Chocolate Crinkles

A Christmas classic, chocolate crinkles are rich, soft cookies with a delectable flavor.  If you do not have baking chocolate on hand, you can make these using cocoa powder and a neutrally flavored oil (follow the directions on the cocoa container for making up the equivalent to baking chocolate).

Chocolate Crinkles

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil (or other neutrally flavored oil such as canola or safflower)

4 oz. unsweetened chocolate

2 tsp. vanilla

4 eggs

2 cups flour**

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Melt the chocolate over low heat on the stove.  In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, oil and vanilla and then add the melted chocolate.  Mix the eggs in one at a time.  Stir in the dry ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.  

Cover two sheet pans with parchment paper.  Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls (use a baking teaspoon, not a kitchen teaspoon; you run the risk of making your cookies too big by using the latter) into the confectioner's sugar; roll around to coat.  Shape into balls and place about 2 inches apart on the sheet pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10 - 12 minutes.  If you're using convection baking methods, do not bake for the full 12 minutes - anywhere between 10:30 and 11 minutes will give you the consistency you're looking for.

Yield:  5 dozen

 **The dough seems to be rather soft using only 2 cups of flour and they have a tendency to flatten and spread.  You may certainly adjust the amount of flour.  A good starting point would be to add 2 1/2 cups flour and see what the consistency is like.  I don't recommend adding any more than 3 cups of flour, maximum.