Gingerbread cookies weren’t my favorite type of cookie growing up. I had too many that were hard (overbaked) or otherwise unbalanced, turning out to be either too bland or too intense. I grew to be a big fan of gingerbread cookies over time – and that was largely because I learned to make my own and discovered how delicious they can be when made well! Molasses is a unique sweetener that has a slightly bitter flavor to it. In some of those cookies that I didn’t care for as a kid, the molasses dominated the cookie to the point where it didn’t seem like much of a treat. These days, especially during the fall and winter, I use molasses regularly because I’ve come to appreciate its rich flavor.
These Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies are a great option both for those who usually like gingerbread cookies and for those who usually don’t, as they’re a twist on a regular chocolate chip cookie with some molasses and gingerbread spice added in. The cookies have a dough that uses both brown sugar and molasses, resulting in chewy cookies that are not overly sweet and have a distinct molasses note to them. You can use regular (also known as “light”) molasses or blackstrap molasses for these cookies.  Though I used quite a bite of spice, they’re not as spicy as a regular gingerbread cookie, and strike a nice balance between that spicy style and traditional chocolate chips cookies. The chocolate contrasts well with the gingerbread cookie dough, adding a rich chocolaty sweetness to the cookies, especially when they’re slightly warm and the chips are still melty.
The cookies are slightly crisp around the edges when they come out of the oven, but cool down to be a nicely chewy cookie. Not only are they chewy when fresh, they stay soft and chewy for several days after baking. As is always the case with gingerbread goodies, this recipe appears to have a very long ingredient list at first glance. Most of those ingredients are different spices, so don’t be intimidated!
Gingerbread Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
3 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in vegetable oil, egg, molasses and vanilla extract until ingredients are well-combined. Blend in flour mixture with the mixer at low speed. Stir in chocolate chips.
Shape dough into generous 1-inch balls and arrange on prepared baking sheet, allowing room for the cookies to spread.
Bake for 11-13 minutes, until cookies appear to be set in the center and are just slightly firm around the edges.
Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 4-6 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Lisa
April 20, 2017We really like these cookies! I made them this morning & the only change I made was I needed to chill the dough for about 20 minutes because it is so soft. It is great to have another type of chocolate chip cookie recipe. Thank you for posting this.