Well, that’s a mouthful! In the best kind of way. I just made these and they are ridiculously good, so I just had to share.
If you are absolutely done making Christmas cookies this year (and really, I won’t blame you. It’s only 5 days away!!) these would also make excellent cookies for a New Year’s party.
What I love about these cookies is that they’re still festive while being significantly different (and much less sweet) than most Christmas cookies.
I first thought up these cookies after seeing some cookies in my Better Homes & Gardens magazine that were partially dipped in chocolate with a candied orange on top. I was excited to make them until I looked at the recipe. While I loved the idea of a candied orange on top, I was wholly unimpressed by the base cookie underneath. I mean, it didn’t look bad, and I’m sure it’s quite tasty. But it was boring. If I was going to add another cookie to my already ridiculous number of Christmas cookies I made this year, it was going to have to blow my mind.
Consider it a success.
I decided to make a simple, yet very chocolately icebox cookie studded with candied ginger. Then I dipped the whole thing in chocolate and topped it with slices of candied clementines. I’ve only made these once, but I wanted to share them right away because they were so very good.
Dark Chocolate Ginger Cookies with Candied Orange Slices
1 stick unsalted butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp molasses
1/2 cup cocoa
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 cup minced candied ginger
7-8 clementines, sliced into 1/8 inch slices (you’ll need at least 4 dozen slices, not including ends)
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups water
18 oz. bittersweet chocolate chips
2 Tbsp shortening
Preheat oven to 375. Cream butter & sugar. Add egg & molasses and beat until well-mixed. In a separate bowl, whisk together cocoa, flour, salt, baking powder, and ground ginger. Add to the butter mixture in 3 parts, beating well after each addition. Stir in candied ginger. Place dough on a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll into a log about 2.5-3 inches in diameter. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in freezer for 30 minutes or until firm. (FYI, this is not going to look appetizing at all at this point. Don’t be deterred! It will get better!) Slice into 1/4 inch slices, place on parchment-lined baking sheets and bake for 7 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
To make candied clementines, place water & sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir gently, and allow to come to a simmer. When the sugar is completely dissolved, carefully add clementine slices. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring once or twice. Turn off heat, and allow to cool for 15 minutes in the syrup. Then transfer to a cooling rack set atop a baking sheet. Allow to cool completely.
Melt chocolate chips with shortening in a double boiler, or a bowl set over simmering water. Dip cooled cookies completely in the chocolate with a fork. Allow as much chocolate as possible to drip off, tapping fork gently on the bowl to remove excess chocolate and smooth top. Place on waxed paper, then top with clementine slice. Allow to cool several hours or overnight until chocolate is completely set.
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.
I think these might be my new favorite Christmas cookie.
I’m planning to give some of these away as gifts, but I’m not sure they’ll make it that long…
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Yum!! I hope one of these makes it into my mouth…. :p
OK so I saw these cookies when you first posted them months ago, and I remember thinking how mouth-watering they looked! I have a bazillion lemons on my tree right now and I am wondering if I could use them for a variation on this recipe. Do you think plain lemons (pretty sure they are not meyer lemons) would make tasty (tangy!) cookies?
Hey lady! I think it’s definitely worth a try! The oranges are really nice combination with the chocolate, but I think lemons would be interesting as well, especially with the ginger. I say try it and let me know how it goes. 🙂
Thanks, I will do both!