Brownie Crackle-Top Cookies

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups (6-1/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups (10-1/2 ounces) sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons (3/4 stick, 3 ounces) unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 3/4 cup (2-1/4 ounces) cocoa powder, Ghiradelli preferred
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips (may use miniature chips)
• 3/4 cup (3 ounces) confectioners’ sugar, for coating cookies

Directions

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt until evenly mixed. Set aside.

Scrape the melted butter into a smaller bowl with a spatula and add the cocoa powder. Stir until combined and no lumps remain. Mix vanilla extract with eggs, then whisk into cocoa butter mixture.

Add wet mixture to dry flour mixture and mix thoroughly by hand with a rubber spatula. It may seem as if you need more liquid, but do not add any. Just keep folding and pressing until the mixture comes together. It will eventually reach the consistency of stiff brownie batter. Fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to firm up.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with silpat baking liners or parchment paper. (If you do not line the baking sheets, be sure to lightly grease them. )

Pour confectioners’ powdered sugar into a small bowl. Scoop dough by teaspoons, roll into balls, and drop into powdered sugar, rolling around to cover completely. Place on prepared baking sheets 1-1/2 inches apart.

Bake cookies for 12 to 15 minutes. The cookies will spread, puff a bit, and form cracks. The longer you cook them, the more crispy they will become. Let cool 10 minutes on the cookie sheets before using a spatula to remove to racks and cool completely. Store in a covered container.