Chocolate Ginger Snap Cookies

It's cold and the perfect time for a winter cookie.  The chocolate ginger snap cookie delivers sweet, spicy and chocolate-y.  It's especially nice with some thick socks and a hot cup of tea.  (I hope it's pretty obvious that I don't eat socks.  Except for the ramen socks when I'm drunk confused.)

Molasses is pretty essential to ginger snap cookies.  I know molasses is sold in Korea, but I really didn't care enough to go track it down and pay 10,000 won ($10) for it.  Dark brown sugar is made from molasses so I deemed it a worthy substitute and probably the closest I could get to molasses in terms of flavor.

Chocolate Ginger Snaps
(adapted from A Taste of Home)

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon water
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking cocoa
1-1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
7 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup sugar or candied ginger

In a large bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the water and ginger root.

Combine the flour, cocoa, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well.

Stir in chocolate.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours or until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar or sprinkle on the candied ginger. Place 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets.

Bake at 350° for 10-12 minutes or until tops begin to crack. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks.

Yield: 3 dozen.