Chocolate Gingersnaps

Total Time: 58 mins Preparation Time: 50 mins Cook Time: 8 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg , at room temperature

Recipe

• 1 position oven racks in the bottom and top thirds of the oven; preheat oven to 350°; spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• 2 in a large bowl, mix the flour, cocoa powder, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, and salt until uniform; set aside.
• 3 in another large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the shortening, molasses, and brown sugar until creamy.
• 4 continue beating until amber brown and very fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• 5 beat in the egg .
• 6 remove the beaters and stir in the prepared flour mixture using a wooden spoon.
• 7 stir just until thick and lush if still slightly grainy—the batter should be the same color as before the flour was added; it should not lighten.
• 8 dust a clean, dry work surface with flour; then gather the dough into a ball; place it on the work surface, and press down lightly with your hands, just until it looks like a flattened basketball.
• 9 dust a rolling pin lightly with flour, dust the top of the dough itself with a fine film of flour, then roll it out into a large circle, about 16 inches in diameter and ¼ inch thick.
• 10 using a 2-inch cookie cutter, cut out round cookie disks, then transfer them to the prepared baking sheets, spacing them about 1-inch apart.
• 11 bake for 4 minutes, then rotate the sheets top to bottom and back to front.
• 12 continue baking for about 4 more minutes, or until the cookies are firm and crisp.
• 13 cool on the baking sheets for 1 minute, then gently transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool.
• 14 if baking additional batches, allow the baking sheets to cool to room temperature, then spray them with nonstick cooking spray again before proceeding.
• 15 storage: 1 week at room temperature; 3 months in the freezer.