Chocolate crinkle cookies

Instructions

1. Step 1

   Put 50 g cocoa powder, 200 g granulated sugar and 60 g vegetable oil in a large bowl and whisk until they come together into a thick paste. Mixing the cocoa with the oil first blooms it and brings out a deep aroma. The mixture is ready when it looks like dark brown wet sand with no specks of dry cocoa.

   Mark step 1 as done

2. Step 2

   Crack in 100 g eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then add 5 g vanilla extract. Adding the eggs one by one helps them blend into the oil without separating. Stop when the mixture is glossy, smooth and flows slowly like thick hot chocolate.

   Mark step 2 as done

3. Step 3

   Sift 130 g all-purpose flour, 4 g baking powder and a pinch salt into the bowl, then mix with a spatula until no dry flour remains. Mixing just enough keeps the centers soft and fudgy rather than chewy. The dough will be very soft and sticky at this point, almost like brownie batter, and that's completely normal.

   Mark step 3 as done

4. Step 4

   Press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the dough and refrigerate it for at least four hours, ideally overnight. With so much oil, the dough needs a long time to firm up enough to roll into balls. The dough is ready when a scoop holds its shape and doesn't slump against the side of the bowl.

   Suggested time: about 240 minutes.

   Mark step 4 as done

5. Step 5

   Preheat the oven to 175°C, line the baking sheets with parchment paper and put each coating sugar in its own small plate. Having everything ready lets you roll the balls quickly while the dough is still cold. The oven is ready when the heating light turns off.

   Mark step 5 as done

6. Step 6

   Scoop the dough into walnut-sized balls, roll them round, then roll them first in 30 g granulated sugar and then very thickly in 50 g powdered sugar. The granulated sugar soaks up some of the moisture on the surface, so the powdered sugar doesn't melt and stays white in the oven. The balls are ready when they're completely covered in a thick white coat with no brown showing underneath.

   Mark step 6 as done

7. Step 7

   Arrange the balls about five centimeters apart and bake on the middle rack at 175°C for 10 to 12 minutes. The cookies spread and crack during the last few minutes, so there's no need to open the oven early. They're ready when the tops are clearly cracked and the edges have set but the centers are still a little soft.

   Bake at 175°C for about 10 to 12 minutes.

   Mark step 7 as done

8. Step 8

   Let the cookies cool on the tray for about ten minutes, then move them to a rack. Their brownie-like centers need time to set, and lifting them too soon will break them. They're ready when the bottoms are firm and the white and brown cracks look crisp and sharp.

   Suggested time: about 10 minutes.

   Mark step 8 as done