Although ginger can be delicious with any type of chocolate, for me it really shines when paired with dark chocolate. These Stem Ginger & Dark Chocolate Cookies are made with dark brown sugar for a gorgeous caramel colour, packed with chunks of stem ginger and studded with a generous amount of dark chocolate. They are chunky, gooey and totally yummy!
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Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread. Baking spreads do contain more water, so your cookie dough could be looser.
- I highly recommend using dark brown soft sugar for these cookies, not only for delicious flavour but they give the cookies their gorgeous golden colour. You could use light brown soft sugar, or a mix of light brown soft sugar and caster sugar, but the colour of the cookies will be lighter.
- Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg.
- For me, dark chocolate and ginger belong together, but you can use milk or white chocolate for these cookies if you prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
How to make Stem Ginger & Dark Chocolate Cookies
Mix the dark brown soft sugar and butter together in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment for about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix until combined.
Add the plain flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix in. Then add the dark chocolate chips and the stem ginger, and mix briefly to combine. Divide the mixture into portions and roll into balls with your hands. Place on a lined baking tray and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. When ready to bake, arrange on a lined baking tray with space in between the dough balls. Bake for 12 minutes, leave to cool for 10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack (or eating!)
For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.
Do you have to chill the cookies before baking them?
I highly recommend chilling them before baking, otherwise the cookies spread too much and are thinner and less gooey. For thicker and more gooey cookies, definitely chill them before baking.
How do you get perfectly round cookies?
As soon as they come out of the oven get a round cookie cutter, or a glass held upside down, that is larger than the cookies and put it over each cookie. Move it in a circular motion, pressing against the sides of the cookies gently to adjust any irregularities. This is called "scooting" or "hula hooping" the cookies.
How should the cookies be stored and can they be frozen?
You can keep the balls of unbaked cookie dough in the freezer for up to 3 months, and you can bake them straight from frozen whenever you fancy a fresh cookie. The baked cookies will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze the baked cookies too, wrap them well or store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Put a square of baking paper between each one to stop them from sticking together.
Do you need any electric mixer to make this recipe?
While an electric mixer is helpful in making these cookies and will give the best results, you don't need one to make them. You can absolutely make the cookies by hand with a wooden spoon and some elbow grease. If you have an electric stand mixer, then you can use the paddle attachment to make these cookies.
Can this recipe be made gluten free?
For gluten free you can replace the plain flour with a gluten free plain flour blend. You may also like to add ¼ tsp xanthan gum for better texture. Please check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
Can this recipe be made dairy free?
For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread instead of butter for the cookies, I like Flora Plant. You will also need to use dairy free dark chocolate chips. Please do check the labels of everything you use if serving to someone with an allergy or intolerance.
More tips for making the Stem Ginger & Dark Chocolate Cookies:
- Make sure to leave space between the balls of cookie dough on the baking trays as they will spread when baking, about 2" should ensure they don't stick together. If you make bigger cookies, you will need to leave more space.
- Let the cookies cool on the baking tray for at least 5 minutes (nearer to 10 minutes is ideal) before trying to move them onto a cooling rack. Otherwise they will be too soft and will break or stick to the baking paper.
- I pressed some extra dark chocolate chunks into the cookies as soon as they came out of the oven, you could also add some more stem ginger or crystallised ginger.
Troubleshooting
My number one tip for getting the best results is to read through this whole page of tips and recommendations before starting, and follow the recipe exactly. If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!
Recommended equipment & ingredients
- Mixing bowls
- Measuring spoons
- Baking trays
- Cooling rack
- Kitchen scales
- Electric hand mixer
- Stand mixer
- Round cutters
- Vanilla extract
- Dark chocolate
- Mixed spice
- Stem ginger in syrup
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Stem Ginger & Dark Chocolate Cookies
Ingredients
- 125 g Butter unsalted, softened
- 200 g Dark brown soft sugar
- 1 Egg large
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract
- 250 g Plain flour
- 3 tsp Ground ginger
- 1 tsp Mixed spice
- ½ tsp Baking powder
- ¼ tsp Bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tsp Salt
- 250 g Dark chocolate chips or chopped dark chocolate
- 70 g Stem ginger 4 bulbs, chopped up
Instructions
- Ideally using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix the butter and dark brown soft sugar together until fluffy and paler in colour. This will take 3-5 minutes in an electric mixer (I use speed 3)
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix in
- Add the plain flour, ground ginger, mixed spice, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix them in until just combined
- Then mix in the dark chocolate chips and stem ginger briefly, just to evenly distribute them
- Divide the dough into portions, I weighed the dough out to make each cookie an equal size (they were roughly 80g each)
- Roll the dough portions into balls using your hands, place them on either a lined baking tray, or into a tupperware container lined with baking paper. Chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes
- Meanwhile, pre-heat your oven to 180C Fan/400F/Gas Mark 6
- After the 30 minutes is up and your oven is pre-heated, place the dough balls onto lined baking trays, leaving space (at least 2") between them to spread. If you don't have enough baking trays, keep the dough in the fridge and bake the cookies in batches
- Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven and leave the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking trays before moving to a cooling rack
- Enjoy warm, or once fully cooled. Store leftovers in an airtight container and eat within 3 days
Notes
- Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and egg) are at room temperature before you start baking.
- I prefer to use unsalted butter for this recipe, but you can also use a baking spread. Baking spreads do contain more water, so your cookie dough could be looser.
- I highly recommend using dark brown soft sugar for these cookies, not only for delicious flavour but they give the cookies their gorgeous golden colour. You could use light brown soft sugar, or a mix of light brown soft sugar and caster sugar, but the colour of the cookies will be lighter.
- Mixed spice is a British spice blend containing cinnamon, coriander seed, nutmeg, clove, pimento, and ground ginger. If you can't get hold of it where you're based, you can use a Pumpkin Spice mix instead or add a mix of other spices - I recommend cinnamon and nutmeg.
- For me, dark chocolate and ginger belong together, but you can use milk or white chocolate for these cookies if you prefer.
- Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
- For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
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