One of my favorite things about Christmas? Cookies everywhere, all the time, cookies! And one cookie that deserves merit this year are Chocolate Crinkles.
Anytime I eat a Chocolate Crinkles, I think of my first Christmas working as a tennis Pro.
Most of you know I have been playing tennis pretty much my whole life. But I’ve also been coaching for a while too. Thinking back I have been coaching tennis since about the age of 14. Mostly summer jobs and some during the school hear, I was lucky enough to always find coaching jobs throughout my teen years.
Then after graduating college, I moved back home to apply to “business jobs” in my field. Fortunately for me, I was able to land a full time tennis pro job at the really nice Golf and Tennis club.
I was so nervous that first year as a tennis pro. I remember being the youngest instructor (by a lot), and one of 2 women teaching there. So it was definitely a hard at first to both gain credibility and clients. But even with the first year struggles, I loved my job. I mean what’s better than getting to do the thing you love doing the most as a job? Especially right out of college?!
I also lucked out by working with some pretty cool co-workers and clients. So as a sign of friendship and appreciation, I decided to make homemade gifts for all my co-workers and clients that very first holiday season!
Normally this would be fine, if you bring a big tray of cookies to an office and everyone can help themselves. But in a job like this, when you only see people once a week for an hour, this was much more complicated.
My cookie of choice that year, were these soft chewy Chocolate Crinkles. So tasty, so pretty and perfect to stuff into cute little Christmas tins wrapped with a little twine bow.
I will never forget this Christmas because I baked SO MANY of these little guys. I honestly made a few hundred. I was pretty much covered in powdered sugar for about a week and constantly baking or packaging.
First off I underestimated how many people I was going to give too, and secondly I overdid it on how many cookies I gave. Long story short, it was a good idea in theory but planning and execution was not good. (yep total type A over here). And you know how it is with gifts, you can’t just give to some and not others. That’s lame. In the end, it was worth the work and made for a pretty memorable Christmas. Plus I got a sneak peak into the life of a part-time cookie baker.
Back to these delicious cookies, don’t let my story scare you, they are easy to make. The only added step compared to say a chocolate chip cookie is rolling them in sugar. And my favorite thing about these little cookies is how they look. Adorable little crinkles that contrast between the white powdered sugar and the dark chocolate color. Seriously glam. They really make a statement. Plus they are delicious and fun to eat because you always end up having to lick the sugar off your fingers.
The moral of my cookie story is, make these cookies and share them this holiday season. Give them to your family or friends or yourself (why not).
Yields 20 cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional but recommended)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325?F and prepare a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a baking silicone mat.
- Whisk flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, whisk brown brown sugar, eggs, espresso powder and vanilla together, until combined.
- Place chopped chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl and microwave, stirring occasionally until melted, roughly 1-2 minutes
- Add chocolate mixture into the bowl with the egg mixture and mix until combined. Fold in flour mixture and mix just until combined.
- Mix 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in a small bowl. With about 2 tablespoons of dough, roll dough into balls. Drop dough balls into the sugar mixture and roll to coat evenly. Place on the cookie sheet evenly spaced. Handle the dough balls careful so the powdered sugar doesn’t fall off.
- Bake for about 12 minutes or until tops crack but cookie center is still soft. Cool on a cooling rack before eating. Don’t forget these make fun gifts!
Notes
I highly recommend using a little instant espresso power as it enhances the chocolate flavor. But if you do not have any, don’t worry, just skip it. Don’t be afraid to under bake these cookies so that they crack but are still soft and fudgy on the inside.
Recipe slightly adapted from Cook’s Illustrated Crinkle Cookies.
Originally posted 2016-12-12 07:00:00.
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