Wednesday, Thanksgiving Week, a Vintage Greeting and a Cookie!

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Busy week for all of us, yes? I will be lucky to get a little stitching done because I bake. I bake for Thanksgiving dinner, pies, cookies, deserts etc. I bake for our Church Tea after Thanksgiving morning service and I start my cookie baking for Holiday gifts. I have a little collection  of recipes that freeze very well. I like to make one type of cookie per week.  Scanning my collection is the fun part. Narrowing the scope is the tricky part. I am really not a 'baker' per se, but for the Holidays I step up. Since I have not done this for the last two years I will be spending some time working on the plan.

This is a cookie that stores very well,  introducing the 

Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies


Martha makes these cookies, one of her favorite recipes, to give as gifts. Spiced with nutmeg, cinnamon, and ginger, they taste like Christmas.

Ingredients

  • 7 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate
  • 1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup dark-brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Directions

  1. Line baking sheets with  parchment. Chop chocolate into 1/4-inch chunks; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa.
  2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar; beat until combined. Add molasses; beat until combined.
  3. In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in boiling water. Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking-soda mixture, then remaining half of flour mixture. Mix in chocolate; turn out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick; seal with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or more.
  4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Roll dough into 2-inch balls; place 3 inches apart on baking sheets. Refrigerate 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar. Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, about 15 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes; transfer to a cooling rack.
  5. I choose a large Lock and Lock storage containers. I line the bottom and between ea ch layer with parchment paper. I buy the bakery style parchment at Costco. One box has lasted me 6 years so far! Best $9.99 ever spent.
  6. I have frozen these up to 7 weeks. 
  7. one more thing, before I seal the container I lay a paper towel or a few coffee filters on top to absorb any excess moisture. 
*this is a Martha Stewart  from last season Holiday baking shows.
You absolutely must pop over to My French Country Home  to see Sharon's fantasy woodland Thanksgiving!!!  


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