Chocolate Sugar Cookies

Chocolate Sugar Cookies - made dough June 2, 2012 and baked June 6, 2012, recipe from the back of the Bakers' Unsweetened Chocolate package

I tend to collect recipes like a child with sticky fingers collects crumbs at the kitchen table; it's inevitable.  While my cookbook collection and the internet provide an infinite number of recipes, I also check out recipes from random places, including the back of ingredient packages I use.  Which is where I got this recipe - the back of a package of Bakers' Unsweetened Chocolate.  Although it's technically "grocery store chocolate" which I normally eschew, I confess I do fall back on Bakers' when I go through a large amount of unsweetened chocolate.  The higher end brands like Scharffenberger tend to be cost prohibitive to use in bulk.  So sometimes Bakers has to do.

For this dough, because you melt the chocolate and butter together, make sure it cools first before you add the rest of the ingredients or you'll have a soupy mass that could change the structure of how the cookies are meant to come out.  Chill the dough briefly before forming into dough balls.  If you're like me and freeze the dough balls before baking, don't roll in the granulated sugar yet.  Just make the dough balls, put in the freezer and only roll in the sugar right before baking.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well this cookie turned out.  I faithfully followed instructions and only baked it for 8 minutes (maybe 9 minutes max) on the convection setting of my oven.  The edges spread a little but not much and the middle of the cookie stayed thick.  It was moist and fudgy without being too chocolatey and it wasn't too sweet despite the granulated sugar coating.  It's a bit fragile so you can't stack it too high and it probably wouldn't travel or ship well but overall, a really nice cookie.  Not bad for a recipe from the back of a box.

3 squares Bakers unsweetened chocolate

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

Additional granulated sugar

1.      Microwave chocolate and butter in a double boiler over simmering water.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.  Whisk well together so the mixture is emulsified and the butter doesn't separate out.  Don't let it get too hot or the butter will separate.  Let cool slightly.

2.     Stir 1 cup sugar into melted chocolate until well blended.  Stir in egg and vanilla until completely mixed.  Mix in flour, soda and salt until well blended.

3.     Chill dough until easy to handle, about 30 minutes.  Shape into 1-inch balls; roll in sugar.  Place on ungreased baking sheet.  (If a flatter, crispier cookie is desired, flatten with bottom of glass.)

4.     Bake at 375˚F for 8 minutes or until set.  Remove and cool on rack.  Makes about 2 dozen cookies.