Gingerbread Cookies with chocolate chips are my kids’ favorite. They’re soft cookies with a flavorful bite from ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. The chocolate chips balances them out with with a creamy sweetness.

Once the dough is made, it needs to be refrigerated and then rolled into balls – a great task for little ones (with very clean hands) who want to help. At this point, the dough can be frozen, ready and waiting to be popped in the oven for a last minute dessert.

GINGERBREAD COOKIES WITH CHOCOLATE CHIPS – makes about 3 dozen

• 3/4 cup (452g) butter, softened
• 1 cup (168g / 6 oz) dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup (75g by weight / 2.5oz) molasses
• 2¼ cup (265g / 9.25 oz) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1½ tsp dried ginger
• 1¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup (155g / 5.4 oz) semi-sweet chocolate chips
• about 1/3 cup granulated sugar for rolling dough into

Using a standing mixer, cream butter and brown sugar. Mix in egg and molasses.

In a bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Blend into butter mixture on low speed. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour to make it easier to handle.

Roll dough into 1″ balls, then roll into granulated sugar – coating well. Place on parchment paper lined or greased cookie sheets. Don’t flatten them – they’ll spread in the oven.

If you want to freeze them for future use (I’m AM the self-proclaimed Queen of Freeze, after all), put the dough balls (without rolling in sugar) on a non-greased cookie sheet and place in freezer until solid. Gather them into a container for storage. When ready to bake, roll them firmly into granulated sugar and place them on prepared cookie sheets, letting them thaw about 20 minutes. Bake as directed.

Bake at 375º Fahrenheit 10-12 minutes. Don’t overbake – you’ll get a dry cookie. Remember, they’ll continue to cook on the hot cookie sheet out of the oven. The edges should look done, but the center should look slightly underdone.

Let cookies set for 5 minutes before removing them to a wire rack.