Is it just me or does the holiday season come and go faster and faster every year? It's not just me, I know. Many people I've talked with lately have had the same experience of December flying by at a ridiculous speed, of Christmas sneaking up before we've barely had a chance to prepare.
It's a disorienting business to attempt to slow down during this season of Advent while so many speed up in a frenzy of promos and parties and free expedited shipping.
On Saturday, I finally found time for some baking. It was just me, alone in the kitchen, with Michael Bublé's voice streaming from the speaker that lives on top of the refrigerator and the perfect light that I never get to enjoy on weekdays pouring through the windows.
I listened to Christmas all the way through about 3 times as I baked these (as well as a batch of bostock... coming soon to the blog, hopefully). I didn't hurry, and the whole morning was so enjoyable.
If you haven't worked a baking session into your holiday schedule yet, we have one more weekend, friends. Whether you make these or another cookie, put some music on, pour another cup of coffee, and just bake ✌
This recipe produces the most perfect chocolate crinkle cookies I've ever found. They're deeply chocolatey and extra crinkly, with a snowy exterior that doesn't disappear thanks to two coatings of sugar- granulated and powdered. The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar stick.
Removing them from the oven before they're completely cooked through keeps them wonderfully soft- almost fudgy in a way? There's not much to not love here.
Merry Christmas.
chocolate crinkle cookies
recipe from america's test kitchen
[ makes about 20 cookies ]
1 cup (5 ounces) flour
½ cup (1½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder (natural or Dutch-processed)
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1½ cups packed (10½ ounces) brown sugar
3 large eggs
4 teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
⅓ cup (3½ ounces) granulated sugar
⅓ cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl.
Whisk the brown sugar, eggs, espresso powder, and vanilla together in a large bowl.
Melt the chocolate and butter together. You can do this in the microwave, or in a heatproof bowl set over a small pot of simmering water.
Whisk the melted chocolate/butter mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in the dry ingredients with a sturdy rubber spatula until completely combined, then let the dough sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. While it rests, measure the granulated and powdered sugars into two separate shallow bowls.
Portion the dough into 2-tablespoon balls (using a cookie scoop if you have one) and roll the balls first in the granulated sugar, then in the powdered sugar. Place them on the lined baking sheets, spaced evenly.
Bake 1 sheet at a time for about 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through. The cookies will be puffy, with soft centers and just-set edges. They will appear underdone.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets before serving (haha).