SRC: Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares

Hello! Be sure to introduce yourself to your new favorite Christmas treat! Usually, you have to choose between chocolate and spice… but not this time!

I made these Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares for December Secret Recipe Club, thanks to the lovely Mellissa of A Fit and Spicy Life. I was assigned her blog for the December reveal and I’m so happy about that! Mellissa lives in Minneapolis, so she’s a fellow Midwesterner… although I am now a Midwestern transplant living in the South, where they call rain storms things like ‘gully washers’ or ‘frog stranglers.’ Bizarre. But anyways, back to Mellissa. She loves trying new recipes, sharing her favorite wines, and traveling. In fact… she just got back from Greece!! How cool is that?!? Definitely head over to her blog to check out her pictures from that trip–it looks incredible! Speaking of incredible, take a look at these Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares.

Mellissa originally made these as cookies, dubbing them Chocolate Ginger Drops. They had cherry flavored dried cranberries and dark chocolate chips, and were cute little cookies. I was so excited to make them! But I was feeling a little bit lazy. So I mixed up the dough [using extra dark chocolate chips, some crystallized ginger, and no dried cranberries], pressed it in a pan, and hoped for the best!

And let me tell you… these Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares ARE the best. They have a chewy texture and spicy flavor from the typical ginger cookie ingredients like brown sugar, molasses, and spices. But these ginger squares are kicked up a notch because I added some minced crystallized ginger AND those dark chocolate chips! If you feel so inclined, check out Mellissa’s original recipe for instructions on making these as drop cookies, but I think the bars are equally chewy, spicy, chocolately, and delicious! Enjoy! 🙂

one year ago: Caramel Apple Dip
two years ago: Honey Yeast Dinner Rolls
three years ago: Sweet Potato Soup

Dark Chocolate Ginger Squares

Servings: 20
Time: 40 minutes
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[slightly adapted from A Fit and Spicy Life]

click to print

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon dried ginger
1 teaspoon allspice
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tablespoon crystallized ginger, minced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8×8 pan with cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter for 30 seconds. Then add brown sugar, baking soda, ginger, and allspice. Mix to combine, then add egg and molasses and mix again.

Add flour by 1/4 cup increments, mixing in between additions. Finish by stirring in dark chocolate chips and crystallized ginger with a wooden spoon.

Press dough in prepared pan, then bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cover with aluminum foil after 15 minutes so the top doesn’t get too brown.

Cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares. Store in an air-tight container.

Be sure to check out other recipes from this week’s Secret Recipe Club reveal here: 🙂