On my birthday yesterday, my co-worker Kristen planned an afternoon break to make my day more special. Her gift to me was a cookbook titled, Gingerbread by Jennifer Linder McGlinn.
She made two recipes from this book to share with everyone working in the Betty Crocker Kitchens: Chocolate Ginger Crinkle Cookies and Gingerbread Ice Cream. She served them in little bowls with cookies on the bottom and two small scoops of ice on the top. Kristen put a birthday candle on my serving.
The ice cream was rich, smooth and creamy with just the right amount of spiciness coming from a combination of ground spices including: ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Like all good gingerbread, the ice cream was also flavored with brown sugar and molasses.
The crisp and chewy cookies are a take-off of the traditional Chocolate Crinkle Cookies but with a generous infusion of powdered and crystallized gingers which bring an exciting new taste that enhances the chocolate flavor. I loved biting into the bits of chopped bittersweet chocolate with every bite. I like to add a new cookie to my Chrismtas baking every year and this will be my new one for this year!
Chocolate-Ginger Crinkle Cookies
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
7 ½ ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Confectioner’ sugar for rolling
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Combine the butter and 3 ounces of the chocolate in a medium, heatproof bowl, Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 ½ inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (You can also melt the mixture in the microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring periodically until it is melted and smooth.)
Stir the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate mixture, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, mixing briskly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and gradually incorporate the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining 4 ½ ounces of chocolate and the crystallized ginger. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Shape the chilled dough into walnut-size balls, roll in confectioners’ sugar, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If your kitchen is quite arm and the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator until chilled and fairly firm.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and the tops are cracked.
Cool the cookies on the baking sheets set on wire racks for about 2 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in and airtight container or in a zip-top bag for up to 4 days.
Makes 40 cookies