Foolproof Chocolate Crackle Cookies
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Foolproof Chocolate Crackle Cookies. Super chocolatey cookies with a white crackled exterior appearance. Great for lunchboxes, after school snacks or a very pretty addition to afternoon tea.
Before we left home, Olivia was on a bit of a cookie kick. We have a couple of other recipes coming up soon but today we feature a gorgeous little chocolate treat that we hadn't made in quite some time.
This cookie is soft and very chocolatey and is also very eye-catching when set out as part of a party spread. They always seem to disappear first for some reason.
The recipe is very straightforward but does require that the dough be very well chilled. The combination of using two sugars to roll the dough balls in is the secret to getting the perfect crackle appearance every time.
The dough can also be frozen in advance to use later. Just let it thaw in the fridge before using it.
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Updated January 2018 to include option for metric measurements, nutritional/calorie information and to add tips on rolling these cookies successfully. Originally published on August 27, 2012.
Foolproof Chocolate Crackle Cookies. Super chocolatey cookies with a white crackled exterior appearance. Great for lunchboxes, after school snacks or a very pretty addition to afternoon tea.
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups dark chocolate chips, or semi-sweet
- 1 ¼ cups flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup butter
- 1 ½ cups lightly packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup icing sugar, i.e. powdered sugar
Instructions
Sift together and set aside: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt.
Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler and let cool almost to room temperature.
Cream, butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, then fold in the melted chocolate.
Add the dry ingredients in three additions alternately with the milk in two additions, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.
This dough needs to be well chilled. Wrap it in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for several hours or preferably overnight.
Roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll the balls, first in granulated sugar, then in powdered sugar.
Place the balls about 2 ½ inches apart on a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees F until the surface crackles.
Cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Some people have noted that the dough warms up quickly when they try to roll it. I suggest using a small cookie scoop if you have one (the kind that looks like a little ice cream scoop).
Chilling the dough overnight is best. You can even pop it into the freezer for a half hour or so before rolling when it is well chilled. Only take a little dough from the fridge at a time and return the dough to the fridge (or freezer) between baking times.
The nutritional information provided is automatically calculated by third party software and is meant as a guideline only. Exact accuracy is not guaranteed. For recipes where all ingredients may not be used entirely, such as those with coatings on meats, or with sauces or dressings for example, calorie & nutritional values per serving will likely be somewhat lower than indicated.
Nutrition Information
Yield
48Serving Size
1 cookieAmount Per Serving Calories 97Total Fat 3gSaturated Fat 2gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 12mgSodium 40mgCarbohydrates 15gSugar 10gProtein 1g
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Looks absolutely delicious! I would so love to try some. They look so good.
At which point do you add the melted chocolate ??
Thanks for catching that omission. The error is now fixed.
(0; They turned out perfectly! They'll love me at work tomorrow!
Just made these! They are amazing! Could you add nuts to them without affecting it? (new baker)
Nuts would be worth trying.
Just made these cookies for a cookie exchange. They look and taste very impressive! They were, however, very difficult to work with and I am wondering if you have any tricks. I chilled the cookie dough well. By the time I had maybe 5 balls made the chocolate was melting in the palms of my hand and impossible to work with. It took me forever because I had to keep re-chilling the dough. Anyway they are very tasty and pretty. Thanks!
I didn't have that problem at all Kelly. Did you use real butter?
I have the same problem when I make these cookies as Kelly. I get about 6 cookies in and the dough begins to melt in my hands. I always use fresh butter. I don't know why it melts so fast in my hands.
Was the dough to loose to begin with? How long did you chill it? Maybe use less milk. I really never had that problem.
I read that using store brand butter it had more water in it so I switched to a good brand of butter for all my baking. I know it effects pound cakes..
Absolutely true. Some dairy butter can have much more water content in it.
Where does the cup of icing sugar come in? Is it just for rolling the balls in at the end along with the granulated sugar?
Yes.
These are so good! I had to do a few balls at a time, then re-freeze for 30 min and do more or it was just too messy. I think my hands were really warm, not sure why they melted so fast. (I used all organic good quality ingredients) but they were really good regardless of the mess!
If you freeze these cookies, does the icing sugar crackle stay as pictured?
How much sugar do you use to roll the cookies in before rolling them in the powdered sugar. (Although, I think I can just eyeball it to figure that out.) Thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I have been wanting to try these, and the first recipe I found was a "no-go."
PS: I love your blog and always smile when I see a new post. : ) Thanks for the great recipes!
There is no specific amount. Enough to completely coat them.
Can these cookies be frozen after baking?
They will taste fine but you'll probably lose the textured appearance, I think.