Chocolate Truffle Cookies with Crackly Crust

They are very rich and have a wonderful, cracked surface. For chocolate lovers only.

Recipe By:

Mercury News

 Yield:

30

 Ingredients:

1¼ cups flour

3 ½ tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

20 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

10 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

2¼ cups sugar

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips

 Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

3. Melt chopped chocolate in a bowl over, but not touching, simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove bowl from water. Cool 5 to 10 minutes. Set aside.

4. Using an electric mixer on medium, cream butter and sugar.

5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until incorporated.

6. On high speed, beat for a few minutes until light, creamy and pale.

7. Mix in melted chocolate and vanilla just until combined.

8. Fold in dry ingredients with a rubber spatula. Fold in chocolate chips.

9. Scoop dough quickly, before it firms up, onto prepared pans in scant 1/4-cup dollops. (It’s easiest to use a 2-ounce ice cream scoop, filled 3/4 full). Space the cookies 2 inches apart. Flatten each mound slightly with a damp hand.*

10. Bake cookies until they are evenly cracked all over the tops and softly set, 14 to 16 minutes, rotating pan halfway through. If you have 2 pans in the oven, switch them between racks, too. (If baking in batches, don’t refrigerate the scooped dough. They will not spread properly.) Cool completely before using a metal spatula to separate cookies from parchment.

Notes:

* I used my 2 tablespoon scooper and didn’t flatten them and they were fine.

One Internet source recommended sprinkling them with fleur de sel after scooping.