Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies feel familiar but unique for holiday baking. These crispy-on-the-outside, gooey-on-the-inside chocolate ginger cookies are full of warming gingerbread spices and melty chocolate chips. Sweet and decadent, they are perfect for sharing throughout the holiday season and beyond.
2025 Update: This recipe was originally shared in December 2012. The recipe and post include new photos, as well as more tips and tricks. I have included weighted ingredients in the recipe card, too. I hope you love them!
This recipe was one of the very first ones I did for Christmas Cookie Week (the precursor to The Sweetest Season) in 2012.
They have remained one of my husband’s all-time-favorite cookies that I bake.
And I’m here to report that they still taste amazing all these years later.
There is nothing better in the world than a gooey cookie straight out of the oven. Particularly one that fulfills my incessant dark chocolate cravings and served with a side of ice cold milk… and scarfed three at a time.
This recipe fulfills these needs for me, and I would gladly stand over the still-warm baking sheet and consume cookie after cookie, not bothering about burning my fingertips and simply enjoy the fantastic combination of dark chocolate and gingerbread.
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Why I love this recipe:
Gingerbread and I haven’t always been the best of friends.
However, when chocolate is added to the mix, it really hits the spot for me.
These Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies strike the perfect balance between a chocolate cookie and a gingerbread one. They’re soft in the middle and crunchy on the exterior, thanks to the dough rolling in sugar before baking.
They’re particularly delicious when served warm so that the inside is still gooey… but they’re great any time and can very easily be reheated for a few seconds in the microwave for the same effect.
If you’re looking for a cookie recipe that has familiar flavors but still feels special, this is one you’ll want to add to your baking list!
More cookie recipes with spices: Chocolate Gingerbread Biscotti | Spiced Maple Cookies | Gingersnap Cookies | Apple Snickerdoodles
Let’s talk about The Sweetest Season and Cookies for Kids Cancer!
The Sweetest Season is my annual holiday cookie week.
In 2011, I decided to share my favorite Christmas cookies… then invited other bloggers to join me. The celebration grew, we changed the name to make it more inclusive, my friend Susannah stepped in to help and the rest is history.
And now, every year, food bloggers get together to share new holiday cookie recipes.
This year, we’re raising money in support of Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to funding research for new, innovative and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancer.
Since 2008, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer has granted nearly $18 million to pediatric cancer research in the form of 100+ research grants to leading pediatric cancer centers. More than 35 treatments available to kids battling cancer today were stemmed from these grants.
We’d love for you to help us raise money for this cause! You can donate through our fundraising page.
Currently, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is in a matching window with their friends at OXO. This means OXO will match every dollar up to $100,000 raised through the end of 2025. So whatever money we raise will automatically double!
What you need to make this recipe:
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- Sheet pan or baking sheets
- Nonstick baking mat or parchment paper
- Stand mixer or hand mixer
- Kitchen scale or measuring cups and spoons
- Large mixing bowl
- 1-tablespoon cookie scoop
Let’s talk ingredients!
In addition to the tools above, you’re going to need some ingredients to make this recipe, too! Chances are, you might already have some of them in your fridge or pantry. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full measurements and instructions.
Here’s what you’ll need to get from the grocery store:
- All-purpose flour — also known as AP flour, this is the base of our dry ingredients. I have not tried making this recipe with a different type of flour or a gluten-free flour blend and do not recommend that at this time.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder — this adds a nice pop of chocolate flavor to the mixture and helps it all come together. A little goes a long way.
- Spices — these cookies get flavor from a combination of dried spices. We use both ground cinnamon and ground ginger. You could add a pinch of cloves or nutmeg, though I chose not to go that direction with this cookie.
- Kosher salt— medium grain kosher salt is what I use in all my recipes. (Diamond Crystal is my favorite brand.) You may use a similarly sized sea salt. This helps balance out the sweetness of the recipe, so please do not skip it.
- Unsalted butter— unsalted butter is the best butter for cookies because you can control the salt level of your cookies.
- Grated ginger — we blend this into the butter at first. The ginger adds a necessary pop of flavor for these cookies to have those gingerbread vibes. You can grate it yourself (with a microplane or zester) or purchase jarred grated ginger, which is what I did.
- Brown sugar — this sweetener gives the cookies some more chewiness, as well as help them spread. There is no replacement for these, and if you choose to use one or the other, the texture and mouthfeel of your cookies will be different than what is shown here. You can use light or dark brown sugar here. I do not recommend replacing it with granulated sugar.
- Unsulphured molasses — most commercial molasses is unsulphured molasses, meaning that it doesn’t contain sulphur dioxide as a preservative. The sulphur dioxide additive slightly alters the flavor of the molasses, so the unsulphured version tastes stronger and purer. This is not the same thing as blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses has a lower sugar concentration.
- Boiling water — we dissolve the baking soda in this, and it basically starts the leavening process.
- Baking soda — this is our leavener. Make sure yours is fresh!
- Bittersweet chocolate chips — or your favorite kind of chocolate chips
- Granulated sugar — we roll the cookie dough balls in this before baking to give them a little sparkle and crunch.
How to make Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Mix the dry ingredients. Measure the flour, cocoa powder, ground cinnamon and salt into a medium bowl. Whisk together and set aside.
Cream the softened butter and fresh grated ginger together with a hand mixer or stand fitted with the paddle attachment until combined.
This should take about 1-2 minutes, and it will smell incredible when you’re done.
Measure the brown sugar into the butter/ginger mixture. Cream them together.
This will take about 2-3 minutes.
Pour the molasses into the butter/sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined.
Be sure to scrape down the sides of the wet ingredients to ensure they are all incorporated.
In a separate small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the boiling water and pour directly on top of the wet ingredients.
Immediately sprinkle half the flour mixture on top of the wet ingredients and the baking soda/water mixture. Mix until combined.
Pour in the rest of the flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Measure in the chocolate chips, and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.
Pat the dough into a round on plastic wrap OR cover the mixing bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for two hours. This may also be done overnight.
Once the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats, and set aside.
Use a 1-tablespoon cookie to scoop the chilled cookie dough into 1″ balls. Roll them in the palm of your hand, then place in a bowl of the granulated sugar.
Roll to coat, then transfer to the prepared sheet pan.
Do this quickly, as the cookies will begin to warm, and if they warm too much, they will spread a LOT.
Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they’ve firmed up around the edges but remain slightly gooey in the middle.
Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire cooling racks to finish cooling.
Enjoy with a glass of milk!
How to store:
Store these cookies in a food-safe, airtight container on the countertop for 3-4 days.
Do not store them with other cookies because the spices used in these will creep into others.
You can freeze cookie dough balls that have not been rolled in the sugar-spice mixture. Transfer to a resealable freezer bag once frozen solid. When ready to bake, let them sit out for 30 minutes. Roll in the sugar-spice mix, then place on the prepared baking sheets.
Erin’s Easy Entertaining Tips
These Chocolate Gingerbread Drop Cookies are the perfect kind of cookie for baking and sharing throughout the holiday season.
Whether you’re hosting a cookie swap or baking sweet treats to enjoy after a dinner party, this chocolatey, ginger-forward cookie recipe is delicious and a fun twist classic flavors we all know and love.
Here are some ways I might make things easier on myself if I were to make these cookies for sharing:
- Make the cookie dough early. Let it chill in the fridge before rolling in the sugar-spice mixture and baking the day of.
- Lots of guests? Make a double batch. If you’re using a kitchen scale, you can safely double this recipe with simple math. If you’re using traditional cups and measuring spoons, please make it twice so that the cookies turn out.
- Create a dessert table! Who wouldn’t love a spread of their favorite desserts? Take inspiration from my ‘how to make a cookie gift box’ post and use it to create a whole table. Ask guests to bring a dessert, too!
Quick tips and tricks to the best chocolate ginger cookies:
- Let the dough chill for at least 2 hours… or longer. Just make sure that you’ve covered the bowl well with the plastic wrap so that it doesn’t take on the flavors of the fridge. You can also freeze the cookie dough balls and bake from frozen.
- Share them with someone you love. Pack ‘em up in a cookie gift box to share with friends and family. Just be sure to package in their own container, as these chocolate gingerbread cookies could seep flavor into other more subtle cookies.
- How to store: Store in an airtight container by themselves for a few days on the countertop. Reheat in 10-second increments in the microwave for that perfect gooey center.
Interested in baking these?
Here’s how you can do just that…
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter softened (1 stick)
- 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ½ cup unsulfured molasses
- 1 tablespoon boiling water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
- ½ cup granulated sugar (for rolling the cookies in)
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Instructions
- Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, ground ginger, cinnamon and salt into a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Cream the softened butter and fresh grated ginger together with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until combined, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the brown sugar to the butter/ginger mixture, and cream, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the molasses to the butter and sugar mixture. Mix on medium speed until just combined. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the wet ingredients to ensure they are all incorporated.
- In a separate small bowl, dissolve the baking soda into the boiling water and pour into the wet ingredients.
- Immediately add half the flour mixture on top of the wet ingredients and the baking soda/water mixture. Mix until combined. Pour in the rest of the flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
- Add the chocolate chips, and fold into the batter with a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon.
- Pat the dough into a round on plastic wrap OR cover the mixing bowl with a sheet of plastic wrap.
- Chill in the refrigerator for two hours. This may also be done overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line two sheet pans with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats, and set aside.
- Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop the chilled cookie dough into 1" balls. Roll them in the palm of your hand to round them out, then place in a bowl of the granulated sugar. Roll to coat, then transfer to the prepared sheet pan. Do this quickly, as the cookies will begin to warm, and if they warm too much, they will spread a LOT.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes or until browned around the edges but gooey in the middle.
- Let cool for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
About the Author:
Erin Parker is a Southern gal living in Texas with her husband and two daughters. She started The Speckled Palate to share what she was cooking as a newlywed… and over the years, it’s evolved to capture her love for hosting. Specifically, the EASIEST, lowest key entertaining because everyone deserves to see their people and connect over good food. Learn more about her…
What does the chilling of the dough balls do? I forgot that step and am wondering what I missed out on! They were delicious and still gooey. They were a smidge flat, but I thought that’s because I didn’t get all the baking soda in. Also, used ground ginger instead of fresh, still yummy. (And more cost effective.)