Gingersnap!

I have always loved sweets. When I was a kid, there was a lot that I wouldn't eat, but usually anything with sugar in it was fair game. One sweet that I did not like was a gingersnap cookie. From time to time my mom would buy a bag of them - I remember they came in kind of a brown paper bag, and I hated them. They were hard and spicy and gross. Since we didn't usually have a lot of sweets in the house, I thought it was so unfair that she would buy cookies I didn't like.

A few years ago, I realized you could make your own gingersnaps that were much better than the store bought ones. Today, I was looking through my cookbook and came across a recipe for gingerbread cookies with chocolate. I had never made them before and couldn't even remember where the recipe came from, but since I had all the ingredients in my cupboard, I decided today was the day to try them.

Gingerbread Cookies With Chocolate

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup molasses
2 (1 oz) squares unsweetened chocolate
2 1/2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup milk
sugar

Combine butter, molasses, and chocolate in a double boiler. Heat until the chocolate melts. Stir until smooth. Sift together the next six ingredients. Stir in melted chocolate mixture and milk. Chill until firm. Roll into 1-inch balls. Roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes 3 dozen.

Here's the final result.



I am pleased that they turned out more cakey than snappy, and I must say that they are pretty tasty, too. Give them a try some time or come eat some of mine.