chocolate CRINKLE cookie CRACKLE color CHUCKLES

CRACKLE and CRINKLE your way through COLOR in Spring time.

Every decadent, 'fudgy' CHOCOLATE cookie bite will make your tummy CHUCKLE.

Color CRINKLE Chocolate CRACKLE cookie CHUCKLES

Try saying that 10 times over ;o)

Every deep chocolate morsel will melt in your mouth...

as the colors will surely brighten any lousy day.

Speaking of lousy days...

here’s one I thought to share with you.

 I'll never forget the evening right before a non-existent supper.  

I did however, have my hands smothered in a big, gooey chocolate mix. 

I remember uttering a few select words of frustration and disappointment.  

I did somewhat find it strange that a fairly simple cookie could be this messy to make.

There had to be a better way?!?

In all my years of baking, especially with chocolate...

I never imagined to become this flustered and utterly aggravated.  

Although, I was determined to get through this whole moment of frustration in my culinary journey...I had pretty much decided that I’d never make this recipe again.  
Right about the time that I felt like I may start crying from this unexpected failure...Hubby walks in.  Can you believe that he had the audacity of muttering a slight sarcastic remark. With a fast turning of my neck he came face to face with my beady eyes.  They quickly expressed everything he needed to know about why I still had my hands at dessert-making instead of supper-making.

Yes my friends...
Hubby has finally understood that when I’m in this state...

it's better not to push the inquiry envelope.
Alas, this is probably why we’ve made it this far in our loving relationship.

Certainly more successful than those messy melting crinkles being rolled in my hands.

This past weekend was actually our 24th year celebration from the day we met.

This day happens to hold a very cherished place in our hearts.

In many ways, we tend to place more importance on it than our wedding day.

Happy 1st meeting day anniversary to my sweetie.

Moving along...

something magical did finally happen that evening.

Puff went the chocolate balls in the hot oven...

unfolding their crackling beauty in front of my childish, playful eyes.

All of a sudden, the whole unfortunate event had been temporarily erased.

The magic certainly didn't stop there.

When I took my first bite...

I was speechless at first with a few ecstatic ooohs and ahhhs.

What a feeling of pure bliss I got from every morsel.

OMG...all I could think of was...how come I had never had these before?

I vowed that same evening that I was going to come up with a...

less messy method in order to beat my baking blues.

It only happened on my third time once again in my baking journey.

Patience is a virtue, isn't that what we're raised to believe?

I based my recipe on Martha Stewart’s crinkle cookies with a few necessary modifications.

I finally figured out what needed to be done and here's my spin...

on how I found a way not to get too much melted chocolate on my hands.

chocolate CRACKLE cookie CHUCKLES

The dough is best made a few hours or a day ahead is best.

yields 40 cookies

Printer version of Chocolate Crackle cookie without color

INGREDIENTS: 

(American /Metric measures)

. 1 cup (180g) bittersweet (65-70%) chocolate   

Soft mix: (all at room temperature)

. 1/2 cup (125ml) unsalted butter, softened

. 1-1/2 cups (330g) brown sugar, packed

. 2 xLarge eggs, room temp.

. 1 tsp. (5ml) pure Vanilla extract

. 1/3 cup (80ml) milk (1% fat or more) room temp.

Dry mix:

. 1-1/4 cups (190g) All-Purpose flour 

. 1/2 cup (50g) Dutch processed cocoa powder 

. 2 tsps. (10ml) baking powder

. 1/4 tsp. (1.25ml) sea salt

Coating:

. approx. 3/4 cup (100g) confectioners' sugar 

PREPARATION:

. Pre-heat the oven at 350F/180C/Gas4

. Position the rack in the center of the oven

. Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper.

1...Melt Chocolate:  Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place them into a small-medium bowl on top of a pot with a little quantity of simmering water.  This will melt the chocolate slowly.  Give it a light stir once and a while.  It will take about 10 minutes for it to melt to a smooth consistency.   Set the chocolate aside to cool properly.

2...Soft mix:  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla.  Beat until well combined.   Afterwards, beat in the cooled chocolate. 

3...Dry mix:  In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Set aside. 

4...Combining mixes:  Again with the electric mixer on MED-LOW speed, add a small portion of the prepared dry mix and combine well.  Afterwards, do the same by adding a small quantity of the milk.  Keep repeating this alternation until both parts are fully used. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 3 hours...overnight is best.  

5...Assembly: Use a mini (#60) size melon ball scoop OR teaspoons to drop a heaping tablespoon worth of chocolate batter onto a shallow platter with the icing sugar.  After a few, gradually shuffle them back and forth until generously coated.  Tap the excess off before placing 20 balls on the first pan.  REPEAT. 

...Bake:  for 12 minutes and afterwards leave them on the baking sheet for 2 more minutes only.  Be careful not to over-bake, because as much as they may not seem ready, they will be. Gently transfer cookies on a metal rack.   Meanwhile, prepare the second baking pan for the final 20 cookies.

...Storing:  Store into an airtight metal container for up to a month.  These cookies can also successfully be packaged into their baking parchment paper and slipped into a few freezer plastic bags for up to 3 months.  When you take them out of the freezer, they'll thaw quickly at room temperature.  Tip: I personally like to slip them into my small oven on extremely low heat for a few minutes.   

***

chocolate CRINKLE cookie CRACKLE color CHUCKLES

yields 40 cookies

Click HERE for a PRINTER version

The dough is best made a few hours or a day ahead.

This recipe has an adapted component based from Martha Stewart's Crackle cookies
Here, I have used colored coatings for a more festive spring outlook.

INGREDIENTS:

(American /Metric measures)

. 1 cup (180g) bittersweet (65-70%) chocolate

Soft mix:

. 1/2 cup (125 ml) unsalted butter, softened

. 1-1/2 cups (330g) brown sugar, packed

. 2 xLarge eggs, room temp.
. 1 tsp. (5ml) pure vanilla extract

. 1/3 cup (80ml) milk (1% fat or more), room temp.

Dry mix:

. 1-1/4 cups (190g) all-purpose flour

. 1/2 cup (50g) Dutch-process cocoa powder

. 2 tsps. (10ml) baking powder

. 1/4 tsp. (1ml) sea salt

Coatings:

. approx. 3/4 cup (100g) confectioners' sugar
. drops of vegetable food colorants

...Choose between these other choices for the last coating:

. 1/4 cup (18g) unsweetened coconut, shredded

. 1/4 cup (35g) roasted nuts, crushed

Note:

For this treat to become even more decadent:

. 1 tbsp. (15ml) of some selective sweet-based liquors can be added.

. Aromatic extracts such as: almond, hazelnut, orange or peppermint can be used to replace the vanilla extract as well.

PREPARATION:

. Pre-heat the oven at 350F/180C/Gas4

. Position the rack in the center of the oven

. Line 2 large baking pans with parchment paper.

Note: the cookie dough can be made a day ahead which is best.

1...Melt Chocolate:  Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place them into a small-medium bowl on top of a pot with a little quantity of simmering water.  This will melt the chocolate slowly.  Give it a light stir once and a while.  It will take about 10 minutes for it to melt to a smooth consistency.   Set the chocolate aside to cool properly.
2...Soft mix: In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the eggs and the vanilla.  Beat until well combined.   Afterwards, beat in the cooled chocolate. 
3...Dry mix:  In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Set aside. 
4...Combining mixes:  Again with the electric mixer on low speed, add a small portion of the prepared dry mix and combine well.  Afterwards, do the same by adding a small quantity of the milk.  Keep repeating this alternation until both parts are fully used. Refrigerate the dough for a minimum of 3 hours...overnight is best.      
5...Assembly with COATINGS: Use a mini (#60) size melon ball scoop OR teaspoons to drop a heaping tablespoon worth of chocolate batter onto a shallow platter with the icing sugar.  After a few, gradually shuffle them back and forth until generously coated.  Tap the excess off before placing 20 balls on the first pan.  REPEAT.
NOTE: You can either coat all cookies just in the white icing sugar OR have fun with it and put a colored spring in their step:   In 3 small-medium shallow bowls, place 1/4 cup (33g) of the icing sugar into each.   Add a few drops of food coloring for at least two color choices until you realize the desired tinted depth.  The remaining bowl could hold either shredded coconut or roasted nuts. Place each piece into the bowl and roll around until fully coated and excess shaken off. 
...Bake:  for 12 minutes and afterwards leave them on the baking sheet for 2 more minutes only.  Be careful not to over-bake, because as much as they may not seem ready, they will be. Gently transfer cookies on a metal rack.   Meanwhile, prepare the second baking sheet for the final 20 cookies.
...Storing:  Store into an airtight metal container for up to a month.  These cookies can also successfully be packaged into their baking parchment paper and slipped into a few freezer plastic bags for up to 3 months.  When you take them out of the freezer, they'll thaw quickly at room temperature.  Tip: I personally like to slip them into my small oven on extremely low heat for a few minutes.   

My stubbornness may not always be as delightful as these cookies, however, I'm sure pleased I had this trait when trying to make these cookies 3 times.  It's dawned on me that this particular number has been following me down my culinary journey somehow.  I think I should make it a point to include it in my next lottery number selection ;o)

I hope that Spring colors and chocolate has inspired you to bake these cookies very soon.

Enjoy making and devouring your...
Crinkle Crackle Chuckles.

Flavourful wishes,

Foodessa

Comments ...???... or suggestions ... write me :o)

Claudia at: foodessa [at] gmail [dot] com

Go HERE for more SWEET creations.

Please take note on how I bake and cook...

Here’s a 101 of sorts to make sure that there are no disappointments when trying my creations.  

Also...just so you know...feel free to increase the salt and sweet factor since I'm not high on either of them ;o)

. Use DRY cup measurements for...you guessed it...all DRY ingredients.

Anything DRY gets measured by spooning the overfilled ingredient (never shake the cup) and then level off with a flat edged tool.  Exception...Brown sugar should be packed in and leveled.

. Use LIQUID cup measurements for...all LIQUIDS that cannot be leveled like for example butter, yogurt...etc.  Measure the liquids at eye level to avoid overdoing what the recipe truly needs.

. OVENS are unfortunately not created equal.  Mine is so old that it has reached many degrees off it's norm.  It's really worth investing a few dollars to test yours with an appropriate oven thermometer.  You'd be surprised how many ovens I've heard about not being where they should have been.  Before you lose any more ingredients and much time preparing a new recipe...run to the store...you'll thank me later. 

Here are more desserts that may be of interest:
- easy NUTTY cookie CRISPS _Brutti ma Buoni {flourless}
- CHOCOLATE banana PEANUT butter OATS cookie
- rustic NUT and FRUIT cookie SPELT rochers
- CHOCOLATE chip NUT cookie
- CITRUS glazed RICOTTA cookies