Just add chocolate

Predictably, when I cook a vegetarian meal, Ken will say, "this would be great with some chicken in it!" If it is not vegetarian, he'll almost always say, "if you added mushrooms to this, it would really be great!" Dean doesn't really comment on main dish items, but to any dessert-type recipe he recommends, "add some chocolate next time!"

And so when our friend Lisa gave us her amazing ginger cookie recipe (at Dean's request), I got everything out to bake and Dean said, "why don't you add some chocolate chips to the batter?" Now, as free-wheeling and adventurous as I am when I cook generally, I tend to be conservative when I bake by following recipes precisely. I hadn't had the pleasure of trying any of Lisa's ginger cookies because it would have been cruel to deprive Dean (who took some home with him from Lisa's house), so I had to take a leap of faith that his suggestion would work. (I'm not one to try something on a small scale and bake off just one or two test cookies -- I guess I'm lazy that way.)

Well, we now have THE family cookie, a new classic that is everyone's instant favorite. This is a soft, chewy ginger and chocolate cookie. Easy-peasy, too.

Ginger Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 1/4 cups flour
2 teas. ground cinnamon
2 teas. ground ginger
1/2 teas. ground cloves
2 teas. baking soda
1/2 teas. salt
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp.
1 large egg, room temp.
1/3 cup molasses
1 1/2 to 2 cups chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 325 f. and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In small bowl, whisk flour with spices, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In a mixer, cream the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until blended. Scrape down bowl and add molasses. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix on low until just blended. Stir in chocolate chips.

[note: Lisa chills the dough before forming the cookies. I did not and all was well, but if it seems sticky then do go with the hour or so in the refrigerator at this point.]

Put granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll dough into 1 inch balls and coat with sugar. Place on prepared baking sheet 2 inches apart and flatten each slightly with palm of hand. Bake 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown.

Slide parchment paper off sheet and onto cooling rack. After about 5 minutes, you may slide the cookies off the paper and re-use the parchment for the next batch.

Makes about 4 dozen.

Meanwhile, Raesha blogged beautifully about her Easter and about our Easter swap, which I thoroughly enjoyed.