Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Today, I attempted a recipe out of the 500 Cookies, Biscuits, & Bakes cookbook.  My cookies definitely were not as pretty as the ones in the book, but they were mighty scrumptious.

What you will need:
7 ounces of semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup (or 1 stick) of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of caster sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/4 cup of unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
pinch of salt
powdered sugar for dipping

There is a difference between caster and granulated sugar.  According to my The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion book, caster sugar is a more finely granulated sugar but can be used cup for cup for regular granulated table sugar.  In other words, it means you have to go to a specialty store and fork out more money for this type of sugar.  It is usually found in meringue recipes because it's ability to dissolve extremely fast.

Oh....just a side note here.  If you know anyone who likes to cook or bake, look at The Food Lover's Companion book as a gift.  They have both paperback and hardback editions and the book is AMAZING.  It's a dictionary describing different foods and culinary techniques.  I seriously spent 4 hours on a plane ride reading this book one time.  

Back to the recipe!   

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together.  Set the bowl aside.

The next step is to melt the chopped chocolate and butter in a saucepan.  

Once the chocolate is melted, stir in the caster sugar.  Continuing stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Next, add your eggs in one at a time making sure they are incorporated each time.  Now pour in your vanilla and stir.  I apologize that there is a lack of photos at this point.  It's a little hard to handle a camera, pour ingredients, and stir.  I asked my husband for help, but he managed to get more of my expanding belly in the shots than the actual food. And since we are dealing with cookies and not pregnant bellies here, I decided against using the photos.

Now add your flour mixture to your melted chocolate in three stages stirring well in between each one. 

You will end up with a very thick dough that you will cover and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours.  

Once the dough is chilled, roll into 1 inch balls.  Roll each cookie ball in powdered sugar and place on a cookie sheet.  I ended up flattening out my cookies just a bit before I baked them.  Bake the cookies at 325 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.  Let them cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.  The tops should be a little hard but the inside is still soft when you bite into it.  And there you have it......chocolate crackle cookies.  

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