Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

What does one do when she finds out her roommate has a barely used Kitchenaid mixer sitting in the closet? She hosts a cookie making party! Now to defend myself here, I do have one of my own(inherited from my grandmother in fact) but who wants to haul a forty pound pure steel mixer 500 miles from San Diego to San Francisco? Not me. Especially since I don't know where I'll be 6 months from now. Whew.

         I've found many excuses to use the mixer already but ever since I found out Comcast has a yule log on demand--which plays musical Christmas classics--I knew a cookie party was necessary. I pulled out our two folding tables and lined them up in my tiny yellow kitchen to lend some much needed(although VERY wobbly) counter space. As the mixer mixed, the tables danced and we all had a jolly good time with mulled wine in hand. 

I contributed these chocolate crinkle cookies from a recipe at Baker's Royale. Dense, chewy, chocolaty cookies that look as though a fresh winter snow has fallen upon them. I used my favorite high quality Scharffen Berger chocolate to lend some great flavor. Feel free to use a darker percentage of chocolate for more richness but I like to use semi-sweet when baking for the right balance of sweetness. 

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies adapted from Bakers Royale

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped

2 3/4 cups granulated sugar, divided(see directions)

1/4 cup canola oil

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

In a medium bowl, beat together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Melt the chocolate in the microwave 30 seconds at a time, stirring each time, until melted.

In a mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together 2 1/2 cups of the sugar, the oil, butter, and corn syrup to blend. Beat in the eggs one by one, then the egg yolk, and vanilla extract. 

On low, beat in the melted chocolate. Add the flour misture and beat on low speed until just combined. 

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. 

Heat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line baking sheet with a silpat or parchment paper. 

Pour the rest of the sugar(1/2 cup) into a small bowl and the powdered sugar into another bowl.

Roll the dough into 2 inch balls.

Roll each ball lightly in the granulated sugar then heavily in the powdered sugar(by rolling in the plain sugar first, the powdered sugar does not soak into the dough and will stay on the surface of the cookie).

Arrange cookies 2 inches apart on your baking sheet. Press with your palm very lightly to make the cookies flatten out a bit while they cook. No need to smash them, just barely squish so they have a flat top. Bake 12 to 14 minutes. Enjoy!