Triple Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Apparently I posted six recipes in a row that were main dishes – we’re due for a dessert here! I’m still trying to catch up on which pictures I lost when my iPhone was malfunctioning; I tried that tip for replacing the salt with double the amount of soy sauce in chocolate baked goods, for an umami je-ne-sais-quoi, but it was a big let-down: I used it in my regular brownie recipe, and not only could I not taste anything different even after using 2 teaspoons, but the brownies themselves completely fell apart, even though logic dictates that in such a small amount, this substitution should not make a difference. Too bad. 

I want to give you a good recipe, though, so here’s one for triple-ginger chocolate chunk cookies. These were moist and delicious; the ginger and chocolate really play well together! For the chocolate chunks, I chopped two bars of Ghiradelli bittersweet chocolate. 

The quantities below yield about 24 cookies. 

2 cups + 1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 

2 tsp. baking soda 

½ tsp. coarse salt 

1 tsp. ground cinnamon 

1 ½ tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. ground cloves 

1 Tbsp. cocoa powder, sifted 

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) lactose-free butter, at room temperature 

2/3 cup light or dark brown sugar, packed 

1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger 

2 large egg yolks 

½ cup unsulphured molasses 

1 tsp. vanilla extract 

1/3 cup candied ginger, coarsely chopped 

8 ounces dark chocolate chunks 

granulated sugar, for rolling 

Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, ground cloves, and cocoa in a large bowl. Set aside. 

With a stand or hand mixer, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add fresh ginger and egg yolks and beat briefly to combine. 

Add molasses and vanilla. Beat briefly to combine. Add flour mixture. Mix until combined and no flour pockets remain. Stir in chocolate chunks and candied ginger. 

Chill dough until firm, at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Place about ½ cup granulated sugar in a small bowl (it’s fine to start with less and add any as needed). 

Roll 1.5-ounce pieces (about the size of a golf ball) of cookie dough into balls and roll in the sugar. (Mine were a bit bigger.) Place on a lined cookie sheet 2 inches apart. Freeze for about 10 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350 °F. 

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating after 5 minutes (I did not bother), until beginning to crack and edges are just set. Do not overbake. 

Let cookies cool briefly on baking sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack and cool completely.