Chocolate Gingerbread Cookies

A great holiday treat! This is a delicious low-fat cookie recipe from the great cookbook, "One Smart Cookie: All Your Favourite Cookies, Squares, Brownies and Biscotti... with less fat !", by Julie Van Rosendaal. Dough must chill for an hour before rolling out. An alternative (make-ahead) way to make this recipe is as an icebox cookie. Shape the dough into a 12” long log, wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Slice log into 1/4” slices and bake as directed.

• Ready In: 25 mins
• Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄4 cups flour
• 1⁄3 cup  cocoa
• 1⁄2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1⁄4 teaspoon allspice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 1  pinch ground cloves
• 1⁄4 cup butter or 1⁄4 cup  non-hydrogenated margarine, softened
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 1  large egg
• 1⁄4 cup molasses
• 1  teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, salt and cloves; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until creamy; add the egg white, molasses and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir by hand just until you have soft dough. Shape the dough into a disc, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or until well chilled.
3. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F Roll the dough out between two sheets of waxed paper or on a surface very lightly dusted with a combination of flour and sugar until it’s 1/8”–1/4” thick. Cut out cookies using your choice of cookie cutters or a glass rim. Re-roll the scraps once to get as many cookies as possible.
4. Place the cookies an inch apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until pale golden around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.