Thursday, August 26, 2010

Ginger Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies


I got the idea for these cookies, while screwing up another recipe.  I use the term screwing up lightly because 1) the resulting product ended up in stomachs and not the trash and 2) they were actually still delicious.  In my last post I talked about Ginger Peach Muffins from a recipe in Good to the Grain that I modified slightly. 

The combination of fresh ginger and oats was great.  Too often ginger cookies or ginger cake has a smooth texture but adding whole oats gives it a little more to grab onto.  So with Ginger Oatmeal cookies on the brain, I proceeded on to search the interwebs and see if this has been done (or overdone).  It looks like there was a run of Ginger Oatmeal Cookies and Salted Ginger Oatmeal Cookies a little while ago, but they seem to all use ginger spice and not fresh ginger.  There also had to crystallized ginger in these hypothetical cookies.  And dark chocolate chips.


So I set to work.  To be completely honest, I have made my oatmeal cookies for years now following the recipe on the inside of the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats container.  But I never put in raisins.  I mean, come on, oatmeal chocolate chip is way better.  And ginger oatmeal chocolate chip was going to be the best.






The cookies came out marvelous.  The ginger flavor is just enough so that you can experience it without being overwhelmed by it.  I had the urge to add Garam Masala instead of Cinnamon but resisted, feeling like that might drown out the other important flavors. 


Ginger Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Makes 2 dozen medium cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 c butter (1 stick), softened
1/2 c light brown sugar
1/4 c granulated sugar (I use raw sugar)
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 heaping Tbsp fresh grated ginger
3/4 c all purpose four
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 c Old Fashioned Oats
1/2 c (heaping) dark chocolate, with chips or cut into small chunks(I used 60% bittersweet)
1/3 c crystallized ginger, cut into small chunks

*There is an option to chill the cookie dough once prepared for an hour, but if you plan to bake the cookies right away (they'll still come out yummy), preheat your oven to 350F.

First peel and grate fresh ginger and set aside.  Prepare the crystallized ginger and dark chocolate (if necessary) and set aside.

Beat together softened butter and sugars (brown and granulated) until creamy.  Add the egg, vanilla, and grated ginger.   Mix in with beater.

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and whisk together.  Add dry mixture to wet ingredients and stir together.  Now stir in oats, dark chocolate, and crystallized ginger.

For a thicker, chewier cookie, refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour before baking.  I just covered the bowl with plastic wrap.  Be sure to preheat your oven at about the 45 minute mark.

Place rounded spoonfuls (about a tablespoon size) onto an ungreased cookie sheet (I used parchment paper because my cookie sheets are old and not very photogenic).  Bake at 350F for about 10-15 minutes.  They will be done when they are golden brown.  Let cool on the pan for a minute or two before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. 

Make sure to have at least one while they're still warm!

2 comments:

  1. These look delicious! I just made some ginger oatmeal cookies a few days ago, but I love the idea of using chocolate chips as well. mmmmm! Definitely have to try these!

    www.seegirlcook.com

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  2. Thanks Amanda! For me there is just something about crystallized ginger and dark chocolate that I love - I like them together in Banana Bread too with Orangette's amazing recipe.

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