Description
These Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies provide a delightful twist on the traditional holiday treat by combining rich cocoa with classic gingerbread spices. Perfect for festive gifting and decorating parties, these cookies are crisp, flavorful, and topped with a smooth, sweet royal icing.
Ingredients
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
Wet Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, soft but still cool and cut into 12 pieces
- 1 egg, room temperature
- 3/4 cup molasses
- 2 ounces at least 60% cacao semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
Royal Icing
- 3 tablespoons meringue powder
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 4-8 tablespoons water
- 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves, salt, and orange zest on low speed until evenly combined.
- Add Butter and Chocolate: Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the finely chopped semisweet chocolate.
- Prepare Wet Mixture: Remove the whisk and replace it with the paddle attachment. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and molasses until smooth.
- Incorporate Wet Ingredients: Reduce mixer speed to low and slowly pour the molasses and egg mixture into the dry mixture while mixing. Continue mixing until the dough is moist, then increase speed to medium and mix for about 15 seconds until thoroughly combined.
- Chill Dough: Scrape dough onto a lightly floured surface, divide in half, and wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour until firm but not sticky.
- Roll and Freeze Dough: Roll one portion of dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Repeat for second half. Stack dough sheets on a baking sheet and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Baking Sheets: Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut Dough Shapes: Remove one dough sheet from freezer and place on a floured surface. Peel off top parchment sheet and gently lay it back down. Flip dough, remove the bottom parchment layer, and discard. Cut into 3-5 inch gingerbread or holiday shapes. Set scraps aside for reuse.
- Arrange Cookies: Transfer cookies to prepared baking sheet using a wide metal spatula, spacing them 3/4 inch apart. Return baking sheet to freezer for a few minutes to firm up before baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake on the middle rack for 8-12 minutes. Let cookies cool on the sheets for 2 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
- Reuse Dough Scraps: Combine leftover dough scraps, reroll between parchment sheets, freeze, and cut shapes. Repeat baking process until all dough is used.
- Prepare Royal Icing: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, meringue powder, vanilla extract, and 4 tablespoons water. Beat with a hand mixer on low speed gradually increasing to high for 1-2 minutes until smooth.
- Adjust Icing Consistency: Add additional water a tablespoon at a time while beating until icing flows easily off the beaters and smooths out when drizzled back into bowl.
- Pipe Icing: Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to outline and decorate cooled cookies.
Notes
- These cookies offer a unique chocolate twist on classic gingerbread, enhancing their richness and depth of flavor.
- Chilling and freezing steps are crucial to maintain cookie shape during baking and ensure crisp texture.
- Royal icing dries quickly, so prepare it just before decorating to avoid drying out.
- Leftover dough scraps can be re-rolled and baked to minimize waste.
- These cookies are ideal for festive gifting and engaging decorating parties.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie
- Calories: 423
- Sugar: 36 grams
- Sodium: 187 milligrams
- Fat: 14 grams
- Saturated Fat: 8 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 70 grams
- Fiber: 4 grams
- Protein: 6 grams
- Cholesterol: 46 milligrams
