Cakery Friday: Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

This month Cakery Friday is going to be focused on holiday cookies. This week will focus on my all-time favorite cookies! I wish that I could, but sadly, I cannot take any credit for discovering this recipe. Niki deserves credit for finding the recipe many years ago, and Martha Stewart deserves credit for developing the recipe, trust me! No matter who gets the credit, these cookies are nothing short of amazing! A staple for holiday (and non-holiday) time in our house, these chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies are absolutely, positively, insanely delicious.

Gather all of the ingredients.

In a medium bowl, sift together 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 and 1 tablespoon cocoa powder. Set dry ingredients aside.

* I prefer to use whole nutmeg and grind it myself using a Microplane.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat 1 stick unsalted room-temperature butter with 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger, until the mixture whitens, about 4 minutes. Add 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar; beat until combined.

Add 1/2 cup molasses; beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve 1 teaspoon baking soda in 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water.

Beat half of the dry ingredients mixture into butter/sugar/molasses mixture.

Add in the baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of the dry ingredients.

Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks and mix into dough with a spatula.

Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.

Heat oven to 325 degrees F.
Roll dough into 1 1/2- inch balls. Place each ball at least 2 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate the balls for 20 minutes.

Roll each ball in 1/4 cup granulated sugar.

Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, 10 to 12 minutes. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.