Skip to main content

RECIPE: Dark Chocolate Crackles

I don't think I need to convince you that these are good. They are chocolate and they are cookies. Enough said.

I'm not actually a chocolate obsessive, but I really loved these cookies. Make sure you use good chocolate, and make sure you've got the right amount of sweetness - not too much. Cookies are one of my favorite baked goods to make because they are so simple - put everything in a bowl, drop it on a sheet, and bake. These are slightly more labor intensive than normal because you have to melt the chocolate, but other than that, since they are drop cookies and require no rolling or shaping, they are really easy.

They also make a great gift, since they are small but thick so they are easily packed away without fear of being demolished by the time they are opened. Everyone I gave them to gave a big thumbs up.



DARK CHOCOLATE CRACKLES (5 dozen)
  • 11 1/4 oz. (2 1/2 cups) unbleached flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp. table salt
  • 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temp.
  • 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa
  • 2 tsp. finely grated orange zest
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 3 large eggs
  • 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted, then cooled to warm
  • 3/4 cup chopped chocolate
  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar
Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350° F. Line three large cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter, brown sugar, cocoa, orange zest, and vanilla on medium speed until well-combined, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating briefly between additions. Add the cooled chocolate and mix until blended, about 1 minute. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until almost completely blended, about 1 minute. Add the chopped chocolate and mix until blended, about 15 seconds.

Shape the dough into 1 1/4" balls with a small ice cream scoop or 2 Tbsp. Pour the granulated sugar into a shallow dish. Dip the top of each ball in the sugar and set the balls sugar side up about 1 1/2" apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies are puffed and cracked on top, 11-12 min. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 min. before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Comments

sketchy said…
Have you tried rolling them in confectioners sugar instead of granulated? They are much more "stunning"

I've got pic's here
7:04 AM
KT said…
That does look really cool ... there's just something I like about the "rustic" look of the big sugar. ;)
9:35 AM
Glick & Haupt Law Office said…
I was a fortunate recipient of these cookies and I can verify that they are very yummy. They did have to come to me in the mail but looked perfect on arrival and were not all broken apart and crumbly like some cookies get. A homemade gift sends special love.
2:27 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEWS: Angeleno Magazine's Chef's Night Out

Brad A. Johnson of Angeleno magazine, and The Tasting Panel 's Anthony Dias Blue are co-hosting the annual Chef's Night Out and Restaurant Awards to honor local chefs and resterauteurs and to celebrate the release of Angeleno 's food issue. The dinner benefits the Children's Institute, an organization that works with children and families affected by violence, abuse, and trauma. Tickets are $150 for the event (food from the featured chefs with wine and spirits pairings), and $250 for VIP tickets which includes access to a special reception and the awards ceremony. The event will be held at the Fairmont Miramar Hotel and Bungalows this Sunday, July 26. The chefs at the event include: David Myers from Sona, Comme Ça and Pizza Ortica Lee Hefter and Thomas Boyce from Spago Lee Hefter and Ari Rosenson from Cut Susan Feniger from Street Anthony Zappola from Craft Brian Moyers from BLT Steak Ray Garcia from FIG Restaurant Santa Monica Warren Schwartz from Westside Tavern Evan
Post a Comment
Read more

ABOUT THIS BLOG

I've been evaluating my blog and have realized that, while I have lots of nifty posts, I don't really have a good overall explanation of what exactly this blog is all about, and what one can expect to find here. So I'm creating this post and will link to it in the sidebar for anyone who's interested. I am not a professional chef. I have not been cooking for years. I am not an expert who is going to make beautiful and amazing and complicated dishes to "wow" you. I am, in fact, quite the opposite. I am a total beginner. I've always lived in places with miniscule kitchens and concerned myself with schoolwork and studying and working and not paid the least bit of attention to what I was eating every day. And that's what this blog is all about. It's about me learning where my food comes from, how to make it properly, and how to enjoy it to the utmost. It's no fun to learn by myself, so I started the blog to keep track of what I learn, kind of like a
8 comments
Read more

RESTAURANT: Ristorante Belvedere, Monterosso al Mare, Italy

We started off our second-to-last day in the Cinque Terre by taking the train to Vernazza for breakfast: There was supposed to be a market that day, but since the weather was threatening, there were only a few meager stalls, mostly selling non-food items. We had our breakfast and walked around the village a bit. Vernazza used to have a river flowing all the way through it, but now the river has been shunted underground at a certain point. If you walk to the top of town you can see it, along with some ducks and geese that hang out there to get fed by whoever comes along. J. and I then went to sit and have an espresso and wait for the train to Corniglia, the only town we hadn't yet visited. Corniglia is home to the local nude beach (which we skipped) and is the highest of the towns, elevation-wise. We had to walk up a buttload of steps to get there. Look at me go: That's actually me going down (a lot faster than I came up), but I did come up them as well. There is a bus that ta
7 comments
Read more