chocolate CRINKLE cookie CRACKLE color CHUCKLES

CRACKLE and CRINKLE your way through COLOR in Spring time.

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

Color CRINKLE Chocolate CRACKLE cookie CHUCKLES

Can you try saying that 10 times?

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 crackle 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.  I felt like a twisted pretzel...no kidding.

 

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 misfortunate event had been conveniently and 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 slight 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 CRINKLE cookie CRACKLE color CHUCKLES

yields 48 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.

You'll need two large baking sheets to fit 24 cookies per pan.

INGREDIENTS:

(American /Metric measures)

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

Dry mix:

. 1-1/4 cup (188g)   all-purpose flour

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

. 2 tsps. (10ml)       baking powder

. 1/4 tsp. (1ml)       salt

Soft mix:

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

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

. 2 large                   eggs

. 1 tsp. (5ml)          vanilla extract

. 1/3 cup (75ml)      milk (1% fat or more)

. Coatings:

. 3/4 cup (100g)     confectioner's (icing) sugar
. drops                  natural 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 oven at 350F/180C/Gas4

Position rack on the second level from the bottom of the oven

Note: - the cookie dough can be made a day ahead

Click HERE for a PRINTER version of this recipe

...Chocolate melt:  Chop the chocolate into small chunks and place them into a small-medium bowl.   Microwave on HIGH heat for 40 seconds.  Take the bowl out and let it rest for another 60 seconds before stirring the chocolate to a full smooth consistency.  Set aside so that the chocolate cools on its own.
...Dry mix:  In a medium bowl, sift together the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt.  Set aside.
...Soft mix:  In a large bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until fluffy.   Afterwards, add the eggs and the vanilla.  Beat until well combined.   
. At this point, the chocolate should be cooled enough and can now be added to this batter.
...Combining the mixes:  Again with the electric mixer on low speed, add a small portion of the prepared dry mix and beat.  Now, also do the same by adding a small quantity of the milk.  Keep repeating this alternation until both parts are fully used and combined.
. Note: The dough turns out to be a little thicker than cake batter, however, not necessarily like cookie dough.  Therefore, in order not to lose patience and to avoid a chocolate melting mess...follow this easy procedure for turning batter into dough logs:
. If you'll be making the cookies within the next 2 hours...it may be better to place the batter separated between four plastic wrap sheets.  Lightly seal like a package.  Place them  in the freezer for the next hour.  Once they have hardened enough...it will be easier to turn each dough package into log shapes within the plastic wrap itself.  Grab one package at the time and transfer the remaining in the refrigerator.  Flap one end of the plastic and patiently mold each log until they reach about 12 inches (30cm).  It doesn't need to be perfect.  Once it's done, return it to the refrigerator.  Repeat with the rest of the other portions.  
...Assembly  with COATINGS:  Note: You can either coat all cookies just in the white icing sugar OR have fun with it and put a 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. 
...Final assembly:  Prepare one cookie sheet at the time:
. Fill a medium shallow bowl with the icing sugar.
. Once the logs have hardened enough to be manageable, take out one log at a time so that they'll be easier to manipulate.  Slice each log into 12 equal pieces and lightly roll each one. 
...Coating:  Place each piece into the bowl with the colored icing sugar and roll around until fully coated.  Place the 24 generously coated cookies on the parchment, pre-lined, large baking sheet.  Wait for dough to soften for about 10 minutes before placing them into the oven.  Meanwhile, start preparing the second baking sheet for the final 24 cookies.
...Bake:  Be careful not to over-bake, because as much as they may not seem ready, they will be.  Therefore, bake for only 12 minutes and afterwards leave them on the baking sheet for 2 more minutes only.  Transfer cookies on a cookie rack.
...Storing:  Store into an airtight metal container for up to a week.  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.   Happy baking...and enjoy every bite ;o)

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 next time ;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

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