Christmas Crackle Cookies
I haven’t made these in a while, and I always get requests for the same ol’ same ol’ cookies at the holidays, and it just gets so boring! So, I decided this year, I’m making some new recipes, and trying out a few new ones. This one isn’t new, but it’s a great recipe, and these cookies are always a big hit. As they bake, they crack open, which is why they are called crackles.
To make these, you will need:
- 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
- 1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk
- Granulated sugar and Confectioners’ sugar, for rolling
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Chop chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heatproof bowl or in the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Cream butter and light-brown sugar in the bowl of a mixer until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add cooled melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide dough into quarters, wrap with plastic, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours. I usually make the dough a day ahead and leave them in the fridge overnight.
- Using your hands, roll a small scoop of dough into a ball and roll in granulated sugar, and then confectioners’ sugar to coat heavily and completely. (You may just want to cut the dough into small squares first, so you don’t have to handle them very much. The chocolate melts in your hands VERY quickly and these become messy). Place cookies 2 inches apart on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and sugar splits, 11 to 13 minutes.
- Slide parchment onto wire rack to let cookies cool completely.
As always, these were a huge hit for Christmas! And these cookies are SO delicious! And did I mention how pretty and festive they look?
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