Ginger Chocolate Cookies

Anything with 2 1/2 tablespoons of ground ginger and 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate is ok by me. The other ingredients could be monkey brains and rotten onions and I would still make it. Luckily, the other ingredients here are things like butter, sugar, molasses and cocoa powder, so we don't have to test that claim.

These cookies are like the best of both worlds for people like my husband Red, who LOVES molasses gingersnaps almost as much as he LOVES chocolate chip cookies. But they're also more than the sum of those parts - spicy, sweet, chocolatey, dark. I admit not everyone I gave them to liked them. There are strong, some may even say competing, flavors in there. But I looooved them. You just have to try them yourself.

We made these on our biggest snow day of the winter - talk about comfort food! Hot gooey cookies on a snowy day are hard to beat, not to mention the tempting smells that fill the whole house. Be sure to let them rest on the cookie sheet a full 5 minutes before trying to move them to the cooling rack; otherwise they might fall apart.

And then, oh darn, you might have to eat that one. OK, do whatever you want. I won't tell.

2 cups flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/2 T ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/3 cup granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper. In a medium bowl whisk flour through salt (dry ingredients) until thoroughly combined.

2. In an electric mixer bowl beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 3 minutes. Add molasses, egg, and vanilla; beat to combine.

3. Mix in dry ingredients gently but thoroughly, scraping down sides as needed. Stir in chopped chocolate until well combined.

4. Form batter into 1 1/2 inch balls, roll each ball in granulated sugar, and place 12 balls on prepared baking sheet. Use a glass or flat-bottom bowl to flatten balls to 1/4-inch thick. Dip glass in water if necessary to prevent sticking.

5. Bake cookies 5 minutes, turn pan 180 degrees, and bake until just set, 5 minutes more. Cool on pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling racks. Repeat. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Per cookie: 133 calories, 6.4g fat, 16mg chol, 108mg sod, 1.5g protein, 0.6g fiber
from Sunset, October 2007