As many of you know, Ray and I don’t eat refined white sugar. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for great recipes for cookies, cakes and pies that turn out well when I substitute the sweeteners we do eat: honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, agave syrup or fruit juice. This particular recipe is adapted from one I found on Martha Stewart’s website: https://www.marthastewart.com/1544437/chocolate-spice-cookies. Her recipe calls for brown sugar for the cookie dough and also has a frosting with confectioners sugar, butter and either Cointreau or strained orange juice. I substituted maple sugar and agave syrup for the brown sugar in the cookie dough and left off the icing. Martha’s recipe also calls for a cookie stamp, which I didn’t use. Instead, I just made round drop cookies.
My daughter Rachael helped me made these cookies. She and I do lots of baking together, which is a treat. These cookies have great flavor and a perfect texture. In Rachael’s words, “They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.” The ginger flavor is stronger than the chocolate so don’t make these thinking they will satisfy your chocolate craving. However, they will definitely satisfy your craving for a delicious spice cookie with a nice gingery undertone.
These are perfect cookies to couple with a cup of hot tea or coffee. They are rich and satisfying. They also look as if they would store well for a few days so you could make them ahead or give them as gifts. I will definitely be adding them to my favorite cookie file to bake many times in the future.
Ingredients
Cookies
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar (I used 1 cup maple sugar and 1/3 cup agave syrup instead since I didn’t make a frosting, which would add a lot of sweetness.)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from a 2-inch piece) (I used 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger, which added a lot of flavor)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg, room temperature
Directions
Step 1
Cookies: Preheat oven to 375°F. Whisk together flour, cocoa, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. In a large bowl, beat butter with brown sugar (or maple sugar & agave syrup), fresh ginger, and baking soda until creamy. Add egg; beat to combine. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture.
Step 2
Scoop a hefty tablespoon of cookie dough and place on parchment paper on cookie sheet. Place three cookies on each row, arranging cookies 2 inches apart. Give each cookie a light sprinkle of maple sugar.
Step 3
Bake until firm to the touch, 11 to 13 minutes.
Yield: 15 – 20 cookies
Be sure and let me know if you make these cookies. I love hearing how other people fare when they are trying one of the recipes I recommend.
Happy baking!
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