These wondrously crispy and chewy medallions are not only beautiful, but they pack a powerful chocolate punch, as well.

 

There is something magical about chocolate crinkle cookies. Little balls of dark chocolate dough are cloaked in a generous coating of confectioners’ sugar and lined up in neat rows on a baking sheet. Then, once in the oven, they are transformed, breaking through the protective white powder and organized line-ups, spreading and cracking as they please. These wondrously crispy and chewy medallions are not only beautiful, but they pack a powerful chocolate punch, as well. This recipe is a play on the traditional chocolate crinkle cookie. The generous infusion of powdered and crystallized gingers gives the cookie a spicy wallop that excitingly enhances and intensifies the chocolate experience.

Ingredients
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½  teaspoon salt
1 ½  teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

7 ½ oz. semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
Confectioners’ sugar for rolling

Directions
1 Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, ginger, and cinnamon in a medium bowl.

2 Combine the butter and 3 ounces of the chocolate in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan filled with about 11/2 inches of simmering water (being sure not to let the bottom of the bowl touch the water) and stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter have melted and the mixture is smooth.

3 Remove the bowl from the saucepan and set aside to cool slightly, about 10 minutes. (You can also melt the mixture in the microwave, heating it at about 20-second intervals and stirring periodically until it is melted and smooth.)

4 Stir the granulated and brown sugars into the melted chocolate mixture, using a wooden spoon or heatproof spatula. Drop in the eggs, one at a time, mixing briskly until smooth. Stir in the vanilla extract and gradually incorporate the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining 41/2 ounces of chocolate and the crystallized ginger. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

5 Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

6 Shape the chilled dough into walnut-size balls, roll in confectioners’ sugar, and arrange them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. (If your kitchen is quite warm and the dough becomes too soft, return it to the refrigerator until chilled and fairly firm.) Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cookies have spread and the tops are cracked.

7 Cool the cookies on the baking sheets set on wire racks for about 2 minutes before removing them to the racks to cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container or in a zip-top bag for up to 4 days.

Makes 40 cookies.

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Excerpted from Gingerbread: Timeless Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, Desserts, Ice Cream, and Candy by Jennifer Lindner McGlinn. Copyright 2009 by Chronicle Books. Excerpted with permission by Chronicle Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.