Is there anything better than soft, fudgy, chocolate gingerbread cookies warm out of the oven?

Needless to say, these Fudgey Chocolate Gingerbread Halloween Cookies were a spooktacular hit! And will be a monstrously fun treat for upcoming Halloween parties for good little ghouls, goblins, and Trick-or-Treaters!

 

 

 

This is my second recipe for #Choctoberfest 2017, and I really had a blast creating these soft, spicy chocolate cookies! #Choctoberfest is an incredible event that’s put on by Allison, of The PinterTest Kitchen, with over 70 bloggers worldwide participating and creating over 200 recipes for you enjoy this holiday season!

Not only are there free recipes galore being created and shared for you, but there’s also an amazing Gift Pack Giveaway!! Simply click on the link below to go to my Main Event Post to check out the prizes being offered by our generous sponsors and enter for a chance to win! Don’t miss out! It’s pretty awesome!!

 

 

 

For this recipe, I incorporated all three products sent to us by our Gold Sponsor, Imperial Sugar, into one amazingly delicious cookie! I took my ancient, hand-me-down, doctored-up, gingerbread cookie recipe to another entirely new level that will now be a new must-make-every-year for all of the holidays, go-to recipe!

And I’m sure, that they’ll become a most-requested favorite in your house, too!! Unlike a lot of gingerbread cookies, mine are nicely spiced and not overly strong, and they’re a soft cookie when stored in an airtight container on the counter rather than crispy-hard, too!

 

(And although I was sent product to use for this event, any and all opinions of this productive solely my own.)

 

 

 

Something that we prefer these days over cookies that are just too hard and crunchy and send us to the dentist!

So with it being a chocolate event, I decided to add a fudge spin to these, and I’m so glad that I did!! The spices are still prominent, and they really have an even balance of chocolate to spice!

 

 

The only trouble I had were the finishing touches.

I have come to realize. That I have the decorating skills. Of a second grader.

 

 

But I had an absolute blast making them, and we had lots of laughs over these! And though they are far from perfect, they taste good and we had fun! And that’s all that matters in our house.

 

 

 

 

You, I’m sure, can do a much better job than I did, and if not, no worries! They’re absolutely delicious, so no one will care what they look like! So long as you’re having fun, and making memories in the kitchen that will last a lifetime, that’s all that counts!

 

So be sure to save this recipe for any of the upcoming fall and winter holidays! They’re easy and fun to make, the taste is fabulous, and let the kiddos have fun decorating them any which way they want!

Make the icing in my recipe below, make your own, or pick some up, along with a few assorted Halloween candies and sprinkles, and let the fun begin!

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget to pick up some Imperial Sugar! I used all three for this recipe, their white granulated, powdered, and brown sugar, and I couldn’t have been more pleased with the results! It truly is the best sugar I have ever used!

Who knew that there could be such a difference in sugar?! But yes, there sure is!!

 

Be sure to follow Imperial Sugar on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter & Instagram so you don’t miss out on any of their recipes!

And be sure to check out Imperial Sugar’s Halloween Recipes, Crafts, Coloring Pages and Printables!

And NEW!! Just added!! Our Gold Sponsor, Imperial Sugar, is having a “Scary Scramble Contest” Oct. 15 – 24.  Every day they post a scrambled recipe title with a clue to help you decipher it. Enter daily by clicking {here}! 100 winners will receive a year’s supply of sugar!!

 

Lastly! Don’t forget to revisit the main event post {here}
to enter a chance to win the awesome Prize Pack!
It’s pretty amazing!! So don’t miss out!

 

 

 

~ Today’s recipes ~
(My recipe below)

 

Yield: 3 - 4 dozen depending on thickness, sizes, and shapes

Fudgy Chocolate Gingerbread Halloween Cookies / #Choctoberfest 2017

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Ingredients

For Cookies:

• 1/3 cup hot water
• 1 tsp. whole cloves
• 1 cup butter-flavored shortening
• 3/4 cup Imperial Sugar (regular white granulated sugar)
• 1/2 cup Imperial Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 extra-large egg
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup regular or dutch-processed cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1 Tbl. cinnamon
• 4 more cups flour

For Decorating Glaze:

• 1 cup Imperial Powdered Sugar (scoop and level off with knife to measure)
• 1 Tbl. heavy whipping cream
• 1 Tbl. soft butter
• 1/2 tsp. clear vanilla, optional

Instructions

For Cookies:

Place cloves in hot water, set aside.

In large mixer bowl, cream shortening and sugars. Add vanilla and egg, and beat. Add molasses and beat again. Remove cloves from water and discard cloves. Add clove water and beat. Mixture will look “curdled”.

Add rest of ingredients except the last 4 cups of flour and beat well. Gradually beat in last 4 cups of flour.

Scrape dough out of bowl and mound onto a piece of plastic wrap forming into a disk. Wrap tightly and chill.

When chilled, roll out to a 1/3″ thickness or a bit less, on well-floured surface, (flouring rolling pin, too.) And keep flouring rolling pin as needed. Cut into shapes and place onto ungreased baking sheets. Decorate with raisins if desired or bake plain to decorate after baking.

Bake in 375º F oven for 8-10 minutes. Do not over bake. Remove carefully to wire racks to cool. Decorate with Glaze.

To Make Glaze:

In small bowl, whisk glaze ingredients until creamy. Spoon into a baggie into one corner, twist top closed, snip a tiny piece off of a corner and pipe on glaze. *To measure the powdered sugar I just scooped and leveled with my finger. I didn’t spoon it in or pre-sift. (*You can also use a pastry bag and very small round tip to decorate if preferred.)

Pipe on design, and set cookies aside to let the glaze harden. *Cookies may not be stackable later depending on the humidity which can prevent glaze from hardening fully.

To keep cookies soft, store in airtight container on the counter. Will also keep well in the refrigerator, too.

Notes

*This recipe can easily be halved. To use half an egg, crack egg into a bowl, beat well, then use just half of it. (Use leftover beaten egg for breakfast!)
**Or, you can make a full batch, divide the dough in half, place a mound on a sheet of plastic wrap and press and shape it into a disk for easy rolling later, wrap it well, place it into a freezer bag, and freeze it for a later use such as Christmas!

 

*Disclaimer: Though I have been sent products to use for this post, any and all opinions of these products are solely my own.