Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

With a Twist…

These are straight off my favorite cookies list.

Although the kids love them, they’re not a kid’s cookie.

The texture is soft and cloud-like, and the flavor is deep and chocolatey but not overly sweet—they get their sweetness from the powdered sugar on top. I just love seeing them transform while they’re baking. The addition of espresso powder adds a sophisticated note without being obvious about just what that secret ingredient is.

These are lovely anytime; today I’m making them to serve as dessert (with some fresh fruits) for my menu for Parasha Vayishlach.

Ingredients:

• 6 oz good bittersweet chocolate 60%

• 2 ¾ cups ap flour

• 2 T cocoa

• 2 t baking powder

• 2 teaspoons espresso powder

• ¾ tsp salt

• ½ c butter, softened

• 1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar

• 2 large eggs

• ¼ cup whole milk

• 1 t vanilla

• confectioner’s sugar, as needed

Method:

• Melt chocolate. I like to do this in the microwave—break up the chocolate into small pieces and put them in a small microwave safe bowl. Microwave for 1 minute and then stir. If the chocolate isn’t completely melted, continue to microwave it in 10 second increments, stirring after each time until the chocolate is smooth. Set it aside. 

• Whisk together the flour, cocoa, espresso powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and reserve it.

• Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until creamy, about 3 minutes.  Then, add the eggs 1 at a time, beating after each addition.

• Beat in the melted chocolate. 

• Add the milk and vanilla and beat the batter until smooth. 

• Add the flour, mixing until just combined. 

• Chill for 2 – 3 hours.

• Preheat the oven to 350º. 

• Remove half the dough from the fridge. Measure off a piece of the dough with a 1½” cookie scoop and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

• Roll each ball in confectioner’s sugar, making sure to cover them heavily with the sugar. Lay them out on a cookie sheet lined with a silpat or parchment paper, leaving 2 ½   inches between them.  

• Bake for exactly 12 minutes. (If you over-bake them, they’ll come out hard.)

• Let them rest on the pan for a couple of minutes to firm up, then move them to a cooling rack to finish cooling all the way.