Chocolate Crinkles

So the first post on my Christmas baked treats is one I have been waiting to make for a long time, ever since I visited Olson Foods at Ravine this summer with my sister & co. For a quick summary, my sister bought one chocolate crinkle that we divided in four and slowly savoured. Luckily, Anna Olson has the recipe on foodtv.ca for us to replicate! I thought it would be a perfect start to my Christmas baked goods!



Chocolate Crinkles - Makes about 40
From Anna Olson.
When my sister excitedly made these cookies for the first time, she thought the recipe was wrong and it did not have enough flour, causing the batter to be very runny. I learned later that she did not chill the batter for the requisite 4 hours. So yes, DO plan 4 hours (or overnight as I did) to chill the batter! The batter is still very sticky to work with - think making truffles (to come!). I needed to grease my hands with oil to shape the balls. I would even add that by the third batch, the batter had warmed and softened up, making it very hard to roll. I would consider separating the batter into two bowls, or putting the bowl back in the fridge in between batches.

* ½ cup unsalted butter
* 10 oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 4 eggs, room temperature
* 1-½ cups sugar
* 2 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 tsp instant espresso powder or coffee extract
* ½ cup all purpose flour
* ½ tsp baking powder
* ¼ tsp salt
* 1-2 tbsp oil
* ⅔ cup icing sugar

Melt the chocolate and butter in a bowl, over a pot of simmering water and set aside.
Whip eggs with sugar, vanilla and espresso powder with electric beaters, until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
Whisk melted chocolate into egg mixture until incorporated.
Whisk in flour mixture.
Cover batter with plastic and chill for at least 4 hours before baking (or overnight).
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Grease the palm of your hands with some oil - this will help the cookie dough from sticking and creating a sticky mess!
Spoon cookie dough by tablespoonfuls and roll gently to shape into a ball.
Roll cookie in icing sugar and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies.
Bake for 18-20 minutes.
To test doneness, lift a cookie off the tray – if it comes off cleanly, then cookies are done.
Tada!


Melting the chocolate and butter over simmering water.


Whipping the eggs, sugar and espresso powder.


Adding the chocolate mixture in.


The batter complete and chilled.


Shaping the cookies was a messy affair but worthwhile!


The end result: chocolate-y goodness!

For more ideas for Christmas baked goods:
* Last year's included chocolate hazelnut biscotti, French chocolate bark & cranberry pecan bars
* Date Squares
* Orange-Almond Buttons
* Mocha Toffee Bars
* Truffles Three Way