Chocolate Crackles...

These have got to be my farmhands' favorite cookie.  I think that they are fascinated by the deep chocolate cracks, and they love how the powdered sugar coats their fingers too!  These are so good.  An all-time favorite at our house.  I invariably make them every Christmas.  I think that the powdered sugar reminds me of snow.  The dark chocolate colored dough is rolled in powdered sugar and baked, as they bake they crack open to reveal crevices of chocolate.  They are simple, but magical, and that is where the attraction lies.

Chocolate crackles taste as amazing as they look.  They are crisp outside and molten, gooey chocolate on the inside.  A cookie phenomenon.  These are a Martha Stewart recipe.  As a newly married girl, I clung to Martha, she taught me how to cook!  Without her show, I think we would still be eating spaghetti, EVERY NIGHT!!!  Not that we don't eat spaghetti, but it's maybe once every few months now, compared to every other day when we were first married...  Thanks Martha for saving us from spaghetti monotony!

I weigh these cookies when I divide them up.  I weigh the dough, then divide by 64.  This last batch, each cookie weighed in at 16-grams.  This will be dependent on the relative humidity on the day that you make the cookies, so be sure to get the total weight of the dough, so that you get even sized cookies, and a maximum yield.  You could use a small scoop to divide the cookies also.

Have fun!

CHOCOLATE CRACKLES

Martha Stewart

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop bittersweet chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

On a clean countertop, roll each portion of dough into a log approximately 16 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, using confectioners’ sugar to prevent sticking. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut each log into 1-inch pieces, and toss in confectioners’ sugar, a few at a time. Using your hands, roll the pieces into a ball shape. If any of the cocoa-colored dough is visible, roll dough in confectioners’ sugar again to coat completely. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.

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