chocolate crinkle cookies

Let's get into the holiday spirit, shall we? Obviously, the best way to do that is with cookies.

I have to admit, I'm not the one who usually makes cookies in this apartment. I just don't love the fussiness of rolling cookie dough into perfectly round and even balls. Dave has the patience for this, so I generally just let him have at it. But the holidays just call for cookies, and lots of 'em, so I suffer through it this time of year. Yes, suffer ;)

These chocolate crinkle cookies were always my brother's and my favorite... they probably still are (though we used to call them snowtop cookies). They're uber chocolatey, and this batch had a particularly lovely fudge-like texture that left my coworkers (with whom I shared a plate) calling them "flat brownies" and "flat whoopie pies." I'll take those as compliments.

As you can see, my cookies came out a little more square than round.  I like to call them "zebra squares" myself.

Also... I'm fairly positive these would be delicious with a little mint extract. I really wanted to go for it, but I decided to stick with the classic this time around.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies


Adapted from Little Brown Pen

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup powdered sugar, give or take

Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl. Add the cocoa powder, sugar and oil, and stir. Add the flour, baking powder and salt; stir well. Cover and chill for at least four hours.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the chilled dough into one-inch balls. Pour the powdered sugar into a shallow bowl and roll the balls in the sugar; coat thickly. Place on the baking sheet about one-and-a-half inches apart. Bake 10-12 minutes, until just set.

Let cool, then store in an airtight container with a scrap of bread to keep them moist. Makes roughly 30 cookies.