Chocolate Crack

You are in for a serious treat.  I had 3 different people tell me that, out of all of my baking that they have tasted, these are by far the best thing I have made so far.  And actually, I have to agree.  Who would think that cookies would be the best thing I have made? 

And the lucky recipient of half of the cookies was one of my favorite work bff’s.  Realenn is such a great person and a hard worker.  She is just so sweet.  Any time I need a favor at work, even if it will not benefit her in the least, she is always there to help out.  This past Thursday was her birthday and I wanted to make her something special. 

So, since Realenn wouldn’t give me any direction in what to make, I decided to bake the most recent thing on Bakerella’s website.  She calls them Chocolate Crackles.  After consulting with the hubby and several other people, we decided to call them Chocolate Crack because it really is the only name that’s appropriate.  This is adapted from a Martha Stewart recipe, which is the one Bakerella used. 

On to the recipe.  First you will melt the mini bittersweet chocolate chips in a double boiler or in the microwave.  When melting chocolate in the microwave be sure to watch closely.  I usually do 1 minute first, then stir, then 30 seconds at a time (stirring in between) until melted.  Set chocolate aside to cool.  Meanwhile, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. 

In the bowl of a heavy-duty stand mixer, you will use your paddle attachment to beat the butter and light brown sugar until light and fluffy.  Next, add eggs and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the sides as needed.  Then, add melted chocolate.  With the mixer on a low speed, alternate adding the cocoa/flour mixture and milk until combined.  This is where I went a different direction from the recipe.  I decided to leave all the batter in the bowl and covered it with plastic wrap.  I put it in the freezer for 45 minutes, but you could also put it in the fridge for 2 hours.  I think the freezer makes them a little easier to work with.  (I actually only made half the cookies the first day, so to keep the batter good, I put it in the fridge for two days with plastic wrap over it and then put it in the freezer 30 minutes before preparing for the second time.) 

After chilling, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Get a large cookie sheet and line with parchment paper or a Silpat (I still don’t understand the point of spending $20+ on a Silpat, but more power to ya if you have one).  I skipped the log rolling portion also since I had not separated the batter.  If you don’t have a cookie scoop, I would suggest following Bakerella’s directions rather than Martha Stewart’s.  It seems Bakerella’s would work the best.  Go ahead and get two medium sized bowls for the granulated sugar and confectioners sugar.  Just pour generous amounts of each in a bowl. 

Next, take the batter out and get your cookie scoop.  This part is M-E-S-S-Y!  For each cookie, get a not too full scoop of batter and roll into a ball with your hands.  Next, roll the dough into the granulated sugar first, and the confectioners sugar next, and then place on the cookie sheet.  Place the cookies about 1 to 2 inches apart.  I could only roll about 3 cookies before I would have to wash off my hands with water.  That batter is crazy sticky!  Once you have all your cookies all rolled and coated, bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies have flattened and the sugar splits. 

Transfer from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 

Go ahead and thank me if you must ;-)  Be careful though, these are seriously addictive!  Hubby said they are his new favorite thing! 

Chocolate Crack Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen.

8 ounces mini bittersweet chocolate chips

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder (the only thing I could find was a Dutch cocoa/natural cocoa mix and that worked fine)

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

granulated sugar

confectioners sugar

 

Follow directions from Martha’s recipe and my post above!

Thanks and enjoy!