midnight crackles

So I think one of my biggest complaints about writing a food blog (which, yes, I know. no one is forcing me to make cookies all the time) is that I don’t have enough people to eat all of my food.  And when I want to make every. christmas. cookie. I see, this kind of becomes a problem.  Especially now that it’s Christmas and everyone else has their own holiday treats to make and no one wants to take any of mine.

I’m venturing outside of my usual holiday baking this year, mostly because I need some Christmas content aside from peanut butter balls and chocolate snowflake cookies, but also because needing that content gives me a really good excuse to try things like Dorie Greenspan’s Midnight Crackles which I’ve been eyeing for a couple of weeks now.

These cookies were some of the most interesting cookies I’ve made in awhile.  The dough is almost more like a brownie batter until you add the last bit of the flour and suddenly it all comes together in a sticky chocolate way.  Then you chill the dough, which I did for probably longer than I should have  since they were a little difficult to form into balls.  They didn’t spread out as much as I thought they would, and they were drier than I thought they would be, but not in a bad way.  More in a crumbly chewy kind of way.

And oh the flavors.  These cookies have the crumb and grainy consistency of an uncooked brownie batter (but not the moistness), with that full chocolate flavor.  But there’s the added cinnamon and a tiny bit of cloves that give them just enough warmth to make you want to eat one after another after another.

Dorie Greenspan’s note on these cookies is that they’re named Midnight Crackles because you crave them at midnight.  But I’m telling you, I’m craving them at all times of day.

Midnight Crackles
from Dorie Greenspan’s Baking From my Home to Yours

Cook Time: 10 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Wait Time: 1 hour
Bake Time: 12 minutes

Makes about 50 cookies

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
10 oz. bittersweet chocolate (chopped)*
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs

1. Place the butter, brown sugar, and chocolate in a medium-sized saucepan over low heat.  Warm until the ingredients are melted, stirring occasionally.  When the mixture is smooth, remove from the heat and pour into a large bowl (to be used with an electric mixter).
2. In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cloves.  Set aside.
3. After the chocolate mixture has cooled slightly, add the eggs, one at a time, beating with an electric mixer until fully incorporated.  Then slowly add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until the dough comes off the sides of the bowl.
4. Divide the dough in half and wrap each half in plastic.  Chill for at least 1 hour (or up to 3 days).
5. Remove half the dough from the fridge.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Pinch off about 1 tablespoon of dough at a time and form it into a ball.  Place each cookie on the baking sheet about 1 inch apart.  Light press the top of each cookie down with your fingertips.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.  Remove from oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for about 2 minutes, and then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.  Repeat with the other half of the dough.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

*or bittersweet chocolate morsels