Candy Cane Kiss Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
 
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Candy Cane Kiss Chocolate Crinkle Cookies may become your signature Christmas cookies, but before you make them, find out the secrets to making perfectly crackly cookies!
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Recipe type: Dessert/Sweet/Cookies
Cuisine: American
Yield: 40 small cookies
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (5 ounces) whole wheat flour
  • ½ cup (1 ½ ounces) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup packed (6 ½ ounces) brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup (4 ounces) bittersweet (60% cocoa) chocolate chips
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • ½ cup (3 ½ ounces) granulated sugar
  • ½ cup (2 ounces) powdered sugar
  • Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 350 F.
  2. Put flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Whisk to mix.
  3. In another bowl (large), whisk brown sugar, eggs, espresso powder (if using), and vanilla together until it becomes a smooth batter.
  4. Place chocolate chips and butter in a microwavable bowl and microwave at 50% power, stirring at 30-second intervals, until melted, about 2 minutes.
  5. Pour chocolate mixture into egg mixture, and whisk until combined.
  6. Add flour mixture and fold with a spatula until no dry streaks remain. Dough will be sticky at this point. Letting it sit in the fridge for 10-15 minutes will make it easier to work with.
  7. Place granulated sugar and powdered sugar in separate bowls.
  8. Using a small cookie scoop, drop about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, directly into granulated sugar. Roll to coat and form into balls.
  9. Then transfer the dough balls into powdered sugar and roll to coat evenly, but not too thickly if you prefer fine cracks.
  10. Place on a cookie sheet that’s been lined with parchment paper. Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes (depending on your oven), or until puffed and cracked and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft. Cookies may look raw between cracks and seem underdone (once cooled they’ll set nicely).
  11. Allow cookies to cool slightly for 1-2 minutes before placing Candy Cane Kisses, otherwise these kisses will melt into the cookies, instead of sitting on top. Push them gently into the center of cookies; the residual heat from the cookies will melt the bottom of the kisses, bonding them to the cookies.
Notes
1. Chilling the dough prior to baking is not required, but as mentioned in the text above, doing so will result in puffy and pretty cookies with finer cracks.
2. Baking them longer (for the full 10 minutes) will result in sturdier, and in my opinion, fudgier cookies.
3. Unlike most cookies, these Chocolate Crinkle Cookies actually taste better after they cool completely, and even better the next day.
Recipe by Fiesta Friday at https://fiestafriday.net/2019/12/04/candy-cane-kiss-chocolate-crinkle-cookies/