Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

I borrowed a pink scoop from work to make these.  I should really just go buy several scoops, instead of borrowing sizes we don't use often to make cookies and muffins.

In the culinary world, there is no one "scoop".  Different sizes are used for portion control, inventory, and food costing, in addition to ease of use.  They are numbered by how many scoops it takes to fill a quart (or liter, if the brand is metric), so a smaller one would have a higher number.  A #8 is 1/2 cup, a #16 is 1/4 cup, etc.  To make things easier, each size is given a color.  The pink one I borrowed is a 60, so it takes 60 level scoops to fill a quart volume.  Roughly a slightly heaping tablespoon.  What one considers an ice cream scoop would be around a yellow.

The reason I'm advocating scoops today is because this recipe works better with one.  Preppy Kitchen's crinkle cookie dough is really brownie batter.  You have to chill it overnight, then attempt to scoop out and roll even portions so they bake properly.  There's no reason you couldn't pour a 2-egg sized batch in an 8"x8" pan and bake it that way, except you wouldn't get the crinkle effect.  I made a dozen mini-muffins out of this recipe, after spraying the hell out of the pan to make sure they wouldn't stick.

The amounts are going to be awkward because the original recipe makes 4 dozen.  You can freeze both the dough and the finished product, so it isn't the end of the world to make the original recipe.  I chose to make enough for a work meeting.

1/4 C + 3 Tb granulated sugar
2 Tb oil
1/4 C cocoa powder
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C flour (60 g, if you weigh it)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 C powdered sugar

1.  Beat together sugar and oil.  Already, this is not going to look like a normal cookie.  It's a crumbly mess unlike what you get with butter.

2.  Gently beat in cocoa powder.  Add in egg and vanilla and beat to combine.  Scrape down several times to ensure even mixing.

3.  Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.  Add to bowl and stir until just combined.  Cover and chill until firm, at least 4 hours and preferably overnight.

4.  When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350º and line a cookie sheet with parchment or silpat.  Scoop out 1" (roughly 1 Tb) balls, roll briefly to make smooth, and drop into a cup with the powdered sugar, coating all sides.  Do Not do what I did and scoop all the balls first, attempt to chill them, and then roll in sugar.  Had to do it all over.  Ended up only getting eleven because of it.

5.  The rolling has to happen quickly, or the powdered sugar will disappear.  Pop the pan in the oven and bake 10-12 minutes, until not quite set.  Allow to cool on pan until easy to handle, then move to a rack to finish cooling.  Store in airtight container for several days, or freeze for up to a month.

Makes 1 dozen
Difficulty rating  :)