Spiced chocolate gingerbread cookies

Someone snagging the last cookie

Sure gingerbread cookies are tasty, but why not add chocolate chips? Oh yeah. Digging around online, I found a recipe on Rachael Ray that tweaked a Joy the Baker recipe to do just that–marry chocolate and chewy gingerbread cookies.

I put my own spin on these cookies by ditching the traditional dip in sugar and upping the spiciness. Intrigued?

Recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes + baking

Servings: I think 3 dozen my kids kept eating them before I could count

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 tsps. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsps. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsps. ground ginger

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne powder (opt.)

1 tsp. dark cocoa powder

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp.) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar (dark preferred)

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

1 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a baking bowl, except for the brown sugar.
3. In another bowl, cream together the brown sugar and butter until well combined. Add the molasses, then the egg and vanilla.
4. Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed butter. Mix in the chocolate chips.
5. Roll the cookie batter into 1 – 1 1/2″ balls.
6. Bake on a parchment-lined cookie sheet for 9 minutes.
7. Allow the cookies to cool on the pan for 3 minutes before removing.

*These are better on day 2!

Directions