Martha's Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Right after I bought Martha Stewart's Cookie Cookbook (currently my favorite cookbook--see my review of it here), Mark told me about these delicious triple ginger cookies from Trader Joe's. I thought I might be able to find something similar to bake for him in my new book. Turns out there wasn't an exact recipe match, but I decided to give these chocolate gingerbread cookies a shot. They're on the cover of the book, so I figured they were probably tasty.

They are. I baked a (vegan*) batch for a party this summer and they were a hit. There's something slightly odd about a chocolate/ginger/molasses combination, but after the initial shock it somehow works really well. These cookies have a really bold flavor profile, combining ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg with freshly grated ginger.

They are a bit more complicated than cookies I was used to making, but it's worth every extra minute.

• 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon (freshly grated, if you can) nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder (I used regular)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temp.
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated, peeled ginger
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsulphered molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
• 7 ounces good-quality semi-sweet chocolate, in 1/4 inch chunks
  
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper (so worth the investment)
2. Sift the first 6 ingredients together into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and fresh ginger together until lightened--about 4 minutes. Add the brown sugar and beat until combined. Add molasses and beat until combined.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water.
   
5. Beat half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture. Beat in the baking soda mixture and then the remaining half of the flour mixture.
6. Mix in the chocolate chunks, then turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat it out until it's 1 inch thick. Seal the wrap and refrigerate it until firm--2 hours or over night.
7. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls (this will get your hands pretty gooey) and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes.
8. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until surfaces just begin to crack--10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Let cool 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Eat these the same day for the best flavor. You can also store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.

I think these would be especially good over the holidays! They combine all of the typical winter treat spices, but are more exciting than your average gingerbread.

(*All you have to do to make these vegan is use Earth Balance instead of butter and make sure your chocolate doesn't have any milk in it.)