Sweet Things Are Coming

It will be December in a few days and sweet things are coming our way. December is a month of goodies. Finally, I made use of Martha Stewart's Cookies that I bought over the Summer, I only managed to look through them, not thoroughly though, a couple of days ago. I do not exactly know what I have been doing all these times, but here I am, surviving all the punches, ups and down, the excitement in life.

My eyes have been set on these Chocolate Crackles since I saw them for the first time and with the need to get new ideas on what to give to others, I was more than happy to bake them. Of course, it is always the love that I have for my family that keeps on pushing me to the kitchen and bake or cook something, which therefore qualifies me further as the mother of the year... ha!

These cookies are not too simple and straigh forward to make. It's messy and it takes times, but it is definitely worth the effort.

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Cookies, the book. The website's version is slightly different.

Ingredients

Makes about 5 dozen.

• 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup(1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions

1. Melt chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Set aside and let cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
2. With an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low; mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide dough into four equal pieces. Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
3. Preheat oven to 350F. Divide each piece into 16 1-inch balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in confectioners' sugar to coat. Space 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
4. Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 3 days.