Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

School is in full-swing now. This year, my kids seem kind of all spread out. I am home-schooling my youngest who is in his sophomore year. I have a son who started his junior year of public high school, one who started his senior year of college and then of course, my newly married son, far removed from the nest now...they seem to grow-up overnight! Ah, so bitter-sweet.

Along with some other home-schoolers, my youngest has started up again with his Lego Robotics group. This year they will be meeting at our house, so I anticipate new opportunities to make snacks and goodies for the group. I was looking for a different cookie to bake and ran across this one that looked new and interesting (and delicious).

Starting out with a combination of dry ingredients, including cocoa.

Mixing it all up.

Next up—the wet ingredients.

Forming them into a ball and rolling in powdered sugar.

All ready to go in the oven.

Crinkly, on the top, warm and gooey in the middle. I actually modified the recipe and put some chocolate chips in the middle while forming the balls.

Here's just part of the team enjoying their afternoon cookies! All the kids seemed to think they were pretty good. After all, I had an empty plate when it was all said and done.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
• 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetned cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• chocolate chips (opt)

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter.

Put the confectioners' sugar into a bowl and set aside.

In another bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 egg and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the other egg and vanilla and beat until blended.

Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended.

Using a tablespoon, scoop up a rounded spoonful of dough. Scrape the dough off the spoon into the palm of your other hand. If desired, put 4 chocolate chips in the middle before rolling. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar until covered. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.

When 1 baking sheet is full, put it in the oven and bake the cookies until they are crackled and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 15 minutes.

Using a metal spatula, move the cookies onto the rack and let cool completely. Repeat with the rest of the cookies.

Yield: 24 cookies