Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

We all have those recipes that we grew up with.  The ones we ate each year around the holidays when we went to family functions.  The ones that we came to expect.  The ones that, if they were missing, it just would not feel like Christmas.  This recipe for chocolate crinkle cookies is one of mine.  For as long as I can remember (and almost certainly before that), these cookies have always appeared on my grandmother's Christmas table and, if they were to suddenly disappear, they would most definitely be missed.   And, now that I live so far away from home, if I want these on my table at Christmas, I have to get to work and make them myself, which I do--every single year.

As a child, I used to go after these cookies because they contained chocolate, and, when given the option, I always chose chocolate.  However, the truth is that these cookies are much more complex and interesting than straight-up chocolate cookies. The recipe calls for lemon zest and ground almonds, giving these cookies a faint bright note of citrus and the depth of nuts.  So,  my adult self, who actually appreciates flavors beyond that of rich, unadulterated, chocolate, actually loves these cookies even more than I did as a child. 


What foods do you associate with the holidays?

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
Yield: Approximately 36 cookies

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped roughly
2 eggs
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 lemon rind (grated)
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup icing sugar

1. Melt the chocolate and set it aside to cool.  I pop it in the microwave for  30 second increments, stirring after each one, until the chocolate is melted.
2. In a separate bowl, I beat the eggs, oil, and sugar together.  Add ground almonds, lemon rind, and stir in chocolate, and beat the batter until everything is combined.
3. Whisk together flour and baking powder in a separate bowl.  Add the flour mixture slowly, beating after 1/2 cup-sized additions.  If you are using a hand mixer and not a powerful stand mixer, you will likely need to start working the dough  by hand, with a wooden spoon, once you have added approximately 1 1/2 cups of flour.  The dough will be pretty thick.
4. Put the dough in the fridge for fifteen minutes.  While it is chilling, heat oven to 350 and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. After it is done chilling, form balls into tablespoon-sized balls.  Roll them in icing sugar to coat, and place them on the cookie sheets with space in between for the cookies to grow.  Bake for 8-10 minutes.  Remove from oven and leave on cookie sheets for two minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool.