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In the Oven: Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookie

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Up next on the Baked schedule is Chocolate Ginger Molasses Cookie. Posting date is February 10th. Have fun!

Yield: About 36 Cookies

Ingredients for the Molasses Cookies
3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1/3 cup dark unsweetened cocoa powder (like Valrhona)
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
5 Tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1/2 cup molasses
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

For the Icing
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 large egg white
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Make the Molasses Cookies
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with cocoa powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In the bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the softened butter with the shortening at medium speed until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the egg to the cookie batter and beat until incorporated. Beat in the molasses and then the melted chocolate. Add the flour mixture in three batches, beating between additions. Divide the dough into three equal parts. Shape each part into a disk, then wrap each one in plastic wrap and refrigerate the cookie dough until chilled, about 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. On a lightly floured work surface, roll one disk of douge 1/4 inch thick. Using 4- to 5-inch cookie cutters, cut the dough into shapes and transfer to the prepared baking sheets. Re-roll the the dough into shapes and cut out more cookies. Bake the cookies for about 7 minutes, rotating pans halfway through the baking time until the tops are dry. Let the cookies cool on the pans for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Repeat the process with remaining dough.

Make the Icing
In a medium bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar with the egg white and lemon juice and whisk until the icing is completely smooth. Scrape the icing into a piping bag fitted with a small tip. Decorate the cookies as desired. Let stand until the icing dries, about 30 minutes. Store tightly covered for 3 days.

Excerpted from Baked Explorations: Classic American Desserts Reinvented by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Copyright © 2010 by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito. Excerpted by permission of Stewart, Tabori & Chang, an imprint of Abrams. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

Comments

    • I think I made them when I first got the cookbook. And I just made the dough, and it seems really dry. Will attempt to roll them out and bake tomorrow.

    • I made them last Fall, and I thought they were just okay. Mine turned out a little dry (overbaked, maybe?). I didn’t like them enough to re-do them for this week so I’m going to cheat and link to my old post. :)

  3. I made these for Christmas a couple years ago with fairly good success, but this time around, the dough felt way too dry and tough to work with. Disappointing. Ugh…

  4. …am i allowed to chime in? these are fun…i promise. the dough will be slightly dry (too wet and the dough spreads/weird taste after baking)…but it is a fun cookie to decorate and eat. :) but i am filled with all sorts of self-doubt lately as Sunday Night Cake (goes good with The Walking Dead) is something i make almost weekly but it appears to be not so popular. back to “snow day”.

  6. Sorry to hear people have been having trouble with the dough. :( I’m happy to say my dough and cookies turned out pretty well, though it’s not my favorite BAKED cookie. Let’s see if we can figure out what’s going on with this dough once everyone posts….

  8. Good to hear from you on here, Matt! Definitely weigh in! We love it! I posted pictures and thoughts from my first go-round with them when it was more successful. When they come out good, they’re yummy! My batch this time was too heavy on the baking soda flavor, so I didn’t even bother with decorating them. It’s all good. I was proud of my very first batch!