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Last year, Mia took the two middle Littles and I to the Teddy Bear Christmas Tea at the Four Seasons. It was very swank and festive, but the best part about the event was scarfing savoring the Chocolate Ginger Cookies. I made quite a fuss over these cookies. In fact, I’m a tad embarrassed how I completely ignored Santa, raced past him no less, on my mission to track down the pastry chef. But, with a year to dull the memory of my over zealous behavior I realized the recipe was well worth the begging.
Pastry Chef Naomi Gallego was a saint to give me the Four Seasons’ very coveted (at least by me) Chocolate Ginger Cookie recipe. It took me a few tries to reduce the original recipe down to a manageable quantity. And, I had to experiment a bit with cooking time to achieve the perfect bite – a tiny bit crunchy with a chewy, soft center.
We’ll be making another batch of these next week just for Santa. I feel certain he’ll forgive me for ignoring him at the Four Seasons Tea once he tastes these delicious cookies. You, my dear reader, may never forgive me for tempting you with these perfect Christmas treats.
Somehow in my rush to make and bake these cookies, my molasses glazed fingers changed the setting on my camera. Sadly, I have few unblurred photos to share. I documented the whole process, really I did, but will not continue to embarrass myself any further over these cookies.
Chocolate Ginger Cookies
From the Four Seasons Hotel
12 oz chocolate chips (I used a mix of Ghirardelli semi-sweet and 60% bittersweet)
3 cups + 2 Tbs all-purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp ginger
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
2 Tbs cocoa powder (I used ScharffenBerger)
2 sticks butter
2 Tbs crystallized ginger (Whole Foods in bulk!), chopped as tiny as you can
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
bowl of granulated sugar for dusting
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and the brown sugar in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly add molasses scraping well after each addition.
Sift all of the dry ingredients and add them along with the chocolate chips and crystalized ginger bits to the bowl and mix until just combined.
Store the dough in refrigerator for at least 4 hours, over night is better.
Scoop about a tablespoon full of dough and roll in the palms of your hands until perfectly round and compact. This is super messy, but so worth it!
Roll the rounded dough balls in sugar to coat and place on baking sheet.
Bake until puffy. These cookies are best when slightly under baked. After several attempts to determine the perfect baking time, 5 minutes yielded the perfect cookie for my taste.
Allow cookies to cool and store in an airtight container.
Note: One of Mrs. Kravitz’s Littles was here the day I made a test batch of these cookies. He says the dough is just as good as the cookie. And, he had enough of both to be considered an expert.
I know these are something extra good for you to ignore Santa Claus. I have a whole bag of crystallized ginger I am trying to figure out what to do with. This would do fine. Your plates are gorgeous!
Oooh that Kravitz kid is to die for!!! Yummy!!!
Just wanted to let you know that I posted the links to the food bloggers from last night on my blog. 🙂
I didn’t get to talk with you much at the Blogger meetup last night, but hopefully next time we can get to know each other. For now, I’m just going to have to steal your cookie recipe! These look good. Martha Stewart has a chocolate ginger cookie in her big cookie book, but I want to try a Four Season’s recipe first.
oh YUM!!!! Nerd has got this obsession with gingerbread, cookies, etc…. so I may have to start buying molasses in bulk…. 🙂
I think I have everything for these. A perfect recipe to try out on this very rainy day. Thank you.
Just made these and they are WONDERFUL! Thank you!! …eating them as I type…. 😉
Isn’t it great how we meet, through sharing our recipes. I always prefer to make some recipes from bloggers as they always are the best. The cookies were fantastic and I will be making them again, even if my children didn’t like them. I am sure they will grow to love them. BTW did you use fresh ginger in your recipe?
These cookies look so good, I must make them. Last year I made chocolate gingerbread drops, and they were amazing! Chocolate and ginger were made for each other.
I made the cookies. I was unprepared for the texture which is so different from anything I’ve had — the chocolate chips kind of blend with the molasses and you can’t tell which is which, they become each other combined. They certainly are delcious, but not a cookie that I would pine for because as I’ve aged, my sweet tooth has too and I find I go for less sweet desserts now. This one is over-the-top sweet for me, but I enjoyed tasting it. My post for this cookie is not yet published. It’ll probably be posted on Christmas Day.
I just made these gluten free style . . . I substituted Pamela’s Baking Mix and left out the baking soda in your recipe. I baked for 8 minutes and they turned out perfect! Yummy!
I MADE THESE COOKIES AS A TEST RUN FOR A COOKIE EXCHANGE I WILL ATTEND IN DECEMBER. I LOVED THE THOUGHT OF A COOKIE WITH GINGER IN IT. I DIDN’T HAVE MOLASSES( AND REALLY DON’T CARE FOR IT) SO I SUBSTITUTED DARK CORN SYRUP. I CHILLED THE DOUGH OVERNIGHT AND IT WASN’T MESSY AT ALL. I FORMED MY 1 INCH BALLS AND ROLLED THEM IN SUGAR. THE COOKIES WERE A LITTLE CRISPY ON THE OUTSIDE I GUESS BECAUSE OF THE SUGAR AND VERY SOFT INSIDE. THE FLAVOR WAS DELICIOUS. THE ONLY THING WAS THAT THE COOKIE DID NOT LOOK LIKE YOUR PHOTO ABOVE. MY COOKIE DID NOT SPREAD OUT OR FLATTEN . MY COOKIE STAYED ROUND.I TOOK SOME TO WORK TO GET SOME INPUT ON THE TASTE AND THEY WERE A BIG HIT. I MIGHT USE THIS RECIPE AND ADD A CANDY CHRISTMAS TREE OR WREATH TO EACH COOKIE. THANKS FOR THE GREAT RECIPE. KAREN
These sound scrumptious. Thoughts on whether they will come out okay without the crystallized ginger? I am in Costa Rica and not sure whether I can find it, but I would like to try this recipe.
Colleen, Go for it! A few others have commented about the consistency of the cookies being different with substitutions, but the taste remains delicious. Let me know how it goes – wish I was in Costa Rica to help you “taste test”. xo, K