Gingerbread Cookies

Molasses, Sugar, and Shortening

Question: Is there anything better than gingerbread cookies and a nice cup of Constant Comment?
Answer: Yes. Chocolate chip gingerbread cookies and a cup of Doubleshot Ethiopian Moka Stag.

Okay, so we all knew that this would happen. I just had to make those glorious new gingerbread cookies in part chocolate chip cookies. But fear not, I have yet to find anything that chocolate chips have ruined.

Ingredients:

1 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup mild molasses
1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vinegar
7 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger (I added about 3)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (I used probably close to 3 or 4...we like cinnamon)
I also added a little nutmeg, just for good measure.

Cream together the first 3 ingredients
Add all other ingredients to the creamed mixture, and alternate the buttermilk and vinegar.
Roll out onto a floured work surface.
Cutout cookies with your favorite cookie cutter

If you want to decorate your gingerbread cookies in the traditional way, add an eggwash to the cookies after rolling them out.

Bake at 375* until just baked (about 8 minutes or so)

We didn't decorate these cookies, but just used a melon baller and plopped them onto a baking sheet.
-Don't forget to add the better part of a bag of your favorite chocolate chips to the batter!-
Also, gingerbread dough doesn't really hold the chocolate chips, so you have to use your hands and smoosh together the balls of cookie dough before placing them on your baking sheet.

And so, we didn't make traditional gingerbread cookies, but we made some pretty yummy ones all the same! Grant and I are officially fans of gingerbread cookies, and many thanks to my wonderful, magical Aunt Bonnie for lending us her recipe!

Grant Approved!