Soft and chewy with a bit of spice and fresh ginger, these small batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies will be Santa’s new favorite Christmas cookie.
It’s hard to believe we are halfway through December (!!!), and I’m not ready for Christmas.
Mentally yes I’m ready, but I’ve barely done any Christmas shopping, am late in mailing Christmas cards, haven’t watched any Christmas movies, and haven’t worn my furry winter boots. It probably doesn’t help that it’s still 50 degrees outside and only need my winter coat in the mornings and evenings.
On the plus side, I haven’t had to deal with digging my car out of the snow or cursing because it’s negative 10 degrees outside with the wind chill. My apartment is decorated with a cupcake Christmas tree and various Christmas knick knacks, mainly on the TV stand and end tables. With Christmas being less than two weeks away, it’s time to start baking up a holiday storm.
I’ve baked a lot of gingerbread desserts in the past, but surprisingly enough I haven’t combined gingerbread with my love of chocolate chip cookies until now.
Usually I stick with the classic chocolate chip cookie with a touch of sea salt on top, but I’m making an exception with these small batch Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies. These are my new favorite Christmas cookie – soft and chewy with a bite of warm spices and plenty of gooey melted chocolate chips.
Normally I stick with ground ginger in gingerbread, but fresh ginger definitely packs quite a flavor punch compared to its mild ground ginger cousin. It adds another level of flavor, taking these cookies to a whole new level of yum.
I love ginger but rarely buy it fresh often because I never seem to remember to use it all before it spoils, not to mention how annoying it gets when peeling with the different nooks and crannies ginger has.
Luckily you can buy ginger paste (found near the fresh herbs in the produce section). All you need to do is squeeze out however much you need from the tube. No peeling and no chopping. Done and done. The pastes last quite a bit of time in the fridge too. No need to throw it out after one week.
I retested the recipe to make 1 dozen cookies, making them small batch compared to most recipes. Still too many? The dough does freeze well. In fact, it needs at least 1 hour of chill time to blend the flavors plus make the dough easier to handle.
At this point, you can wrap what you’re not going to bake and save for later. To make prep easier on your future self, scoop all of the dough into balls before freezing. That way, all you have to do is grab and bake.
Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste or freshly grated ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt.
- In another large mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, and brown sugar until light and creamy, 2-3 minutes.
- Beat in the egg yolk until smooth then beat in the molasses, ginger paste, and vanilla.
- Gradually beat in the flour mixture then add the chocolate chips.
- Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour or until firm enough to scoop.
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Using a #40 cookie scoop or by hand, roll the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls then place on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. At this point, you can freeze any dough you're not baking right away and save for a future date.
- Bake 10-12 minutes or until golden brown and puffed. Cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack.
Rachel says
I love the combination of chocolate and ginger/bread together. Have you ever tried chocolate-covered lebkuchen? They’re a German gingerbread Christmas cookie (soft & cakey) that are sometimes dipped in chocolate (or covered in a lemony glaze). I’ve never made them myself, but I might have to this year!
Carla says
No I have not, but now I want to try them! They sound heavenly.
Lois says
I had a lebkuchen recipe years ago and made it every year — somewhere in all my moving it has disappeared and I can’t find another recipe like it — I’d love your lebkuchen recipe – most I have found are loaded with dried fruits and my recipe was not.
Carla says
I personally don’t have a lebkuchen recipe. Could you leave the dried fruit out of the recipes you’ve found? BBC Food seems promising http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1941/lebkuchen
Jennie @onesweetmess says
GG’s ginger is my favorite. It’s so much easier than chopping and storing. These cookies sound amazing.
Carla says
Absolutely! I use fresh ginger more often thanks to the ginger paste.
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
ooooh I LOVE that gingerbead and ccc’s have had a baby! and they’re pretty and classic yet new and exciting and they look delicioussss!
Carla says
Just when you thought CCC couldn’t get any better, it does ;) Thanks Kayle!
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Ooo yum I love gingerbread and chocolate together! Love that you used fresh ginger too.
Carla says
The best pairing for Christmas in my mind ;)
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I was on a serious gingerbread kick this year and combining it with chocolate is my favorite way. I’ve only ever used ground ginger but I think you’ve inspired me to give the fresh stuff a try.
Lori @ Foxes Love Lemons says
I was a little leery of the combination of chocolate and ginger for awhile, but a few years ago, I made some chocolate-ginger brownies, and everybody I served them to when CRAZY over them. It’s definitely a good combo, and I can’t wait to try these cookies for myself!
Susan says
I love ginger paste so much and it’s absolutely perfect for these cookies. I need to make these ASAP the combination of a chewy chocolate chip and the ginger is right up my alley.
Courtney @ NeighborFood says
These are right up my alley! I adore gingerbread this time of year, but I really need to try it with chocolate.
Janet Ortega says
I might try this. I don’t bake much but just wanted a few Christmas cookies for a change. I don’t have semi-sweet chocolate but I gut bittersweet instead. I read that they are now calling it “dark chocolate”. Is that OK to use in this recipe? I have to nudge my hubby because he’s not into the spirit ever so maybe this will help. Thanks, I was horrified when I saw other recipes that make 100 cookies OMG sugar coma!
Carla says
Yes, I think bittersweet would work well! As the name suggests, it’s not as sweet as semisweet but still has some sugar in it so it’s still edible (compared to unsweetened which has zero sugar). And yes, it’s another name for dark chocolate. Let me know how they turn out!