Chocolate GF CrinkleCrackle Cookies
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Do you see them? I do. I see the cookies. Peek-a-boo cookies. I seeeeeee you. And I love you. My love is true. Are they Crinkle Cookies? Crackle Cookies? What … more »

Do you see them?

I do. I see the cookies.

Peek-a-boo cookies. I seeeeeee you.

And I love you. My love is true.

Are they Crinkle Cookies? Crackle Cookies? What are they? What do you call them?

These little beauties are fragrant, and delicious. They keep on the counter in an airtight container for days and days. And days. And they are selfless. They give and give, and keep on giving. Every time you open the aforementioned container, these cookies give you a delicate aroma, expecting nothing in return. That’s more than I can say for the rest of us.

They are a wee bit delicate. Not like butter cookies, but if you put them in a piece of aluminum foil, and stash them in your children’s lunch boxes, they will in fact end up much worse for the wear. I’m speaking hypothetically, of course. I wrote a cookbook, for the love of Mike. I would never be so daft as to treat Crinkle Crackle cookies such that they might crumble. Don’t be ridiculous. The fact that my children’s lunchboxes came back home that day littered with delightful smelling crumbs is nothing but circumstantial evidence.

You will notice that this recipe has 10 steps. It’s really simple, though. I’m learning that I may have a tendency to over-do it in the directions department. Is that a big problem? Is less more? Drop a comment below & let me know what you think…

4.5 from 4 reviews

Chocolate GF CrinkleCrackle Cookies
By: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Serves: 18 to 20
 

GF Sugar-crusted chocolate cookies.
Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup (5¼ tablespoons) unsalted butter (nondairy sub is fine)
  • 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate*
  • ¾ cup all-purpose gluten-free flour
  • ⅓ teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if using Better Batter flour)
  • ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • ⅔ cup packed brown sugar (light, if you have it)
  • ½ cup confectioner’s sugar + more for rolling
  • 2 extra-large eggs
  • 6 to 8 tablespoons milk (nondairy is fine; nonfat milk is not)

Instructions
  1. Place the butter and chocolate in a large, microwave safe bowl, & microwave on high power for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between cycles, until the chocolate & butter are smooth & shiny. Set aside the bowl to cool a bit (about 5 to 7 minutes) – not so long that the chocolate thickens again, but long enough that it won’t cook the eggs when you add them.
  2. While the chocolate is cooling, in a separate medium-sized bowl, place the flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt, and mix to combine. Set the bowl aside.
  3. Add the vanilla, brown sugar, confectioner’s sugar, and the eggs to the chocolate mixture, blending well after each addition.
  4. Add the flour mixture to the large bowl in thirds, alternating with the milk 2 tablespoons at a time (for a total of 6 tablespoons), and mixing well after each addition.
  5. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of milk only if necessary to create a smooth and lovely cookie dough. The dough will be thick, but not particularly firm, similar to the consistency of play-doh (gluten-free play doh, since otherwise the very mention of play-doh has me quaking).
  6. Divide the dough in half, shape each into a log, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator until firm (at least an hour, up to overnight).
  7. When you are ready to work with the dough, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set them aside.
  8. Slice the chilled dough into 18 to 20 pieces. Roll each piece of dough between damp palms into a ball. Roll each ball in a bowl of confectioner’s sugar. Place the balls of dough about ¾-inch apart on prepared baking sheets, place the sheets uncovered in the refrigerator, and allow them to rest for at least for about 5 to 10 minutes (the dough will absorb some of the sugar). Re-roll each bowl in the powdered sugar again after it has rested.
  9. Place the baking sheets in the center of the preheated oven and bake until the cookies have flattened out & the powdered sugar crinkles and crackles, about 8 to 10 minutes. The cookies will be soft to the touch, but will firm as they cool. Allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet.
  10. EatThemEatThemEatThemGiveMeSomePlease

Notes
*If you only have semi-sweet chocolate, just cut back on the confectioner’s sugar ingredient from ½ cup to ¼ cup. Let’s not let the chocolate come between us.

So how do you refer to these cookies, so that they come when you call them? I go with Chocolate CrinkleCrackle, to cover all my bases. I like my bases neatly covered. In cookies.

 

Love,
Me
P.S. If you haven’t yet, please buy My Cookbooks! You’ll love them, and I need you to support the blog!

  • http://saintsandspinners.blogspot.com Saints and Spinners

    My hypothesis about gf baking is that it’s best to convert the doubters with recipes that have a lot of chocolate, butter, and sugar. Think about it: even if it fails, it succeeds. What luck that I have all the ingredients mentioned here (all but the Better Batter flour, but give me time). There’s a party tomorrow, so I can bake today and bring the results the masses. I’m making either these cookies or the Chocolate Chip Blondie Cupcakes. Both maybe? Like I said, they’re going to a party! –Farida

    • Nicole

      Farida, I couldn’t have said it better myself! Let me know how they turn out — and thanks for the comment love!
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • http://mamasitasinthekitchen.blogspot.com Heather

    YUM! I can’t wait to try these this week! :D

    • Nicole

      Hi, Heather,
      Do let us know how they turn out. Thanks for posting! So glad you’re here.
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • Penny

    Those look so yummy! Thanks for sharing the recipe!

    • Nicole

      Hi, Penny. Nice to ‘see’ you here from Facebook! They are so yummy, & simpler to make than the long list of directions would suggest. Honest. Thank you for posting a comment. I’m obsessed with comments, it seems.
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • http://saintsandspinners.blogspot.com Saints and Spinners

    I made these cookies. They are soft. They are crispy. They are so seductive. I’ll admit, Nicole, I was a skeptic– anything with that much butter and sugar makes me do a double-take. The Things I Do For Love. I’m glad I am taking these cookies to a party, because my family would not be able to resist eating these. Thanks for the recipe. I am using up my Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gf flour on non-yeast recipes, and with this one, I used less liquid plus I had to add 2 tbsp of flour.

    One thing I’ve noticed with gf baking is that in general, the raw batter isn’t tasty. Is that the xanthan gum I’m tasting or the fava bean flour in Bob’s Red Mill mix or what? I don’t know if I have the palate to experiment. Probably it’s for the best (raw egg), but licking the bowl was one of my favorite things about baking.

    • Nicole

      Hi, Farida,
      Hooray! I’m so glad they turned out so well. I think these are a good use of the bean flour, since the other flavors are so strong, they’ll mask the garfavabeano smell. Sadly, the batter tastes *blech* because of the bean flour. I came to that unhappy conclusion a few years ago, and I, too, blamed it all along on the poor, defenseless xanthan gum. With Better Batter (I know – broken record, I), the batter tastes, well, better. It tastes delicious. It tastes like it’s worth eating raw eggs.
      You really are teaching me about the bean flours, Farida. I’m so grateful for your comments, because more and more I find myself leaning toward making bean-flour-disclaimers in my recipes. They really do seem to behave differently.
      Not for nothing, I’d stash a few of these in the freezer before going to the party, Farida. Gotta take care of the cook.
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • Tina

    Nicole,
    These are absolutely heavenly. I had to suppress the urge to hide them after I tried the first one. We will definitely be making these again. Thanks so much for sharing this.

    • Nicole

      Hi, Tina,
      I know! They speak to me in soft, sweet voices, these cookies do. Do hide them. And give them out to only those most deserving. Make people audition for them. I only say this since it seems that you were perhaps leaning in that direction already. All you lacked was a little encouragement, and I’m here for you, Tina.
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • V

    Hi Nicole,
    I’m very sorry to report that I’m one of those few who don’t like chocolate very much. But these look delish! I will try them, for I have one son who’s a chocoholic, but I have a second son who, like me, has a choc-aversion. Is there a different flavoring that you think will work for this recipe? (In case you need ideas, I like butterscotch, vanilla….) If you’re willing, please help.
    V

    • Nicole

      Hi, V,
      No need to be sorry. To each her own.
      For the unsweetened chocolate, I would say maybe butterscotch chips, toffee bits, or white chocolate. The trickier part is the cocoa powder. Maybe carob powder? It has a taste that is distinct from cocoa powder. Maybe try that? Or ground cinnamon?
      Good luck!
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • http://dreamsomedesigns.blogspot.com/ Kristi

    I’ve been waiting for this recipe, I’m gonna try these for sure! Thank you!

    • Nicole

      Hi, Kristi,
      I had no idea I had kept you waiting! I’m glad it’s finally up – let us know how it turns out!
      Warm regards
      Nicole

  • Pingback: Weekly Round Up – April 24, 2011

  • Autumn

    I am trying these ASAP! I love the detailed directions..I am a baking dummy so I need all the help I can get!:)

    • Nicole

      Hi, Autumn,
      I’m glad to know that you like the detailed directions! I prefer to say that you are at the early stages of baking learning, rather than as a baking dummy. You seem pretty smart to me. I mean, you like my cookies. That’s pretty smart. :)
      Thank you for posting – and for answering my question!
      Stick around – the next round of recipes is going to be different twists on GF chocolate chip cookies
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • http://www.theglutenfreemaven.com Amy

    When you specify all-purpose gluten free flour in the recipe, is there a certain brand you prefer? Any you intensely dislike?

    Love the new book BTW.

    • Nicole

      Hi, Amy,
      Yes! I use and recommend Better Batter all-purpose Gluten-free flour. You can find it here: http://www.betterbatter.org.
      I do not care for any of the bean flours. They behave differently than other all purpose flours, they smell bad raw, and they have a beany aftertaste that bothers some people. Bob’s Red Mill all purpose gluten-free flour is a bean blend.
      I hope that helps!
      Thanks for the kind words about the book!
      Warm regards,
      Nicole

  • Cosmos

    These cookies are great! Thanks for sharing!

  • Sarah Walsh Dugas on Facebook

    i put one tbsp in and it was a bit too much mint so i’m going with 2-3 teaspoons for the christmas tray ones. But these are being gobbled up by the toughest critiques in my house- my 2 and 4 year old.

  • Kat Azevedo on Facebook

    These came out sooo good! Like little chocolate pillows of yumminess! Thank you Nicole!

This recipe was brought to you by Nicole Hunn of Gluten-Free on a Shoestring: http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/chocolate-gf-crinklecrackle-cookies/
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