Let’s be honest: Christmas is waaay better because of all the baking. The cookies, the cakes, the cinnamon rolls….I’ll stop there. So when it came time to decorate our tree this year, we knew that one thing would make the decorating task better/easier: cookies.
I’d been wanting to try a new-to-me recipe from King Arthur Flour for chocolate gingerbread cookies. Don’t those sound delish? You can find the recipe HERE. And boy oh boy, they did not disappoint. Below, the pre-baked beauty shot:
There are a few things that make these cookies worth considering as part of your holiday repertoire:
(1) They have chocolate in them, in the form of cocoa and mini chocolate chips. And molasses too. And a bevy of spices also. Maybe this is enough of a reason, it was for me. 🙂
(2) They are super simple to make. As in: make the dough, scoop it out, plop it on the tray, and have cookies in less than one hour total. What’s particularly special about this recipe is that it doesn’t include eggs, which I think makes the cookies less likely to rise and gives them more of a chewy than cakey finished texture, if that makes sense. They keep very very well on the counter, so you could easily make a batch ahead of time.
(3) You roll the dough in these hard sugar crystals, called “pearl sugar” by KAF, similar to what you see on the top of French brioche rolls. The pearl sugar gives a nice crunchy counterpoint to the softness of the cookie itself. Rolling the dough in sugar is very easy, so these would be a great recipe to try out with young kids who are eager to get involved in the holiday kitchen. And with the lack of raw eggs in the recipe, it’ll also be ok if the kids sneak a couple bites of the dough as they’re working.
Below, the post-baking deliciousness:
They baked up in exactly the time specified in the recipe and appeared nearly identical to what the recipe depicted, so I call that a very reliable recipe. I got nearly 30 cookies out of one batch, so I’ll definitely be looking to make a double batch of these at some point, be still my beating sweet tooth. Next time, I might reduce the salt amount ever so slightly, but not a lot, as the salt definitely gives some of the flavor punch here.
And, oh look, a breakfast of champions; just add coffee.
Don’t say you wouldn’t. So as you can see, we’re in full holiday mode around here. And here’s a peek at our happy little tree, all decked out and ready for our annual party that will be here before we know it:
Happy Holidays, everyone – we hope you have a very happy season of celebrations!
daniellechalson.com 
You could be a food writer/photographer…your cooking blogs are so enticing and beautifully written. Multi-talented woman, you ! Merry Christmas to you and your family and your little doggie.
thank you melissa! and you too! 🙂
I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t store well on my counter – because I’d eat them all and then have to make a new batch every day!
you are more right than you know – i nearly have a cookie every single time i pass the container.
They do look very yummy, indeed! And I agree with your friend above. Your food blog-posts are just as wonderful as your knitting blog-posts. Great photos, always. And very well written.
I hope you, hubby and “Beans” have a marvelous Holiday season, and a very good 2013. 🙂