not spread too much when baking.

Closeup of Gingerbread Cookies

HOW TO USE FRESHLY GRATED GINGER

Fresh ginger looks like a knobbly root and can be found in the produce section of your local grocery stores or markets. You don't need much for a recipe and the excess can either be stored in a ziploc bag in your refrigerator for a couple of weeks or in the freezer for up to three months.

Before grating the ginger root, it needs to be peeled. This can be done with a vegetable peeler, being careful to not cut into the actual meaty portion of the ginger. You can also use a spoon to scrape down the sides.

A microplane zester is ideal for grating the ginger into your cookie recipe. (It works really well for citrus peels, chocolate, garlic, and anything that needs to be finely grated.)

You can turn the zester upside down and grate the ginger under the zester. That way your spice collects on the microplane and can be measured out easily without getting the ginger all over as your grate.

Baking sheet with gingerbread cookies and cookie scoop

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHUNK GINGERBREAD COOKIES

Makes 2 dozen cookies

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INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups plus 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 Tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon grated fresh ginger
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
7 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, cut into 1/4 inch chunks
1/4 cup granulated sugar

TO MAKE THE DOUGH

STEP 1: Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

STEP 2: In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.

STEP 3: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and grated ginger until creamy, about 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until combined. Add the molasses. and again beat until combined.

STEP 4: In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water.

STEP 5: Beat in half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Beat in the baking soda mixture and then the remaining flour mixture.

STEP 6: Fold in the chocolate chunks into the cookie dough. The dough should resemble chocolate ice cream.

STEP 7: Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap and pat it out to a round about 1 inch thick. Wrap in the plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least two hours to overnight.

TO MAKE THE COOKIES

STEP 1: Heat your oven to 325 degrees.

STEP 2: Roll the dough into 24 - 1 1/2 inch balls. Refrigerate the balls for 20 minutes.

STEP 3: Remove the balls from the refrigerator and roll them in the granulated sugar. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.

STEP 4: Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through. They are ready when the surfaces begin to crack slightly.

STEP 5: Remove the cookies from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheets before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

These cookies are best the day they are baked, but can be stored for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Gingerbread cookies and chocolate chunks on marble countertop