Description
Chocolate crackle cookies offer a delightful dance of rich cocoa and powdered sugar elegance. Cracking with each bite, these classic treats promise pure chocolatey bliss you’ll savor down to the last crumb.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Ingredients:
- 8 ounces (226 grams) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 large eggs
- 8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 ¼ cups (250 grams) light-brown sugar, firmly packed
Dry Ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups (156 grams) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (25 grams) Dutch cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Liquid and Finishing Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 milliliters) milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (120 grams) Confectioners’ sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Finely chop chocolate into small, uniform pieces and transfer to a microwave-safe bowl. Melt chocolate in 20-second intervals, stirring between each session until completely smooth and glossy. Allow chocolate to cool to room temperature.
- In a separate mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, ensuring no lumps remain.
- Using an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar at medium speed until the mixture becomes light, pale, and fluffy, approximately 3 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla extract, mixing until fully incorporated. Gently fold in the cooled melted chocolate.
- Gradually incorporate half of the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients at low speed. Pour in milk, scraping down the bowl’s sides. Add remaining flour blend, mixing until a uniform, smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic film and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours or ideally overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). Line two large baking sheets with silicone mats or parchment paper.
- Spread confectioners’ sugar on a shallow plate with raised edges. Using a cookie scoop, portion chilled dough into rounded tablespoon-sized balls. Roll each ball thoroughly in powdered sugar, ensuring complete and even coating. Reposition any balls with exposed chocolate areas.
- Arrange cookie balls approximately 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake for 13-14 minutes until cookies develop characteristic crackled surface and flatten slightly. If dough becomes too soft, briefly return to refrigerator between batches.
- Remove cookies from oven and allow to rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer to wire cooling racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to one week, maintaining optimal freshness and texture.
Notes
- Snag the shiniest chocolate and highest-quality cocoa powder to elevate these decadent crackle cookies beyond ordinary treats.
- Chilling the dough is absolutely critical for achieving those signature crackled edges and preventing cookies from spreading too thin during baking.
- Rolling each dough ball completely in powdered sugar creates that magical snow-dusted appearance which makes these cookies visually stunning.
- Precision matters when measuring ingredients, especially with delicate baking recipes like these chocolate crackles requiring exact proportions.
- Using room temperature eggs helps them incorporate more smoothly into the butter and chocolate mixture, ensuring a consistent, luxurious cookie texture.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 210 kcal
- Sugar: 18g
- Sodium: 100mg
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 3g
- Cholesterol: 40mg