One of my favorite things to do during the holidays is making really good cookies and then giving as many of them away as I can! The tradition goes back to when the girls were really young and now a new generation has joined in the fun. This year I went up to Layton and Jen, Denise and I baked all day Saturday the 11th. We made sankakkers, which are a traditional Norwegian Christmas cookie that you make in shells, a new cookie I started making last year, double-ginger chocolate chunk cookies, and homemade turtles. Jen also made another cookie batter and Lauren and her friend Kimberly made cute green Christmas tree cookies. I thought it would be Lauren or Katie who would help us with the sankakkers but it was the five year old, Ethan, who helped with those. It was hysterical watching him jam the dough into the shells, but Aunt Denise was very patient with him. The ones he made we put on a special plate for his friends.
So, I want to share the recipe for the double-ginger chocolate chunk cookies. They are super yummy!
Bon appetite and stay well until next time!

Double-Ginger Chocolate Chunk Cookies
30 cookies
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks) room temperature
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar (plus 1/2 cup for rolling)
1 large egg yolk
1/2 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup coarsely chopped candied ginger
1 cup dark chocolate chunks (chop a gourmet chocolate bar for the best results)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, spices and cocoa in a large bowl. Set aside.
With a mixer, cream together butter and 1/3 cup dark brown sugar and 1/3 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in egg yolk. Add molasses and vanilla. Add flour mixture. Mix until no flour pockets remain. Stir in chocolate and ginger. Chill dough until firm.
Place 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of cookie dough into balls and roll in sugar.
Place 2 inches apart on parchment-lined cookie sheets. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, rotating pan after 5 minutes, until cookies are beginning to crack and edges are just set. Do not overbake.
Let cookies cool briefly on baking sheet and transfer to a rack to cool completely.