CRINKLED CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIES....BRINGING IN X’MAS IN MARCH..

You must be wondering what’s wrong with me these days, isn’t that so? Few days back, I posted about Vegan Chocolate Cake that I concocted more than a year back. And here I am, on 1^st of March, talking about Christmas Cookies!!!No, I am not living in some time warp...just that in the hustle bustle of my extra-ordinary life, delays in sharing my “sometimes good, sometimes not so bad” experiments with you allJ

I baked these crinkled chocolate ginger cookies as a pre X’mas surprise dessert treat for my close friends, Shuchi & Nachi, after one of our food reviewing/hogging sessions. Christmas for me defines warmth and a feeling of love all around...conjures up images of flames dancing merrily in the fireplace, mugs of eggnogs spiked with cognac...delicious aroma of spiced ham and Plum pudding filling the whole house....ohhh...just thinking about it is making me want to make it real right here, right now! Well, since I am a lazy bum [as can be attested by friends and foes!;) ], I absolutely denied myself from going through the tedious work of baking plum cakes! After all, I have a reputation to maintain as a ”quick & easy cook”...no pun intended please!!!So Crinkled choco-ginger cookies it was..something that translates all that I feel for Christmas in a biteJ

So, here we three musketeers were, savouring tender steaks of salmon, tenderloin and pork at Geoffrey’s’ steak festival while gossiping as we have been for the past decade or so now! [Sorry girls..i know a decade sounds like million years but well yippeeee for that!!!:-p ]

After that “huge yet every last bite scraped off the plate” lunch, I felt a bit intimidated about offering my attempt at the crinkled cookies that are my latest experiment to my guinea pigs a.k.a my dear friends! I am not too comfortable still with baking cookies...never too sure about the shape/size/textures et all.

Well, my guinea pigs assured me that the cookies where very good [in my lingo-edible!] and they love them![I think they have after so many tasting sessions of my experiments, tuned their responses to that for safety purposes!!:p ]

So, based on the feedback and my desire to spread Xmas spirit, even if spring is around the corner, here’s the recipe for the cookies. Do try it at home and share your comments with me. J

Crinkled Chocolate-Ginger Cookies

Prep Time: 2 hours [resting period]

Baking Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
• 7 1/2 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger [If not available*]
• Confectioners’ sugar for rolling

*If crystallized ginger is not available then for this recipe mix 2 teaspoons of ground ginger powder with 2 teaspoons of powdered sugar with water to bind it together. Leave it to rest for 5-10 minutes.

Procedure:

1. Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2. Combine the butter and 3 ounces of the chocolate in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 1 1/2 inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (You can also melt the mixture in the microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring periodically until it is melted and smooth.)

3. Stir the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate mixture, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, mixing briskly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and gradually incorporate the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining 4 1/2 ounces of chocolate and the crystallized ginger. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

4. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Shape the chilled dough into walnut-size balls, roll in confectioners’ sugar, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If your kitchen is quite warm and the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator until chilled and fairly firm.)

6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and the tops are cracked.

7. Cool the chocolate-ginger crinkle cookies on the baking sheets set on wire racks for about 2 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely. Store the crinkle cookies in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag for up to 4 days.

Enjoy J