When in doubt, bake cookies. I’m thinking of adopting that as my new life motto, or, at the very least, I should have it written on a fridge magnet or a bumper sticker.
It doesn’t matter what kind of mood I’m in, a big, chewy, cakey chocolate cookie is the ultimate stress reliever. Had a long day at work? Bake some cookies. Had a fight with your mom? Bake some cookies! Had one too many glasses of wine last night and don’t feel so hot this morning? You guessed it, bake some cookies. Hopefully that doesn’t all happen to you in the same day, but if it does, make an extra big batch of cookies.
Last week I made these cookies after a particularly trying day at work – one of those days where, despite being insanely busy, you look at the clock expecting it to be lunch time but it’s not even 9am. I couldn’t tell you what happened that day, since it wasn’t very memorable, but I do remember coming home in a blustery huff, ranting to Lola (the pup!) about something, and while she is a great a listener, I needed to unwind/relax/calm dem nerves. So I baked.
Unlike cooking, which is almost invigorating and energizing, baking is incredibly therapeutic and a great way to unwind. Plus, what an awesome bonus if the result is a batch of incredibly soft, chocolatey, spicy ginger cookies.
I promise, not all the cookies I bake are extra chocolatey (despite my recent Double Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies post). I love all cookies, but sometimes the mood just calls for cocoa powder. Amiright?
I baked these one afternoon after work, and they were fresh out of the oven by the time Matt got home. He came through the door, a big smile on his face (he knows when I’ve been baking – he can smell it down the hall of our apartment building) and found his way to the cookies. When I said they were candied ginger cookies his face fell, since apparently he doesn’t like candied ginger. Sheesh, you’d think after being together for 6 years I might know this kind of stuff. But anyway, he tried one, loved it, and ate two more. He even brought some to work the next day to share with his coworkers, and they asked for the recipe!
So even if you’re not a fan of candied ginger, I bet you’ll still love these cookies. The ginger doesn’t overpower the chocolate, it gives it a subtle spicy kick which really brings out the extra chocolatey flavour.
^^ That photo might just be the money shot. Spicy candied ginger and extra melty chocolate, all in an extra soft, cakey cookie. Oh goodness, yes.
| Chocolate & Candied Ginger Cookies | Print |
- ¼ cup shortening
- ¼ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup white sugar
- ¼ cup packed brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup candied ginger, chopped
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a small bowl, mix together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, powdered ginger and salt; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat together butter and shortening until smooth. Beat in white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla until thoroughly mixed.
- Add dry mixture into the wet ingredients until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and candied ginger.
- Roll dough into teaspoon-sized balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Let cool on the sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks.
they look great!
These look amazing.. will they stay chewy if I make them the night before? Looking forward to trying them!
Thanks, Kristen! These should stay soft and chewy overnight, for sure! I find that using shortening, like I do in this recipe, keeps them extra soft. A few other tips for keeping cookies soft:
– bake 1 minute or so less than you’d think. Try taking them out of the oven after 8 minutes, as they’ll harden a bit when cooling, and if you bake them too long they may end up hard and crunchy.
– Store in an airtight container. This is so important!
– Place a piece of fresh bread in the container when storing the cookies! The cookies will absorb some of the moisture from the bread, keeping them extra soft.