Orange and Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle

The school Christmas concert was Thursday. All four kids, different roles: Amber sang in the high school choir (she has a voice that is better than she thinks, which is Amber's approach to everything — better than she thinks, unwilling to believe it). Tyler played the trumpet in the seventh-grade band, and the trumpet is not his instrument, but effort is his instrument, and the effort was audible. Justin stood in the back row of the eighth-grade choir and mouthed the words to 'O Holy Night' with the expression of a boy enduring something he has agreed to endure, which is the face Justin makes at most school events. Josie was an angel in the fourth-grade nativity, with a halo made of tinsel and a robe made of a bedsheet, and she took the role seriously — arms outstretched, head tilted, the full theatrical commitment of a nine-year-old who believes she might actually be an angel.

Dave and I sat in the gymnasium on folding chairs and watched all four of them perform in sequence, two hours of school music that ranged from painful to beautiful to painfully beautiful. Gayle was next to us, in her good coat, clapping after every number with the enthusiasm of a woman who believes all grandchildren are talented and will not be told otherwise.

I brought Christmas cookies to the reception afterward — sugar cookies cut into shapes, frosted with Josie's help, which means some of them are recognizable as trees and stars and some of them are abstract expressionist interpretations of holiday themes. The frosting is thick. The sprinkles are excessive. The cookies are the kind that leave crumbs everywhere and stain your fingers red and green. They are perfect.

After the concert I made hot chocolate for the drive home — real hot chocolate, not the powder kind, made with milk and cocoa and sugar, heated on the stove and poured into travel mugs. Four kids in the back seat, hot chocolate in their hands, Christmas music on the radio, the town lights blinking past the windows. This is the moment. This is the one I will remember when the other moments fade.

I’ve made sugar cookies every Christmas for years, but this year I wanted something that felt a little more special for the reception—something with a bit of warmth and spice that matched the season. These orange and ginger cookies with chocolate drizzle were exactly right: bright, fragrant, and just dressed-up enough to feel festive without being fussy. Josie helped with the drizzle, which means the chocolate distribution is enthusiastic and generous, and honestly, that’s the only way it should be.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min (plus chilling) | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling
1 large egg
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest (about 1 large orange)
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped (or chocolate chips)
1 teaspoon coconut oil or neutral oil (for drizzle)

Instructions

Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup sugar together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, orange zest, orange juice, and vanilla extract until fully combined and smooth.
Combine and chill. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low until a soft dough forms. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or overnight) until the dough is firm enough to roll.
Preheat and prep. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Pour a small amount of granulated sugar into a shallow dish for rolling.
Roll and bake. Scoop the dough into 1-inch balls, roll each in sugar, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 10—12 minutes, until the edges are just set and the centers look barely done. Do not overbake.
Cool completely. Let cookies rest on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before drizzling.
Make the chocolate drizzle. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chopped chocolate and oil. Microwave in 20-second intervals, stirring between each, until fully melted and smooth.
Drizzle and set. Use a spoon or a piping bag to drizzle the melted chocolate over the cooled cookies in a back-and-forth motion. Let the chocolate set at room temperature for 20 minutes, or refrigerate for 10 minutes to speed things up.

Nutrition (per serving)

Orange and Ginger Cookies with Chocolate Drizzle — The Ones Josie Helped Frost