Description
Delightfully spiced and rich chocolate gingerbread cookies that combine classic holiday flavors like cinnamon, ginger, and cloves with the deep taste of cocoa and semisweet chocolate. Perfectly soft yet sturdy, these cookies are great for rolling out, cutting into festive shapes, and decorating with smooth royal icing made from meringue powder and powdered sugar.
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 the whisk attachment, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt, and orange zest on low speed until well combined.
- Add Butter: Stop the mixer and add the butter pieces. Mix at medium-low speed until the mixture becomes sandy and resembles fine meal, about 1 1/2 minutes. Then stir in the finely chopped chocolate. Replace the whisk with the paddle attachment.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and molasses until smooth.
- Combine Wet and Dry Mixtures: With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the molasses mixture into the dry ingredients. Mix until dough is moist, then increase speed to medium and continue mixing until fully combined, about 15 seconds.
- Chill Dough: Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Divide in half, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm but not sticky.
- Roll and Freeze Dough: Working with one portion at a time, roll dough between two sheets of parchment paper to 1/4 inch thickness. 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 Cookies: Remove dough sheet from freezer and place on floured surface or silicone mat. Peel off top parchment paper, flip dough, remove and discard bottom parchment. Cut into 3-5 inch Christmas shapes with cookie cutters, saving scraps.
- Arrange Cookies: Transfer cut shapes to prepared baking sheets with a metal spatula, spacing cookies 3/4 inch apart. Return baking sheet to freezer to firm dough for a few minutes before baking.
- Bake Cookies: Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes on middle rack. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
- Reuse Scraps: Combine leftover dough scraps, roll between parchment paper, freeze and cut additional cookies 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, gradually increasing to high, for 1-2 minutes until smooth. Add more water as needed to achieve a smooth, flowing icing consistency.
- Decorate Cookies: Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip to outline and decorate cooled cookies. Use icing soon after preparation to prevent it from drying out.
Notes
- Chilling and freezing the dough before cutting helps maintain cookie shape during baking by preventing spreading.
- Use room temperature egg to ensure better incorporation into dough.
- If dough becomes too soft while working, refrigerate again briefly to firm up.
- Royal icing consistency should be smooth but not runny for best decorating results.
- Store decorated cookies in an airtight container to keep fresh longer.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 30 g)
- Calories: 140 kcal
- Sugar: 15 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
