Decadent Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies: The Ultimate Soft & Chewy Holiday Treat (Dairy-Free + Vegan Option!)
Prepare to be amazed by these incredibly soft and wonderfully chewy Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies! We’ve taken the timeless charm of a classic holiday gingerbread cookie and infused it with a rich, irresistible chocolate twist, creating a treat that’s truly special. Whether you prefer baking with all-purpose or whole wheat flour, this recipe is incredibly versatile. Plus, it’s naturally dairy-free, with a simple vegan option available, making these cookies a delightful choice for everyone.
My culinary journey with these cookies began as an adaptation of a beloved recipe for Ina Garten’s Ginger Cookies. Over time, I’ve perfected it, reducing the sugar content for a more balanced sweetness, incorporating whole grains for added nutritional value, and swapping canola oil for the healthier, more flavorful olive oil in the original ginger version. This evolution led to what I consider, without a doubt, my absolute favorite ginger cookie.
For this exceptional chocolate iteration, I chose to use refined coconut oil (though olive oil works beautifully if that’s your preference), strategically replaced a portion of the flour with rich cocoa powder, and generously folded in luscious chocolate chunks. The result is a symphony of warm gingerbread spices and deep chocolate notes that dance on your palate.
If you’re a connoisseur of both gingerbread and chocolate, then combining these two magnificent flavors into one harmonious cookie is an absolute must. It elevates a traditional holiday favorite into an extraordinary indulgence, perfect for gifting, sharing, or simply savoring with a warm cup of cocoa.
Why You’ll Fall in Love with These Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies
Beyond their captivating flavor, these cookies offer a host of reasons why they’ll become a staple in your holiday baking repertoire:
- Unbeatable Texture: They are famously soft and chewy, never dry or crumbly. The molasses and oil contribute to their delightful tenderness that lasts for days.
- Perfect Flavor Fusion: The classic warmth of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg is beautifully complemented by the deep, rich notes of chocolate. It’s a sophisticated twist on a familiar favorite.
- Dietary Inclusivity: Naturally dairy-free, this recipe also includes an easy-to-follow vegan adaptation using a chia egg, ensuring that those with dietary restrictions can still enjoy this festive treat.
- Simple to Make: Despite their gourmet taste, these cookies follow a straightforward baking process, making them accessible even for novice bakers.
- Versatile Flour Options: Whether you prefer the rustic goodness of whole wheat flour or the lighter texture of all-purpose flour, this recipe yields fantastic results with either.
- Holiday Perfection: These cookies embody the spirit of the holiday season, making them ideal for cookie exchanges, gift baskets, or a cozy evening by the fire.
Essential Ingredients for Your Chocolate Gingerbread Masterpiece
Creating these delightful cookies requires a thoughtful selection of ingredients that work in harmony to produce their unique flavor and texture. Here’s a closer look at what you’ll need and why each component is important:
- Flour: You have the flexibility to use either all-purpose flour for a classic, tender crumb or whole wheat flour for a heartier texture and added fiber. Both work wonderfully in this recipe.
- Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder: This is key to achieving that deep, rich chocolate color and flavor. Dutch-process cocoa is less acidic than natural cocoa, resulting in a smoother, mellower chocolate taste that pairs beautifully with the spices.
- Baking Soda: Our leavening agent, it reacts with the molasses and other ingredients to help the cookies rise slightly and contribute to their soft texture.
- Classic Gingerbread Spices: Ground cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger are the heart of any gingerbread cookie. These spices provide the signature warmth and aromatic complexity that defines the holiday season. Don’t skimp on fresh spices for the best flavor!
- Salt: A pinch of salt is crucial for balancing the sweetness and enhancing all the other flavors, making them pop.
- Brown, Raw, or Coconut Sugar: The choice of sugar significantly impacts the cookie’s texture. Brown sugar adds moisture and chewiness, while raw or coconut sugar provides a more unrefined sweetness and similar moist qualities.
- Melted Coconut Oil, Olive Oil, or Canola Oil: I prefer refined coconut oil for its neutral flavor, but olive oil lends a subtle fruitiness, and canola oil is a classic neutral option. The liquid fat contributes to the cookies’ incredible softness and moistness.
- Light Molasses: Essential for that distinct gingerbread flavor and dark color, molasses also plays a crucial role in maintaining the cookies’ chewiness.
- Large Egg (or Chia Egg for Vegan): The egg acts as a binder, adds richness, and contributes to the cookie’s structure. For a vegan alternative, simply create a chia egg (details below).
- Chopped Crystallized Ginger: This optional but highly recommended ingredient adds bursts of intense ginger flavor and a pleasant chewiness throughout the cookie.
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips or Chunks: For the chocolate lover, these add gooey pockets of chocolate goodness. Be sure to use vegan chocolate chips if you’re making the vegan version.
- Coarse Sugar: Used for rolling the dough balls, it creates a beautiful crackled top and a delightful sugary crunch with every bite.
Instead of a regular egg, you can alternatively use a chia egg for a completely plant-based option. This simple swap ensures the cookies remain moist and well-bound without any dairy or animal products.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Baking Perfection
Making these cookies is a straightforward and enjoyable process that follows the basic principles of any good cookie recipe. The magic truly happens when these simple ingredients come together in a few easy steps. Below, you’ll find a visual guide alongside detailed instructions to ensure your cookies turn out perfectly soft, chewy, and spiced to perfection. Don’t worry, even if you’re a beginner baker, these steps are easy to follow, and the results are incredibly rewarding.
First, you’ll start by preheating your oven and preparing your baking sheets, ensuring they’re lined with parchment paper for easy removal and cleanup. This small step makes a big difference. Then, in one large bowl, whisk together all your dry ingredients – the flours, cocoa, baking soda, and those aromatic gingerbread spices. In a separate bowl, your wet ingredients – sugar, oil, and molasses – will be creamed until light and fluffy. This creaming process incorporates air, contributing to the cookies’ light texture. The egg (or chia egg) is then added, blending everything smoothly.
Finally, the dry ingredients are gradually introduced into the wet mixture, creating a cohesive dough. The chopped crystallized ginger and chocolate chips are folded in last, ensuring they are evenly distributed throughout. Once the dough is ready, you’ll roll it into uniform balls, coating them in coarse sugar for that delightful crackled finish. A gentle press with your palm before baking helps them achieve their ideal shape and chewiness. Bake until the edges are set and the tops are beautifully crackled, then allow them to cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring them to a wire rack. These crucial cooling steps ensure they retain their soft interior.
Expert Tips and Recipe Notes for the Best Results
Achieving the perfect chocolate gingerbread cookie is all about understanding a few key details and having the flexibility to adapt. Here are some essential tips and notes to help you master this recipe:
Choosing Your Oil Wisely
I specifically recommend using **refined coconut oil** for this recipe because it has a neutral flavor, meaning your cookies won’t taste like coconut. If you opt for **unrefined coconut oil**, be aware that it retains a distinct coconut flavor, which might subtly alter the taste profile of your gingerbread cookies. While delicious in its own right, it’s something to consider based on your preference. Alternatively, good quality olive oil or even canola oil can be used, each offering a slightly different nuance to the final flavor.
Perfecting the Vegan Option with a Chia Egg
For those following a vegan diet or looking to avoid eggs, the **chia egg** is a fantastic substitute. To prepare one, simply combine 1 tablespoon of ground chia seeds with 3 tablespoons of water. Stir them together and let the mixture sit for about 5-10 minutes, or until it develops a gelatinous, “goopy” consistency similar to that of a whisked egg. This acts as an excellent binder and moisture provider in the cookie dough.
Customizing Your Spices and Mix-ins
While I adore the combination of crystallized ginger and chocolate chunks in these chocolate gingerbread cookies, the beauty of baking lies in customization. You can certainly adjust the amount of crystallized ginger, or even omit it entirely if you prefer a pure chocolate-gingerbread flavor. Similarly, if chocolate isn’t your favorite, you can leave out the chocolate chips, resulting in a rich, spicy gingerbread cookie. Feel free to experiment with other additions like orange zest for brightness, a sprinkle of sea salt on top before baking, or even a different type of chocolate, such as white chocolate chips, for a contrasting flavor and color.
Learning from Experience: The Art of Adaptation
It’s worth noting that not every adaptation is a success right away! For instance, I once attempted to apply this same concept of swapping some flour for cocoa powder to my Grain-free Chewy Ginger Cookies, but those ended up completely inedible. This experience highlighted the delicate balance required when modifying recipes, especially with different flour bases. It underscores why this specific chocolate gingerbread recipe is so special – it’s been carefully balanced and tested to ensure perfection with both traditional and whole grain flours.
Storage and Freezing for Freshness
Once your cookies have completely cooled, store them in an airtight container at room temperature. They will maintain their incredible softness and chewiness for up to 5 days. For longer storage, these cookies freeze beautifully! You can freeze both the unbaked dough balls (simply thaw slightly and bake as directed, adding a minute or two to the baking time) or the baked cookies for up to 3 months. To freeze baked cookies, arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, then transfer them to an airtight freezer-safe bag or container.
With the holidays just around the corner, the options for festive treats are endless! But these chocolate gingerbread cookies stand out as a crowd-pleaser, satisfying both ardent chocolate lovers and traditional gingerbread enthusiasts with one delectable, perfectly spiced, and wonderfully chewy cookie. They’re a true celebration of holiday flavors in every bite.
More Festive Holiday Cookie Inspiration
These delightful chocolate gingerbread cookies make fantastic homemade gifts for neighbors, friends, and family during the festive season. But why stop there? The holidays are the perfect time to explore a variety of baking wonders. Here are some of my other cherished cookie recipes that are sure to bring joy and warmth to your celebrations:
- These Chewy Whole Wheat Chocolate Cookies are a testament to how healthy can be incredibly delicious. They boast a beautiful crackly top and an incredibly soft, chewy interior that astonishingly stays fresh for at least a week, making them perfect for advance baking.
- I always love to include a few old-fashioned favorites in my holiday cookie tins. These Oatmeal Cookies without Butter are an excellent choice for those seeking a slightly healthier, yet utterly comforting, option. They are incredibly versatile, adaptable with regular, gluten-free, or whole wheat flour, and are naturally dairy-free with a simple vegan modification.
- Prepare to be enchanted by these Italian Almond Cookies! They are surprisingly easy to prepare, yet possess an elegance that makes them feel truly special. Their delicate almond flavor instantly evokes the festive spirit of the holidays. What’s more, they are naturally grain-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free, offering a sophisticated treat for everyone.
- If you’re a fan of light, airy, and melt-in-your-mouth confections, then you absolutely must try these Peppermint Meringues! Their crisp texture and refreshing peppermint flavor make them a wonderfully festive and unique addition to any holiday dessert spread.
- These Peppermint Chocolate Puddle Cookies offer a divine combination, perfectly blending the rich intensity of a chocolate cookie with the cool, refreshing crunch of peppermint candy flakes. They are remarkably naturally gluten-free, grain-free, and dairy-free, yet you would never guess it. They are truly decadent, fudgy, and gooey on the inside, all crowned with a crisp and crackly top—an absolute triumph for holiday indulgence!
If you embark on the delightful journey of making these Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies, please don’t hesitate to share your experience! Simply leave a comment below with your thoughts, or better yet, share a picture on social media! Be sure to tag #fooddoodlesrecipes so I can easily find and admire your wonderful creations. Thank you, and happy baking! 🙂
Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies (vegan option)
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups (208 grams) whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup (77 grams) Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2/3 cup (133 grams) brown sugar, raw sugar, or coconut sugar
- 1/4 cup (56 grams) coconut oil*, melted or olive oil or canola oil
- 1/3 cup (117 grams) light molasses
- 1 large egg (50 grams, out of shell egg), room temperature or 1 chia egg for vegan**
- 3/4 cup (136 grams) chopped crystallized ginger
- 3/4 cup (128 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips (use vegan chocolate chips), if necessary
- 3-4 tablespoons coarse sugar for rolling the dough balls in
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
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In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Set aside.
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With an electric mixer, beat the sugar, oil, and molasses at medium speed for 1 minute.
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Add the egg, and beat for 1 minute on low. Scrape the sides of the bowl and then beat for another minute.
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Slowly add the dry ingredients and mix on medium for 2 minutes.
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Add the crystallized ginger and chocolate chips, and mix until combined.
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Roll the dough into twelve 71-gram balls, roll in sugar and place 3″ apart on the prepared baking sheet.
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Flatten the balls slightly with your palm.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the tops have crackled.. Let the cookies cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
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Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. They can also be frozen (dough and baked cookies) for up to 3 months.
Notes
** To make a chia egg, mix together 1 tablespoon ground chia seeds + 3 tablespoons water until goopy like an egg.
*** For optimal flavor, use fresh, high-quality spices. They make a noticeable difference in the final taste of your gingerbread cookies.
**** To ensure even baking, use a kitchen scale to measure out your dough balls, aiming for consistent size.