chocolate crinkle

PJ Hamel’s selected chocolate crinkles bake into flattened cookies with a streaked sugar coating. This version uses bittersweet chocolate and unsalted butter in the dough, with espresso powder offered as an optional chocolate-flavour accent.

Chocolate and butter are heated together until the butter melts, then stirred off the heat until smooth. In another bowl, sugar, whole eggs, vanilla and the optional espresso powder are beaten together.

The chocolate mixture, baking powder and salt enter the egg mixture before flour is stirred in. The dough is chilled until noticeably firmer, then small portions are dropped into confectioners’ sugar.

The dough portions are tossed in sugar in small groups and placed apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. As they bake, they flatten and develop their characteristic streaked appearance.

The baked crinkles cool on a rack. Their sugar-coated surface contrasts with the chocolate dough, while the optional espresso contributes a light aromatic hint and enhances the chocolate flavour.