Chocolate ginger cookies

Chocolate ginger cookies are light buttery cookies packed with the flavours of cocoa, chocolate chunks and crystallised ginger.

They are great for picnics, lunchboxes and bake sales and are also perfect with a cup of tea or coffee.

Similar to blueberry and white chocolate cookies and traditional chocolate chip cookies they are easy to make and can be made in bulk and frozen for convenience.

The quantities in this easy cookie recipe are sufficient to make around 25 biscuits.

Ingredients for the cookie dough

• 125g butter - use either salted or unsalted butter depending on your preference. The butter should be at room temperature so that it is soft enough to mix easily with the sugar. You can substitute margarine for butter if you prefer.

• 125g caster sugar - caster sugar is more suitable for this recipe than granulated sugar as it is finer. If you only have granulated sugar this can be blitzed in a food processor for a few seconds to reduce the size of the sugar crystals.

• 1 egg - use either a medium or large egg to bind the other ingredients.

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract - a good quality vanilla essence could be used instead.

• 120g plain flour - alternatively you could use self raising flour but omit the baking powder.

• 30g cocoa powder - ideally use a good quality cocoa powder with a high cocoa content for a richer flavour.

• 2 teaspoons baking powder - use only if you are using plain flour. You will not need baking powder if you use self raising flour.

• 75g chocolate chunks - roughly chop a bar of chocolate or use chocolate chips.

• 40g crystallised ginger - use crystallised ginger cut into small pieces. Ground ginger or fresh ginger are not suitable for this recipe.

Equipment needed

No specialist kitchen equipment is needed to make these cookies but the following will be useful:

• Large baking bowl
• Wooden spoon to cream the butter and sugar together
• Large sieve
• Metal baking sheet
• Non-stick baking parchment
• Chopping board and sharp knife to chop the chocolate (if not using chocolate chips)

Before starting this recipe

Remove the butter from the fridge so that it softens enough to mix with the sugar.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, gas mark 4.

How to make chocolate and ginger cookies

Cream together the butter and caster sugar.

Add the egg and vanilla essence and beat.

Sift the flour into the bowl. Add the cocoa powder, baking powder, oats, chocolate chunks (or chocolate chips) and mix until all the ingredients are combined. The mixture will be fairly dry and stiff but this is how it should be at this stage.

Take a dessertspoonful of mixture and form into a cookie shape. Place on a non-stick baking sheet on a baking tray. Repeat until all the mixture is used up. Leave a space between each cookie to allow room to spread slightly during cooking.

How to bake the cookies

Cook in batches, one tray at a time, in the centre of the oven until they start to turn golden at the edges. This should take around 10 minutes but check regularly as they can easily become overcooked. The cookies will be soft and will set as they cool down.

Leave on the baking tray for a couple of minutes or so and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.

For an Aga, cook on the grid shelf on the floor of the roasting oven with the cold plain shelf on the second set of runners.

How to store the unbaked dough

The unbaked cookie dough can be stored in the fridge for up to two days. Remove from the fridge and leave to reach room temperature before shaping the cookies and baking.

The unbaked cookie mixture can also be frozen. Defrost and shape before baking.

How to store the baked cookies

The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of days, but if you plan to keep them any longer I recommend they are frozen.

Tips

1. Remove the butter from the fridge ahead of starting to make the cookies so that it reaches room temperature and soften. Alternatively, soften (but do not melt) the butter in a microwave using the appropriate setting. If the butter is taken straight from the fridge it will be very difficult to cream the butter and sugar together.
2. If you are using chocolate chunks don't chop the chocolate too small as it is better to have some large chunks in the biscuits. I suggest aiming to have some chunks up to around 0.5 cm across.
3. Remember to leave a space between the cookies to allow room for expansion during the cooking time.
4. Don't be tempted to leave the cookies in the oven for too long. They will still be soft when they are ready to be removed from the oven and will set as they cool.
5. The cookies can be stored in an airtight tin, but will only be at their best for a couple of days. If you plan to keep them any longer it is better to freeze them in an airtight container so they can be enjoyed at their best.

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