- 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups white sugar
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 cups all-purpose flour, or as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup brewed coffee, cooled
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons red sugar sprinkles (optional)
- 2 teaspoons green sugar sprinkles (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Gently melt the chocolate in a small saucepan over very low heat, and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Stir the butter and sugar together in a large bowl, and mix in the chocolate, molasses, eggs, and vanilla extract.
- Sift 5 cups of flour with the cinnamon, cloves, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Gradually stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture by cupfuls, alternating each addition of flour with about 2 tablespoons of coffee, until all the coffee is incorporated. Dough should be soft but not runny. Add more flour if needed to make a soft dough, but cookies will be dry if the dough is too stiff. Use a small scoop or melon baller to form 1-inch balls, and place them on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake in the preheated oven until the cookies are set and just beginning to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes. Let cool on sheets for about 1 minute before removing to continue cooling on a rack until slightly warm, 8 to 10 minutes.
- To make frosting, stir together confectioners' sugar, cream, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract in a bowl until smooth. Frost the cookies while they're still a little warm. Sprinkle with red or green sugar sprinkles.