the other night i attended my first ever cookie exchange.
super fun & super yummy.. except. a party where there is a large table covered with loads-o-cookies and you can’t eat any of them?! not right.

the good part came when i got to take a big plate home and share them with the hubby, who happens to have a devoted & unhealthy attachment to sugar cookies. (read: i didn’t get to eat any sugar cookies that night).

the reigning winner of the cookie exchange for the past few years just happened to be a lady whose husband made the winning cookies for her (you know who you are:) so i probably don’t have to tell you there were a lot of sweet ladies at the party who were out to take him down this year.

the competition is pretty much based on looks and not taste, so i knew i wouldn’t take the gold medal home this year (not with all the “melted snowmen” and reindeer cookies with pretzels for antlers) BUT as for when each lady got home and tasted these babies – yeah, i felt good about that. these cookies are a grown up, holiday version of everyone’s favorite chocolate chip cookie and are simply yet complexly (is that a word?) delicious! (adapted from an old martha stewart recipe)

chewy chocolate spiced molasses cookies
makes 18 large cookies

ingredients

2 tsp baking soda

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

3 cups all purpose flour (just a little heaping)

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cup molasses

one 12-oz bag mini semi sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

directions

1. preheat oven to 325. line 2-3 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. in a small bowl, dissolve baking soda in 3 tsp boiling water; set aside.

3. in a large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until combined. in another bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. slowly add to butter/sugar mixture & mix until almost combined.

4. add baking soda mixture and molasses; mix to combine. stir in chocolate chips. mix well.

5. using a 2 inch cookie dough scoop, scoop dough and then roll in granulated sugar. place cookies on cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. bake until surfaces crack slightly, about 18 minutes. let cool 5 minutes, then place on a wire rack to cool completely.

enjoy!