My obsessive need for gingerbread during the holidays has lead me here - to these wonderfully spicy, thin and crispy Gingersnaps.

For my 12 Days of Cookies this year, I'm kicking things off with a fun little twist on a traditional gingerbread cookie.  These cookies are soft in the middle, with a nice crunch on the outside (from the turbinado sugar you roll them in).  They have a lovely zip from the fresh ginger, and... big gooey chunks of chocolate!  Seriously, these cookies are absolutely addicting.  They're also perfect to take to a cookie swap or deliver to your neighbors, as this recipe makes a whopping 4 dozen cookies!

I'll be honest, I tasted the dough and was a little worried.  It just wasn't doing it for me, but I decided to have a little faith and at least bake them before throwing them out.  I'm so glad I did!  The combination of the ginger and dark chocolate is less sweet - maybe even a tad bitter.  Definitely a more complex flavor palate, than your typical sweet ginger cookie.  That didn't stop my boys from climbing onto the counter and getting into the cookies though while I wasn't looking though!




Gingerbread Chocolate Chunk Cookies

• 14 oz dark chocolate
• 1 cup salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
• 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp boiling water

• 3 cups plus 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 Tbsp cocoa powder

• 1/2 cup (or more) turbinado sugar

Roughly chop chocolate into chunks, about 1/4 inch.  Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat butter and grated ginger until whitened, about 5 minutes.

While mixing, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and cocoa powder.  Set aside.

Add brown sugar to butter mixture and beat until combined.  Add molasses and beat until combined.

In a small bowl, dissolve baking soda into 3 tsp boiling water.  Beat half of flour mixture into the butter mixture.  Beat in baking soda mixture, then add remaining flour mixture.  Mix in chocolate chunks.

Turn out dough onto a piece of plastic wrap.  Pat dough out to about 1 inch thick, seal with wrap, and refrigerate until firm.  (At least 2 hrs)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.  Divide dough and roll into 1 1/2 inch balls.  Roll in turbinado sugar and refrigerate another 20 minutes.  Bake until the surfaces crack slightly, about 10 minutes.  Let cool on pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Gingersnap Cookies

• 1/2 c. salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
• 1/4 c. unsulphured molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Lemon Cream Filling (see recipe below)

It's September and Fall is in the air!  We've even had a few days that cooled off enough to feel fall-like here in CA!  (Ok, so I'm pretty sure there were only two of them, but they totally count!)

Be sure to check back for the rest of the recipes from this year's 12 Days of Cookies.


So I'll be totally honest... these cookies came out of a happy accident.  I was making meringues for something else and for whatever reason, it wasn't working for me.  I got a little frustrated with it and dumped it all in a pan and put it in the oven.  The result was magical!  These cookies absolutely melt in your mouth.  Soft and marshmallow-y, and lightly minty.  Oh, and did I mention, they're dipped in chocolate?

Peppermint Marshmallow Meringues

• 5 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
• pinch of salt
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 c. granulated sugar

• 1/2 c. bittersweet chocolate chips
• 2 Tbsp salted butter

• Candy canes or peppermint candies (I think I used 7-8 mini candy canes)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  In a large mixing bowl (very clean metal or glass works best), beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and salt to soft peaks.

Mix in the peppermint extract and the sugar until the sugar is dissolved.

Line an 8x8 square pan with parchment paper.  Cut two strips the width of the bottom of the pan, and long enough to come up over the sides.  Criss-cross them in the pan, covering the bottom and sides.  (This will also give you a handle to lift out the meringue once it's cooked.)

Pour meringue into pan and smooth out the top.  Bake about 1 1/2 hours.  Turn off heat and crack open the oven door, letting the meringue cool slowly in the oven.

When completely cool, lift out meringue and cut into 16 squares.  (*Note: I found it easier to cut if I washed the sticky off of the  knife in between each cut.)  Cut each square in half on the diagonal, making 32 triangles.  Set aside.

In a double boiler, or heat-proof bowl set over simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter.

Meanwhile, put the candy canes in a zip top bag and crust to a powder with the flat side of a meat mallet.  Alternately, pulse them in a food processor until finely crushed.  Pour into a small bowl and set aside.

Gently dip one side of the triangle into the chocolate and then into the peppermint dust.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and allow chocolate to set up.


Store in an airtight container.  Makes 32.

Be sure to check back for the rest of the recipes from this year's 12 Days of Cookies!


Today's recipe is Gingerbread Biscotti.  These cookies definitely pack a punch, with crystallized ginger.  I've had so many compliments on these cookies, I just had to share the recipe!  This recipe makes quite a few (sorry, I didn't get to count them before someone's really helpful husband sneaked in and "taste tested" some of them) :)  So be sure to share some with your friends and neighbors! They're also good dunked in a tall glass of eggnog.

Gingerbread Biscotti

• 3 c. all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 c. butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. dark molasses
• 1/2 - 3/4 c. minced crystallized ginger
• 3 large eggs
• 1 c. coarsely chopped toasted almonds

Be sure to check back for the rest of the recipes from this year's 12 Days of Cookies!


Some of you may remember this post, and how much I love gingerbread.  It has to be one of my favorite flavors/smells this time of year, and is something of an obsession of mine.  As I was going through a bunch of old "to-try-later" recipes recently, I came across this one and absolutely had to make it.

These cookies are so good!  Possibly one of my favorite gingerbread recipes!  They're nice and soft and "gingerbread-y."  The swirl of light and dark dough makes them look far more complicated than they are.  After rolling all of the dough, it's basically just a "slice and bake" kind of cookie.  See?  Simple!
Gingerbread Pinwheels

Gingerbread Dough:

• 3/4 c. butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 c. dark brown sugar
• 1/4 c. dark molasses
• 2 large egg yolks
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt