Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate crinkles are are soft, chewy chocolate cookies covered in powdered sugar "snow." They are a classic Christmas cookie! They are very easy and quick to make, and the crinkled finish of the chocolate cracking through the icing sugar makes them visually stunning. One thing to note about this recipe is that the cookie dough requires 3-4 hours of mandatory chilling before you can bake the cookies, so be sure to make it in advance and give yourself enough time.

Ingredients:

2 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1 cup cocoa powder

2 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt until combined. Set aside. In a separate bowl, beat together the white sugar and vegetable oil with an electric mixer until it resembles wet sand. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract.

Gradually mix the flour mixture into the wet ingredients, until thoroughly combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap or a lid and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3-4 hours, or overnight. The chilling step is necessary because the dough is very wet and needs time to firm up.

After the dough has finished chilling, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line sheets sheets with parchment paper, and pour the 1 cup of powdered sugar into a shallow dish or plate. Roll out 1-2 Tbsp.-size balls of cookie dough with a cookie or ice cream scoop, or moistened hands, and then roll them in the powdered sugar until completely coated. Place them on the prepared cookie sheets about 2" apart and do not flatten them.

Bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, until they are firm but still a bit cakey looking. Allow them to cool completely on wire racks before moving them. Some powdered sugar may fall off the cookies once you move them so be careful if you don't want to make a big mess. Store in an airtight container, or freeze for longer storage.

*Recipe adapted from Crepes of Wrath