Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Don't these cookies look amazing? They sure taste so! These cookies are one of the best I've ever made, and are now a part of the regular recipe cycle for me! They are slightly crunchy, while still maintaining a delicious brownie-ish texture, and a perfect balance of sweet and rich! You simply MUST give these a try! They look so pretty too, they are perfect for gift-giving this Christmas.

And well, these cookies are pretty much the extent of my Christmas baking, since I'm Going to Europe!!!! I'm going to be spending Christmas there, so I haven't really baked anything much here! I'm happily munching away on one of these while typing this post, and I don't even miss not having been able to bake more things!! Trust me, include these in your Christmas goodie-basket, and you're going to make some fast friends!

I found the recipe for these from a new book, The Cookie and Biscuit Bible. I haven't tried anything else out of this book, but I sure am going to, in the near future.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Adapted from The Cookie and Biscuit Bible

Makes 18

1/2 cup [50 g] flour

1/4 cup [25 g] unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/3 to 1/2 cup [55 - 90g] castor [superfine] sugar - Depending on preference

2 tbsp [25 g] butter, diced
1 egg, beaten

1 tsp cherry brandy or fresh orange juice - I used orange juice

1/2 cup [50 g] icing sugar [for rolling]

Instructions -

1. Preheat oven to 200 C [400 F]. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and sugar
   
3. Rub in the diced butter until the mixture begins to resemble breadcrumbs.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the egg and juice/brandy, and add to the flour mixture.
5. Roll into a flattened circle, cover with cling wrap, and refrigerate for atleast 30 minutes.
6. Now, spread out the icing sugar in a flat dish. Make walnut-sized balls of the dough, and roll in the icing sugar, covering completely.
7. Lay out on the baking sheets, these cookies spread a bit, as you can see in the pictures.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes. They will seem soft, but will harden on cooling on a cooling rack.
   
   
   
   Do let me know if you tried them out, and how you liked them! I'm sure they'll become a part of your trusted recipe file too!