I am not normally a made-from-scratch cookie baker.  For many years, I’ve been buying frozen cookie dough from my nephews’ school as part of their fundraising efforts.  When both boys moved to different schools, the fundraiser ended and with it went my ready-made cookie dough supply.  Now, I am “forced” to make cookie dough myself.  I don’t really have any go-to cookie recipes aside from my Snickerdoodle Cookies so I’ve been testing out recipes I’ve seen on different blogs and websites. So far, I’ve discovered a couple of keepers, like the Pistachio-Tangerine Cookies and the Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies that I featured in previous blog posts.

Today, I tried my hand at baking chocolate crinkle cookies, so named because they puff up and crackle as they bake.  The recipe is from blogger, Anna, of Crunchy Creamy Sweet. These pretty chocolate cookies, decorated with powdered sugar to resemble snow, are very popular with holiday bakers.  These cookies are slightly crisp around the edges, but remain moist and chewy inside.  I added some instant coffee to Anna’s recipe to bring out a deeper chocolate flavor.  I also rolled the dough balls in a cinnamon and granulated sugar mixture before coating them with sifted powdered sugar.  According to noted food scientist Shirley Corriher, this prevents the powdered sugar from soaking into the dough too much so it stays on the cookie surface better.

Chocolate Cinnamon Crinkle Cookies
Yields approximately 36 cookies

Ingredients:
1/3 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 egg whites
1/3 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

For rolling the dough balls
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
about 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar, sifted

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons of ground cinnamon in a small bowl and set aside. Put the powdered sugar in a separate bowl and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat butter for about 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, instant coffee, baking soda and ground cinnamon. Beat until all is combined. Scrape the sides of the bowl. Add egg whites and sour cream and beat again until well mixed. Slowly add flour and mix until the flour is fully incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 3 hours so it’s easier roll the dough into balls.

Drop approximately 1 teaspoon of the dough into the granulated sugar/cinnamon mixture and roll into a ball. Then, roll the dough ball into the powdered sugar.
Place balls on a silicone baking mat or parchment paper-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake until edges are slightly crispy, about 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies onto a wire rack and let cool.

Adapted from Crunchy Creamy Sweet