| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 42 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 3 hr |
| Cook: | 12 min |
| Yield: | 3 dozen (3-inch) cookies |
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 42 min |
| Prep: | 30 min |
| Inactive: | 3 hr |
| Cook: | 12 min |
| Yield: | 3 dozen (3-inch) cookies |
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala (Indian spice blend available at specialty shops)
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 1/2 sticks)
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup molasses
- Chocolate Glaze, recipe follows
- Royal Icing, recipe follows
- Toasted fennel seed, dried rose petals and gold or silver dragees, for garnish
- 3 cups all purpose flour, plus for dusting
- 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
- 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons corn syrup
- 3 tablespoons water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons egg white powder
- 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 4 tablespoons water
Instructions
- Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and garam masala in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Add the butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer). Beat on medium-high speed until the butter is smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and ginger; continue to beat over medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg until fully incorporated. Add the molasses and continue to beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour in 2 batches and mix on low until combined and forms a sticky dough. Divide the dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap, and pat into 2 (1/2-inch thick) rectangles. Chill for at least 2 hours and up to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and adjust racks to the bottom and top half of the oven. Line 3 to 4 baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour.
- Roll each portion of the dough into a 1/4-inch thick rectangle (if the dough becomes soft, chill for a bit in the refrigerator). Cut the dough with 3-inch cookie cutters, lay on the prepared baking sheets about 1-inch apart, and chill for 10 minutes. Bake until the cookies are golden around the edges, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool completely. Decorate, as desired, with Chocolate Glaze or Royal Icing. Garnish with toasted fennel seeds, dried rose petals, or silver dragees.
- Combine all the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and cook until the chocolate melts, about 1 1/2 minutes. Stir to smooth out and combine.
- Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl. Beat with an electric hand mixer over medium-high speed until it forms thick and glossy peaks, about 6 minutes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 36 servings |
| Calories | 174 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg |
| Sodium | 92 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 36 servings |
| Calories | 174 |
| Total Fat | 6 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 30 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 20 g |
| Protein | 2 g |
| Cholesterol | 17 mg |
| Sodium | 92 mg |
Reviews
This recipe was extremely popular with many of my local and international guests this year. I used the bitter sweet chocolate glaze and I finally got to use the Persian rose petals I bought just in case a few years ago. Guests also enjoyed the fennel seed topping. (And yes, it took a minute before I located the 3 cups of flour hidden at the bottom of the recipe)
The amount of flour is not listed in my recipe. Please let me know how much to use. I was planning on making these cookies today. (12/16)
This recipe came together well for me. I didn’t have dutch chocolate so I used natural cocoa and it turned out great. I baked it for 12 minutes to get the crispy edge and cake like center. I also used Ree Drummond’s royal icing recipe and dipped the cookies before topping it off with some dried rose petals and gold sprinkles. It’s definitely the easiest route to go when trying to ice these cookies to be picture worthy. Finally, I sealed them in plastic bags and added it to my Christmas cookie gift boxes to give it a wow factor. The cookie pairs well with the icing, but I definitely couldn’t eat more than one due to how “exotic” it tastes (in a good way).
I am not a fan of traditional gingerbread much and have been looking for something different. I LOVE these…. they are delicious and definitely in the gingerbread family, but delightfully different. These will become a Christmas staple at my house!
These were the perfect spicy twist on classic gingerbread men. We topped some with rose petals and others with lavender. Both worked well; however, the lavender clashed with chocolate icing.
I love these cookies. They are so yummy. I made them for Christmas and they were a big hit at the party. I love the spice mixed with the chocolate, it was amazing. I didn’t find the garam masala to overpowering. It was fantastic. Thank you Aarti. You took gingerbread to a whole next level. I will definitely try more of her recipes.
I think if you use her garam masala recipe it would have spices normally seen in sweets. Store bought may have others such as cumin or coriander.
I thought they were fantastic, and for ‘rolling’ cookies they weren’t to dry or hard. I like the unique combination. I was craving some kind of molasses cocoa combination but couldn’t figure out how to do it. Thank you Aarti Sequeira and food network – I’ll definitely keep an eye out for more of her recipes.
The garam masala was far more overpowering than I expected. As described by a family member, they tasted like “frosted tacos.” With half the spice and twice the ginger, these might be better, but I won’t be experimenting with this again. They aren’t terrible cookies, but the taste is an acquired one. Some spices simply do not go well with certain ingredients. Perhaps if you’re a lover of all Indian food, this would suit your palete, but if not, I wouldn’t recommend this.
these were fascinating, it made gingerbread just that much more interesting. we didn’t add the chocolate or icing, just had some plain & some with a simple milk/powdered sugar icing but these were great either way.