Hot Chocolate Cookies
A couple of years ago Miriam started developing these cookies. They were very popular since we really like spicy/fruity/chocolaty flavors. The hardest part of development was to come up with a name for them. After several discarded suggestions this was the final decision. But in my heart they will always be Cranny Cracks!
Yield: Approx. 3 dozen cookies
Time: About 3 hours
Ingredients
1 cup AP flour
½ cup+2tbsp cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1⁄8 tsp salt
1 tsp espresso powder
1 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp cayenne
¼ tsp chili powder
1 stick unsalted butter
½ cup sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg @ room temperature
1 tsp vanilla paste
1 cup dried cranberries, diced small
½ cup mini chocolate chips (milk or dark, doesn’t matter)
Sugar for rolling
Powdered sugar for rolling
Instructions:
Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and spices together in a bowl, set aside.
Cream the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium high speed. Beat in the egg and vanilla on low-medium speed.
On low speed, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined, then mix in the dried cranberries and chocolate chips. The cookie dough will be quite thick and sticky.
Cover the bowl tightly and chill for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. Chilling is required to ensure the cookies have the right texture.
Preheat the oven to 350⁰F
Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Create an assembly line with the dough, sugar, powdered sugar, and the baking sheets in that order.
Scoop and roll dough into balls – I use the 1Tbsp cookie scoop, but whatever size you prefer is fine. Roll each ball very lightly in granulated sugar, then generously in the powdered sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets
Bake the rounded dough for 8-12 minutes depending on the size you chose. They will spread slightly on the pan and “crackle” on the top.
For softer cookies, bang the pan on a hard surface once you remove it from the oven to get the remaining hot air out.
Cool cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Lightly dust with more powdered sugar if you want a more finished look.