These delectable Double Chocolate Chunk Molasses Cookies come to life with five-spice powder, ginger, and chunks of chocolate, punctuated with dried cherries.

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Looking for an easy cookie recipe, with no dough chilling, cookie cutters, or complicated procedures? Love chewy ginger molasses cookies and chocolate? Look no further. I’ve riffed off of classic molasses and ginger spiced cookies to create a chewy cookie with tons of flavor. Let’s dig in!

What you’ll love about this recipe

Giftable: this time of year, a cookie that is sturdy, and has wide appeal is a great option for gifting.
Flavor: After testing this recipe multiple times, I’ve developed a cookie full of flavor for you. It takes a ginger/molasses cookie to the next level.
Chew: If you like a chewy, versus a cakey or crisp cookie, this is your cookie of choice.
Ease of Prep: while you can’t pull this together using just one bowl, it is quick and simple. Mix dry, mix wet, combine. Also, no stand mixer or cookie scoop is required. We’re going old school with this recipe, using a handheld mixer, fork, and tablespoon! Finally, no chilling of the dough is required. You can mix it up and pan the cookies immediately.
Looks: The crackle top to this cookie with a dusting of sugar makes this cookie a holiday showstopper.

chocolate ginger cookies close up on a plate, broken in half to see inside.

plate of chocolate ginger cookies and mug of tea

Ingredient Notes:

Chocolate: 70% dark chocolate chopped into large chunks is hard to resist, no?
Spices: Five-Spice Powder is a traditional Asian spice blend. It’s a mix of star anise, cloves, cinnamon, Sichuan peppercorns, and fennel seeds. It brings a more complex flavor and a bit of heat, giving these cookies a “Mexican Hot Chocolate” flavor.
Dried Cherries: If you can get your hands on the unsweetened variety of dried cherries, I recommend them. With only 1/3 of a cup in this recipe, they add an unexpected and occasional surprise. This addition brings brightness and tang to the cookie to balance the velvety richness of the chocolate.
Molasses: a key ingredient in ginger/molasses cookies, I’m offering two options. Molasses is the more traditional choice you are apt to have in your pantry. According to my research, most experienced bakers prefer Grandma’s Original over Blackstrap (considered too bitter).
White sugar: lends a bit of crispiness to the exterior of the cookie.
Ginger: ginger is not part of the Five-Spice Powder blend, so we add layers of it to this cookie. Fresh ginger is grated into the butter/sweetener mixture and ground ginger is part of the dry ingredients.
No eggs! That’s right, no eggs. I chose this option because eggs cause spreading and dry out a cookie. I wanted to ensure this cookie was chewy. You can eat the batter!
Butter: of course, but only 1 stick versus the two of many cookie recipes. Easily make this cookie vegan by using vegan butter.

Ingredient Substitutions:

Molasses: this can be substituted with coconut nectar with the main difference being that its glycemic index is much lower (35 vs. 55) than molasses. I love the Coconut Secret brand and use their other products regularly. That said, the flavor difference was indistinguishable.
Dried cherries: there is only 1/3 of a cup of dried cherries, and while I love the occaisional chew and tartness they bring the rich chocolate, the cookies are already chewy and if you aren’t a fan of dried fruit in your cookies you can leave them out.
Five-Spice Powder: I love the complex, peppery spiciness this spice blend gives the cookies, but you can also substitute with an equal amount of cinnamon and chili powder for that “Mexican hot chocolate” vibe, or use the equivalent 2 tsp amount of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, without getting the anise (licorice) and pepper flavor, use just cinnamon and ginger, or even leave the spice out entirely. Or, final idea is to substitute with 2 tsp. of instant espresso or coffee powder.
Chocolate chunks: I like nice and dark chocolate chunks, but you can use 50-85% dark chocolate chunks or even sub in chocolate chips.

chocolate ginger cookie ingredients shown in bowls read to mix

wet cookie ingredients being mixed with handheld mixer

How to make these cookies:

You will need two bowls to make these cookies. A simple mixing of dry ingredients in one bowl and wet ingredients in another bowl leads to a quick preparation.
Dry ingredients: Whisk the flour, cocoa, spices, and salt in a medium bowl together to distribute as mentioned above.
Wet ingredients: Soften the butter, then mix with a hand mixer to blend with the sugar, molasses, and freshly grated ginger.
Mixing: Mix 1/3 of the dry ingredients into the wet with the hand mixer or move to a silicone spatula). Add the below baking soda mixture and then add the rest of the dry ingredients (using a spatula or wooden spoon). As always, mix thoroughly but don’t overmix. You don’t want to activate the gluten too much and get tough cookies!
Baking Soda: I learned that if you dissolve the baking soda into boiling/hot water, its chemical reaction begins and helps the cookies to rise. Without the egg, I liked how this created a slightly puffy but chewy texture. I balked at the added step but ultimately it was simple. Hot tap water is fine and is what I used.
Mix-ins: At this point, I switch to a fork, to work in the chocolate chunks and dried cherries for ease of distribution.
While the cookies aren’t a simple drop from the spoon cookie, they quickly come together by grabbing 1 tablespoon of dough, rolling so the ball is smoothish, then quickly rolling in a sugar/five-spice powder mix. The cookies don’t spread much so you can lay them fairly close to one another (I fit 16 on a 12″ x 13″ baking sheet).
Final touches: When you take the cookies out of the oven, a drop of the pan onto the counter, helps them to deflate and take on the perfect chewy texture. A dusting of the spiced sugar looks nice and adds extra flavor and sweetness.