It’s that time of year again bakers! Welcome to COOKIE WEEK!!! All week long we’ll be celebrating with aallll the cookies – we’ve got chocolate and spiced, sprinkled and stuffed and shortbread galore! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!! I know you’re all eager to get your holiday baking on so let’s get this party started with these Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies….aka, the world’s best cookie to eat all December long.
Baked with Dutch cocoa and a hint of molasses, these cookies are big and chewy and filled with all the warm, cozy gingerbread spices that we look forward to all year. Rolled in sugar and baked to perfection with no chilling time, these jumbo gingerbread cookies are all I want for Christmas. Would you just look at those crackled tops? S-w-o-o-n !
Cookies made with molasses are becoming a favorite here on the blog – case in point, these Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies. They’ve been on repeat in my kitchen since September. And since my all-time favorite ingredient is chocolate {surprise, surprise!}, it seems only fitting that we combine the two for a quintessential holiday cookie that checks all the boxes. I am loving these cookies and I can’t wait to tell you all about them.
Why you’ll love these cookies
- Rich, fudgy chocolate flavor with a hint of spice. These cookies are warmly spiced and the molasses gives them a slightly smokey, almost bitter flavor that marries perfectly with the dark Dutch chocolate. The flavor is amazing – traditional gingerbread cookie lovers will be fast fans of this twist on the holiday classic.
- Incredible chewy texture. Ever so slightly crispy on the outside with a hint of crunch from the sugar sprinkle, these cookies are delightfully soft and chewy on the inside. The decadent, fudgy centers are everything I want in a cookie!
- No chilling required. Music to my ears! With zero chill time you can bust out a batch of these chocolate and gingerbread cookies in no time.
- A sturdy cookie that stands up well to travel – perfect for gifting! These jumbo cookies make a pretty addition to your holiday cookie tray and package up well for shipping off to family and friends near and far. They’ll stay soft and chewy for days for the perfect gift that keeps on giving.
Ingredients you’ll need
These easy drop cookies are far less fuss than a batch of gingerbread cut-out cookies and you only need a few pantry staples that you probably already have on hand.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is all we need here. For best results, I always recommend measuring your flour with a digital kitchen scale. Too much flour can change the texture of the cookies and make them dry. If you want to make these cookies gluten free, I recommend King Arthur Baking Measure for Measure Gluten Free Flour.
- Cocoa powder – We’re using Dutch process cocoa powder for a rich, bold chocolate flavor. Don’t forget to sift your cocoa powder!
- Sugar – both dark brown sugar and granulated sugar add moisture and sweetness to the cookies. For rolling the cookie dough balls in, I like to use regular granulated sugar. If you like the extra crunch that larger sugar crystals offer, try demerara or turbinado sugar. Organic cane sugar will work too.
- Spices – Cinnamon, ginger and cloves are the perfect trifecta of spices that give these cookies that signature gingerbread flavor. One bite and it’s impossible not to feel like the holidays have arrived!
- Butter – Make sure the butter is room temperature. It should be soft, but not melted.
- Molasses – This recipe calls for regular dark, unsulphured molasses. I use Grandma’s molasses – it’s easy to find in the baking aisle at your local market. I find blackstrap molasses to be far too bold and bitter for my taste, but if that’s your thing – go for it!
Step-by-step instructions
These chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies come together easily but there are few steps you want to get just right in order to ensure those pretty crackled tops. Be sure to check the full recipe card below for complete instructions.
- Cream together the butter and sugars. Beat the softened butter and sugars together on medium high speed for about 3 minutes. The mixture will be soft and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Mix in the molasses. Pour in the molasses and mix on medium speed to combine well.
- Add the egg and vanilla. Mix on medium-low speed until fully combined. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure all of the egg is incorporated.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa powder, spices and salt. Don’t skip the sifting as it helps to create a smooth dough free of lumps and bumps.
- Mix to combine. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are just barely combined. Do not over mix the dough.
- Scoop balls of dough and roll in sugar. Using a large cookie scoop, portion out 2-ounce cookie dough balls. Roll the balls between your palms until smooth and round. The dough will be sticky. Roll each ball in granulated sugar, tossing to coat on all sides.
- Bake at 325°. Place the cookie dough balls 2 to 3 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. The cookies will spread while they bake. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until the cookies are cracked and puffy in the center. Remove the cookies from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. The cookies will deflate as they cool.
Tips for making perfect cookies
- Weigh your flour. Too much flour will alter the texture of the cookies. For best results, I highly recommend weighing your flour and other dry ingredients using a kitchen scale.
- Do not over mix the dough. For soft, perfectly chewy cookies be careful not to over mix the dough once you’ve added the dry ingredients. You don’t want to over develop the gluten in the flour.
- Bake one cookie sheet at a time. For these cookies I recommend baking on the center rack of the oven, one sheet at a time. This helps the cookies bake evenly without having to open the oven door and rotate the pans.
- Do not over bake. As a rule of thumb I always suggest under baking cookies just slightly. These cookies will be dry and crispy if over baked so keep an eye on your oven.
How to store cookies
If you’re anything like me, these cookies won’t even make it to the cookie jar. If you do happen to have a few leftover, store them tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
To freeze the cookies, cool them completely on a wire rack and then wrap in a layer of plastic wrap and then place in a plastic freezer bag. Store the cookies flat in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Defrost the cookies at room temperature before serving. While you pour the milk, give them a quick 10-second zap in the microwave.
How to make cookie sandwiches with ganache
To turn these delectable cookies into a cookie sandwich, whip up a batch of chocolate ganache and smoosh it between two cookies. It’s a chocolate lover’s dream. See the recipe card below for the ganache recipe – it’s so easy to make with just two ingredients!
FAQ’s
Regular dark molasses, like Grandma’s, works best for both flavor and texture. Blackstrap molasses will lend a very dark, robust flavor to the cookies that I find too bold.
Nope. This dough will not benefit from resting or chilling time so plan to bake the cookies right away.
The combination of baking soda and molasses, both very acidic, causes the cookies to puff up and rise quickly in the oven. When the cookies cool, they fall leaving behind cracks and crinkles. Check your baking soda for freshness. And make sure you aren’t scooping the dough onto the baking sheet with a cookie scoop – rolling the cookie dough balls between your palms also helps to create those signature cracks.
I use regular granulated sugar but you can also use turbinado, demerera or organic cane sugar.
Absolutely! I love a jumbo cookie because they tend to bake up chewier and softer in the center. This recipe makes 12 2-ounce cookies. If you make the cookies smaller, adjust the baking time to about 8 or 9 minutes.
Yes! More chocolate is always better if you ask me. Add no more than 1 cup of chocolate chips or chunks to the dough before rolling into balls. The texture of the cookies will change a bit but they’ll be extra delicious!
Great idea! If you love the flavor of ginger, add up to 1/2 cup of chopped candied ginger to the dough after mixing in the dry ingredients. SO GOOD!
If you’ve never tried gingerbread and chocolate together, you’re in for a real treat! Everyone loves this combo and the cookies are so easy to make in under 30 minutes that you really have no excuse not to make them. Double the batch – kids of all ages will devour these cookies!
Happy baking!
Looking for more delicious holiday cookies? Try these recipes:
- Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
- Peppermint Brownie Cookies
- The Best Brown Butter Toffee Chocolate Chunk Cookies
- The Ten Best Holiday Cookies Ever
- Peanut Butter Pretzel Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Sandwich Cookies
Chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 11 minutes
- Total Time: 21 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: Cookies
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
Look no further for your the perfect holiday cookie! These chewy chocolate gingerbread cookies are rolled in sugar and baked to perfection with no chilling time. Make them for your annual cookie swap or wrap them up to ship to far off friends and family.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 1/2 cup (50 g) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 3/4 cup (170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup (100 g) dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/3 cup dark molasses, not blackstrap
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for rolling
For Chocolate Ganache (if making cookie sandwiches)
- 4 ounces (115 g) chocolate, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugars on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
- Add the molasses and mix on medium-low to combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the egg and vanilla and mix until fully incorporated.
- Sift the dry ingredients into the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on low speed only until incorporated. A few streaks of flour remaining is okay. Do not over mix the dough.
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and use a spatula to give the dough one last stir, making sure to scrape down the bottom of the bowl.
- Place the remaining sugar in a small bowl. Using a 2-ounce cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and use your hands to shape the dough into a smooth round. Dunk the cookie in the bowl of sugar, moving it around until all sides are covered.
- Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, 2 to 3 inches apart. The cookies will spread as they bake.
- Bake the cookies in the center rack of the oven for 10-11 minutes or until the cookies have puffed up and have cracks on top. The edges should be set. Do not over bake or the cookies will be crispy instead of chewy.
- Remove the cookies from the oven and cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. The cookies will deflate as they cool.
- Dust the tops with more sugar if desired.
For Chocolate Ganache (if making cookie sandwiches)
- Place the chopped chocolate in a medium bowl.
- In a small saucepan, heat the heavy cream over medium low heat. Simmer only, do not boil. Once the cream is hot (look for little bubbles along the sides of the saucepan), pour it over the chocolate.
- Let sit for 4 to 5 minutes and then whisk until smooth. Let the ganache sit at room temperature to firm up.
- Spread or pipe onto the flat side of one cookie. Top with the flat side of a second cookie and gently press together to form a sandwich.
Notes
Store cookies tightly covered at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Cookies may be frozen once baked. Cool completely and then seal in a large freezer bag, laying flat on a freezer shelf or cookie sheet. Cookies will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature before serving.
Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake Bars
32 Comments
H
December 18, 2024 at 1:42 amCan I freeze these after I’ve made the ganache cookie sandwich?
KJ
December 14, 2024 at 2:53 pmPerfection
Sara
April 13, 2024 at 3:05 pmWe really like this recipe in my household. I did make a couple small adjustments, I use heaping teaspoons of ginger and cinnamon in the dough, and added ginger and cinnamon to the sugar used for rolling the dough. That helped pop the gingerbread flavors into balance with the chocolate.
The second time I made these, I used some for excellent ice cream sandwiches, with vanilla ice cream.
Adrian
December 28, 2023 at 5:22 pmI ‘ve made these a few times and I love the crackly appearance and the texture. I did tone the cocoa down to 80g because it was the first thing I tasted, not the spices. I increased the ginger and the salt weighing the spices to 1/10th of a gram. I do love them now.
thanks!
Terese
December 12, 2023 at 7:11 pmI made these yesterday but the cookies never deflated. They look like fat cookies. They taste good and the texture is excellent just really puffy. Any ideas on what happened?
Dawn
December 8, 2023 at 10:46 amThese came out really well and everyone loved them. Only addition I made was to add some espresso powder.
Kelly Kardos
November 30, 2023 at 11:58 pmI make these every Christmas and they are always amazing! I love them
Anka
November 19, 2023 at 12:51 amI made these exactly as the recipe is written and they are delicious. Will be making these again in the future.
Heather Mubarak
November 19, 2023 at 1:48 amThese cookies are always a holiday favorite! So happy you loved them!!
Larissa
September 25, 2023 at 2:24 pmI lost my bookmarks, and with them this recipe. So glad to find it again this morning! Will definitely be copying it onto an index card. These cookies are THE BOMB!
Heather Mubarak
October 2, 2023 at 9:27 pmLove to hear that! Thank you for trying my recipe!!
katie
December 17, 2022 at 2:22 pmThese didn’t do it for us. I think the chocolate threw us off. I didn’t weigh the molasses – so maybe that was the issue too? Just TOO bitter, not enough sweet. I used Grandma’s molasses and Rodelle cocoa. Real vanilla extract. HOWEVER – the texture was BOMB. PERFECTION.
Perhaps this wasn’t my family’s thing – but I would recommend if you like the choc-ginger combo and are looking for the most perfect texture ever.
Heather Mubarak
December 17, 2022 at 5:46 pmI love the texture of these cookies too!! Thanks for trying my recipe!
Kathy H.
December 12, 2022 at 2:10 amTried these tonight. Didn’t have a stand mixer, used my old electric mixer. Turned out perfect.
Heather Mubarak
December 17, 2022 at 5:47 pmYay!! So happy you loved them!
Pk
December 5, 2022 at 3:44 amCan i freeze the uncooked dough and bake them as needed and do they need to defrost before placing in the oven. Thank you
Heather Mubarak
December 5, 2022 at 5:11 pmPut them straight into your preheated oven from the freezer. You may need to a bake them an extra minute or two. Enjoy!
Christine
December 2, 2022 at 2:09 amThanks for this recipe. The options i have for molassesare Fancy Molasses and Cooking Molasses. Which one would you recommend? Thanks.
Heather Mubarak
December 2, 2022 at 9:21 pmFancy molasses should work!
Alisa
November 18, 2022 at 1:59 pmCan you double the recipe without compromise or would you recommend making several separate batches?
Thanks!
Alisa
November 18, 2022 at 1:53 pmCan you double the recipe to make a bigger batch without messing the recipe up, or would it be best to make several separate batches? Cant wait to try these!
Thanks-
Heather Mubarak
November 18, 2022 at 8:32 pmI generally prefer to make separate batches of cookie dough for best results but it should be fine!
Anonymous
November 8, 2022 at 10:41 pmOne of the rare times in my life that the actual cookie looked every bit as good as the photo! I added choco chips and it was a huge hit. I did weigh out ingredients – this might have been part of my success – because the weight portions were different than the measurement portions.
Melanie DePaul
September 12, 2022 at 7:36 pmThese cookies were a 10/10! The flavors and texture of these delicious cookies are absolutely perfect for the fall / winter! My kids would eat the whole plate if I let them 🙂
Heather Mubarak
September 13, 2022 at 5:52 amI’m so glad you loved these cookies as much as we do! Thanks for trying my recipe!!
Kelly Kardos
December 20, 2021 at 2:24 amThese cookies are exactly as described-crazy delicious, crispy outside, chewy and fudgy inside. Super easy to make. These will definitely be in my cookie rotations.
Suzie
December 5, 2021 at 11:41 pmI love a good chewy gingerbread cookie and then add chocolate, sounds perfect! I cannot wait to give this a try.
Gezika
December 5, 2021 at 2:20 amMade these today and they were AWESOME! Thanks for the recipe and a fun easy twist to make “gingerbread” cookies for the holiday. Pics of my cookies on my IG
Heather Mubarak
December 5, 2021 at 2:59 amSo glad you loved them!
Sam
December 3, 2021 at 5:03 pmA phenomenal holiday cookie recipe that I know I will be making in the years to come. SO good!
Lisa
November 30, 2021 at 3:36 amI’m always looking for new holiday cookie recipes that I can share with friends. I love the texture of these cookies. I’m going to make these for the cookie exchange next week.
Kathy T.
November 29, 2021 at 11:21 pmWe loved your old fashioned molasses cookies and these look incredible too! Trying these tonight!