Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

Well they worked! Very yummy but maybe a bit too much molasses flavour.





Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

1 1/2 cups flour
1 tbsp good cocoa
1 1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 tbsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda dissolved in 1 1/2 tsp boiling water
170g dark chocolate (70% lindt) cut in 5mm pieces
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Sift flour and dry spices.
Cream butter in mixer with the fresh ginger until pale and fluffy.
Add brown sugar and mix to combine.
Add molasses ad mix to combine.
Mix in flour until just combined (don't overmix).
Add bicarb and mix.
Add chocolate and mix.
Put in cling wrap and chill for a few hours (or freeze for less)
Roll tablespoons of mixture into balls, roll in granulated sugar and place in greaseproof paper on baking sheet (about 5cm apart). Chill.
Bake at 160 degrees C (fan oven) for about 12 minutes. Cool on a rack.
Best eaten warm so keep remaining mixture in batches in the freezer for when needed.

P.S. In the interests of full disclosure I feel I should mention that it was actually quite an achievement that I managed to get my blog started and the first recipe made on the day I planned it. As I was about the start, I discovered - even though I had tried to get all the ingredients well in advance - that I didn't have enough butter or flour ( I guess being staples I forgot to check). I had to rush of to the shops with all other ingredients waiting only to find that the shop where I wanted to buy the butter from had sold out of flour. Anyhoo off to the next shop and then back home to start. Then during a final glance over the recipe, while my dough was happily chilling in the freezer, I noticed I'd left out the cinnamon - Sacre Bleu! So a quick knead of the cinnamon into the dough and all was well. Lets hope my next efforts are better thought out!