Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Chilling time: 1 hour

Total time: 1 hour 45 minutes

Yield: 32 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• ¼ tsp. salt
• ⅓ cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cups white sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 large eggs
• ½ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Combine cocoa powder, flour, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until combined. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium-low speed just until combined – about 10 seconds each.
3. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated.
4. Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least 1 hour or up to overnight (the longer you chill, the thicker the cookies will be).
5. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the powdered sugar in a medium bowl. Roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls and cover them well with the sugar.
6. Place on a lined baking sheet with enough space between them (bake in batches) and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until spread and crackled. Cookies will still be soft, so let them cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

BAKING TIPS

Cookie size:

• To make larger cookies, use 2 tablespoons of dough per cookie. They will bake in 12-15 minutes.
• To make smaller cookies, use 1 generous tablespoon of dough per cookie. They will bake in around 10 minutes.

Dough:

• do not overbeat the eggs or the cookies may be tough
• dough will be sticky, that’s normal
• it helps to slightly dampen hands OR cover them liberally with powdered sugar when rolling cookies

How to make taller/softer crinkles:

• chill the dough for a longer amount of time
• place the cookie dough balls on a chilled baking sheet
• bake the cookie dough balls straight after rolling them without letting them come to room temperature first
• let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes without touching them before transferring them to a cooling rack

How to make your crinkle cookies more chewy:

• chill the dough just as long as needed. Place the cookie dough balls on a room temperature baking sheet
• let the cookie dough balls stand at room temperature for 10-15 minutes before baking
• if the cookies are still very tall when they come out of the oven, you can gently press them down with the bottom of a drinking glass – you just have to do it RIGHT as you take them out!

STORAGE TIPS

• The crinkle cookies stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for about 3-4 days.
• If you want to keep the cookies for longer, they freeze well for up to 3 months (see blow).

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS

• Freeze rolled cookie dough (do not dip in powdered sugar!) on a lined baking sheet in a single layer until firm (about 2 hours), then transfer to freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.
• To bake, just take as many balls as you want to make from the freezer and let sit on a plate on the counter for 30 minutes, then roll in powdered sugar and bake.

To freeze baked cookies:

• Place the cooled cookies in layers in freezer containers, separating layers with baking parchment. Label with the name and use-by date (freeze for up to 3 months).
• To defrost, put them on a wire rack and let them sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. Do not let them sit in the container or on a plate, or they will get soggy.
• If you want warm, freshly-baked cookie flavors, you can place the thawed cookies on a baking sheet and warm them at 275°C for 5-6 minutes.

*Picture from Eliza Christensen

*Recipe from savorynothings.com