Ginger Almond Chocolate Cookies

I bought some candied ginger recently and while I do enjoy eating it as is, I wanted to see what I could do with it, so I made some cookies!  These are pretty good, if I do say so myself, and since I couldn’t find a recipe for what I wanted, I decided to wing it.  I hope you are all doing well!

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, lightly packed
1 1/4 sticks butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup candied ginger, finely chopped
1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi sweet, but dark chocolate would be super)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (you could also chop the almonds if you wanted)

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cardamom, and pepper together and set aside.  Cream the butter and sugars till the mixture is light and fluffy.  Mix in the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla and almond extracts.  Add the dry ingredients in thirds until combined, and then fold in the ginger, chocolate chips, and almonds to finish mixing it all together.

Scoop about a tablespoon and a half of the dough onto an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart and bake at 350* F for 7-11 minutes.  7 minutes will get you a gooey cookie, much like a fudge brownie consistency, and 11 will give you a slightly crispier cookie with a soft center.

Baked Meringues with Strawberry Sauce

3 egg whites
3/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Whip the egg whites and cream of tartar to medium peaks, then stream in the sugar till stiff peaks form and the egg whites are glossy.  Spoon onto a parchment lined baking sheet (NO GREASING!) and bake in a 200 F oven for about an hour to an hour and a half.  I know it sounds like a long time to bake something, but slow baking is what keeps them from becoming dark brown blobs of nope.  They might turn a little toasted marshmallow brown, but that’s okay.  They’ll be done when you can pull one off of the parchment without it sticking, and they’ll be crisp.

STRAWBERRY SAUCE

1 cup frozen strawberries
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

In a medium saucepan, heat the ingredients till the water boils, then mash the berries to the desired consistency, and reduce the heat so the sauce can simmer for about 30 minutes.  Store in the refrigerator till ready to use.