Chewy chocolate ginger cookies are fudgy crinkle cookies made with 12 ounces of melted chocolate, almond flour and warm spice, rolled in granulated sugar. That makes them a rich Christmas cookie for a cookie exchange or a gift tin, and they stay soft for days. The batch makes about 32.
Roll the dough into balls about an inch and a half across, not the three quarter inch the recipe asks for. The dough weighs over 800 grams, so three quarter inch balls would give you more than 200 tiny cookies instead of 32.
There is only half a cup of regular flour in the whole batch. The bulk is almond flour and melted chocolate, so the texture lands closer to a brownie than a biscuit. The page never points that out.
Chewy Chocolate Ginger Cookies
Course: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes40
minutes300
kcalMelted semisweet chocolate beaten into whipped eggs and brown sugar, bound with almond flour and a little wheat flour, then chilled and rolled in sugar. Baked briefly so the centers stay soft.
Ingredients
- For the Cookies:
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (not chips)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup almond flour
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs
- For Rolling:
1 cup granulated sugar
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting (optional)
Directions
- Melt the chocolate: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment. Put the chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and heat in 30 second bursts, stirring after each, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Set it aside to cool a little.
- Mix the dough: Whisk the almond flour, all-purpose flour, ginger, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, allspice and nutmeg in a medium bowl. In a large bowl beat the brown sugar and eggs on medium high until pale and fluffy, then beat in the chocolate mixture. Add the dry mix on low until just incorporated.
- Chill: Refrigerate the dough at least 1 hour, until firm but still rollable. Warm chocolate dough spreads into one sheet of cookie, so do not skip this. Take it out while it still gives under your thumb.
- Roll and coat: Put the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the dough and roll it into balls about 1 1/2 inches across, then roll each in the sugar until coated. Space them 2 inches apart on the sheets.
- Bake: Bake 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look soft. Let them sit 3 to 5 minutes on the sheets, then move them to a rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners sugar if you like.
Notes
- The original says 3/4 inch balls and about 32 cookies, which cannot both be true. The dough weighs over 800 grams, so a 3/4 inch ball of roughly 4 grams would give more than 200 cookies. Roll them at about 1 1/2 inches.
FAQs
Why chopped chocolate instead of chips?
Chips carry stabilizers that help them hold their shape in a hot oven, which is the opposite of what you want here. A chopped bar melts into a smooth liquid that folds evenly through the eggs. Chips leave a grainy, streaky batter.
Can I make these gluten free?
Almost, since only half a cup of the flour is wheat and the rest is almond. Swap that half cup for a cup for cup gluten free blend and the cookies behave the same. Check your baking powder, which is usually fine but not always.
Why does the dough need an hour in the fridge?
Warm chocolate dough spreads into one sheet of cookie before the edges can set. An hour firms the butter and chocolate enough to hold a ball shape. Go much past firm and it cracks instead of rolling, so take it out while it still gives.
How do I keep them chewy the next day?
Store them airtight with a slice of bread in the tin, which gives up moisture to the cookies instead of the other way round. Never refrigerate them, because cold dries a soft cookie fast. If you want crisp instead, these glazed gingersnaps are built for it.
What else goes on the plate with them?
These are dark and dusted with sugar, so pair them with something lighter in color and a different shape. A few gingerbread reindeer break up a plate of round brown cookies. Three shapes and three colors on a plate is usually enough.
