Chocolate Ginger Cookies

I'm glad to see that Gina DePalma has a blog. I have her cookbook and it has been well loved (and well used)
This is a recipe that is similar to My Chocolate Ginger Cookies . . . only I will admit, these are B E T T E R! I did use dark chocolate and candied ginger ~ only the best for a valentine sweet!
Chocolate Chewy Ginger Cookies ~ By Gina DePalma
2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
Freshly grated zest of one medium lemon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¼ cup molasses
Raw sugar for coating the cookies
6 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Preheat the oven to 325°.
In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, spices and cocoa powder well to remove any lumps and thoroughly combine them and set aside.
In the bowl beat the sugar and vegetable oil together until well combined and fluffy. Beat in the egg, followed by the lemon zest, vanilla and molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add in the dry ingredients and chopped chocolate until well combined, forming a firm dough. Let the dough sit for 15 minutes before shaping and baking. (At this point, the dough can be wrapped tightly and frozen, or stored in the refrigerator in a plastic, air-tight container, for up to a week)
To bake, pinch off enough dough to roll into one-inch balls with your palms. Roll the balls in the additional raw sugar to coat the surface evenly and place them on the cookie sheets, spaced about an inch apart.
Bake the cookies in batches for 12 to 14 minutes, or until they are puffed, cracked, and firm at the edges. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for three to four minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.
Store the cookies in an airtight jar or container to keep them soft and chewy.
Grazie Gina De
That's a Friday Favorite for y'all~
Sandi