thin, chewy chocolate cookies

I am trying to get caught up on blogging about a few different cakes I've made recently. But I thought I'd pop in quickly with a note about these thin, chewy, chocolate cookies. Remember when I made gingersnaps with way too much molasses, and they were super thin and chewy? These are like the chocolate equivalent. I love how thin they are, but mostly I love the crunch of the sugar baked into the edges. Plus, they're chocolatey and bendy and you feel virtuous eating a lot of them because they don't seem too indulgent. A commenter on The Pioneer Woman once talked about shipping cookies stacked in a clean Pringles can, and these cookies would be outstanding in that capacity. (Name that movie... go!)






I found the recipe on Shauna's site, Piece of Cake (she's the author of Pure Vanilla, which I've been dying to check out! The vanilla bean cupcakes on the front would woo any sweet tooth.) The recipe is apparently adapted slightly from Martha Stewart, and it's all ingredients you'd have in the house, which makes this recipe a slam-dunk for when you need cookies, pronto.

Thin, Chewy Chocolate Cookies
Makes about 4 dozen

2 cups (8 1/2 ounces) flour
3/4 cup (2 1/4 ounces) cocoa (use good quality cocoa if you can!)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (or 3/4 teaspoon fleur de sel)
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups (14 ounces) sugar
2 eggs
granulated sugar or sanding sugar for dipping

Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and vanilla until creamy, about one minute. Scrape down the sides and add sugar and eggs. Beat until light and fluffy, about two minutes more. Reduce the speed to low and gradually stir in the dry ingredients until just combined. You don't want any dry pockets. I find it helpful to cover the mixer with a dish towel during this process to avoid cocoa flying everywhere. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silpats. Scoop the dough by level tablespoons and roll each into a ball. Dip the top of each ball into sugar to coat, and then place the balls (sugar side up) on the cookie sheet, about 1 1/2" apart. Bake one sheet at a time. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are set, but still soft in the middle. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking. You'll see the cookies will puff up and then deflate; they'll be done about a minute after they deflate. (To be honest, I don't remember rotating the sheets, but maybe I've forgotten.)

Cool cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, and then remove to a wire rack to cool. Cookies keep for about a week in an airtight container, and you can freeze them as well.

Print recipe.

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