Chocolate Crackles
I’ve been eyeballing these cookies since I first saw a recipe for them in a special Martha Stewart holiday cookie magazine printed back in 2006 and again in her Cookies Cookbook. Every time I’ve looked through my magazine, these Chocolate Crackles have always leapt off the page and said make me. Make Me. MAKE. ME.
But I didn’t listen until now. I don’t know why it took me so long, but man, I’m glad I finally did.
They are yummy and soft and just plain pretty. But mostly yummy. Oh and chocolatey of course. Very, very chocolatey.
So really that’s all you need to know, right?
Start out with 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate. Oh yeah.
Melt the chocolate in a saucepan over another pot of simmering water. Then set aside to let cool.
I transferred it to a heatproof plastic bowl so it could cool a bit more quickly.
And yes, I tested the temp with my finger. And maybe more than once. : )
While the chocolate cools, mix together the flour, cocoa baking powder and salt…
… until it’s all combined and beautiful.
Set aside and beat butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs. Mix in vanilla.
And then add the melted chocolate.
Add half the flour mixture, some milk and the rest of the flour mixture.
Don’t worry. I’m going to give you a link to the recipe.
Right now. And again at the end, too.
Anyway.
Once it’s all mixed together, divide the cookie dough into four equal parts. Wrap each part in plastic wrap and refrigerate for a couple of hours or until firm.
Now, my cookie dough seemed much more like thick cookie batter, so I also placed it in the freezer to get it a little firmer.
When ready to use, unwrap one section at a time.
I divided it into 12 pieces with a knife because I found that if I handled it too much, the “dough” was starting to melt from the body temperature of my hands.
But dividing it this way ended up working out pretty good.
Grab one of the small pieces of dough and quickly roll into a 1 inch ball. Every few you roll, rinse and dry your hands to avoid them sticking to your hands too much.
Roll it in granulated sugar and then roll it in powdered sugar and place on a baking sheet.
Like so.
Here’s the different stages for reference.
P.S. The recipe link only mentions using one of the sugars, but the one in my magazine calls for both. So I’d do it that way.
Wow. It was tempting to just leave them like this.
But then I wouldn’t get to see them do this after they baked.
They are just so pretty.
And so so good.
Martha Stewart’s Chocolate Crackles
I love trying new things and then crossing them off my “to bake” list.
How about you? What was the last new thing you baked?
I made chocolate crackles about a month ago for Christmas and they were delicious! I used a low fat recipe from Dinner with Julie (http://dinnerwithjulie.com/2008/08/26/day-239-leftover-vegetable-lasagna-and-chocolava-cookies/) and they were so easy and tasty!
Love these. They remind me of chocolatey brownie bites and they are so addictive!
Funny, I have wanted to make these for a while, too! But I haven’t yet. I seem to have too many “favourite” cooke recipes that I like to bake. LOL. The last new thing I baked were some banana oatmeal muffins. Simple, not too sweet so they were sorta healthy, but delicious nonetheless.
Love these, too. I just made the chewy chocolate ginger cookies from the cover of Matha’s cookie book and… oh my word…. You must try these!
I made some Chocolate Fudge and PB Fudge… yummy!! Have you tried MS Buttered Rum Meltaways? They are now one of my family favourites!!
Mmmm…Those look delicious!! I had some leftover sour cream after making my grandma’s famous strawberry Jell-o salad, so I tried making some Sour Cream Chocolate cookies last month. And they were amazing!! http://www.cookiemadness.net/2007/09/sour-cream-chocolate-cookies/
Those look so yummy! I would for sure make these, but it would be hard not to eat the whole batch!
I make these every year for Christmas (they’re my dad’s favorite). I usually end up putting in a tsp of mint extract with the melted chocolate to make them mint flavored. delicious!
I made the yarn cupcakes from the “Whats new cupcake” book.
Michelle – They do taste like brownies
and
Erin – that’s probably why I do want to eat the whole batch.
I’ll have to pace myself.
Red Velvet Cheesecake! It was amazing!
These look so good! These are one of my favortie cookies! We call them Crinkles in my house =)
I’ve been following your blog pretty religiously since 2007, but I really don’t comment as much as I probably should ( since you usually have 1,000 comments already, I figure one more or less makes no difference). Anyway, I know I love comments, so I’ll try to leave a little love more often! I really love and admire everything you do… your baking, photography and writing syle. Keep being you! =)
Last new thing I made was cake pops! Santa hat cake pops to be exact, for christmas. I looved making them and my family looved eating them! Its a great combination
They look delicious! I would’ve licked my finger a few times too. The last thing I baked were chocolate chip cookies from the recipe on the back with significantly fewer chocolate chips than I had intended to use. :)
Cakes….4 of them, this weekend. 2 grooms cakes and 2 wedding cakes.
My son & I will be making basketball cake pops tomorrow when he’s out of school. His birthday is Tuesday and they’ll be his treat to take to his class. :) Can’t wait!
Glory – Thank you!
Meghan – YAY!
Amanda – Ha! I have that same problem.
Kimmy D – Have fun and tell him I said Happy Birthday!
Oh geeze! Don’t twist my arm! I will make these!! :) I recently made a cinnamon roll cake. It. was. delicious!
Hooray! These look so good.
Just had to comment because ‘Chocolate Crackles’ are a staple kid’s party food in Australia, but they’re entirely different! Think rice krispies mixed with cocoa and sugar, piled into crunchy little mounds and then happily smeared all over children’s cheeks.
http://www.kelloggs.com.au/tabid/152/Default.aspx
If you think those are good, you should also try her espresso version of these crackle cookies. UNBELIEVABLE! I ended up making four batches of these over the holidays, when I’d only meant to make one. Love, love, loved them!
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/chocolate-espresso-snowcaps
I just tried your congo bars ( brookies) recipe..finally got a chance to make them..soooo delicious..my family can’t stop eating it.
And this cookies will definitely be on my to bake list..
can’t wait to try them..!
I’ve been wanting to bake them, too! So tomorrow’s the day! I’ve been enjoying making your things and sending them to work with my husband to fatten up his co-workers instead of me! :o)
I made these years ago for my sister at Christmas, she raved over them! They are still her favorites.
If you like these, then you will love Paula Dean’s recipe for Gooey Chocolate Butter Cookies, they are the same as the crinkle cookies but you use a box of cake mix. they have more flavor. I highly recommend.
My MIL made these but I haven’t yet, thanks for the inspiration! I made Coconut Dream Cookies, pretty good not as chocolatey as yours!
I’ve made the short cut version of these using chocolate cake mix, cool whip, an egg, and rolling them in powdered sugar. I’m not sure how they compare to the real thing, they look just alike, but everyone I’ve made them for has loved them.
Those look amazing! I can’t wait to try them. I work retail and I don’t get to do Christmas cookies because am to busy with work so I always bake a lot for Valentine’s Day and share with my friends and family. These would be a great addition.
The best new thing I have baked recently are mini Nutella pies. Easy and super yummy!
Chocolate Crinkles have been a family favorite for years. This year for Christmas I tried making Pfefferneusse cookies for the first time. I thought they turned out scrumptious! But I was the only one who felt that passionate about them. Oh well, more for me!
These look amazingly delicious. The pictures of them are beautiful as well! The last thing i baked was green tea cupcakes. They’re a family favorite around my house!
The last thing I baked was my mothers cheesecake recipe… it was a big deal because she never gave me the recipe until now. I think this means she finally trusts me not to mess it up, lol! BTW I love you Bakerella… keep doing what you do.
We tried Cake Pops for the first time today! What fun!
Looks delicious! The last thing I baked was Irish Car Bomb cupcakes for my friend’s birthday :)
I made these when I first saw Martha’s recipe…they are delicious! They quickly became one of my favorites and I make them often…especially for catering jobs or parties. They are so pretty on a festive table and they are always a tasty favorite with clients and guests.
Mmmmm! the last thing i baked was chicken, earlier this evening. but the last sweet thing i baked was fudge brownies. love u bakerella!
Beautiful!!! Luv them! Too bad I’m too busy making cake balls to raise money for a trip to Europe with People to People Ambassador Program to make them. The last thing I made were the Mini Maple Muffins :)
My mom makes these every year for Christmas. They are delish. Right now there is a Tate House pound cake baking in the oven. It’s been calling my name since I saw the recipe, so I’m making it for a meeting tomorrow, Hope it tastes as good as it looks!
wow, that looks delicious!
I’ve never made cookies before, but these look like they are worth trying :)
thanks!!!
Oh my, these do look chocolatey, pretty, and GOOD!
The last thing I baked is Two-Tone Cookie Crinkles:)
http://munchkinmunchies.blogspot.com/2011/01/two-tone-cookie-crinkles-and-chocolate.html
I actually just made Snickerdoodles for the first time. I love to bake, but usally bake chocolate chip cookies, or oatmeal, or cupcakes. They were YUMMY. Soft and chewy and didn’t last long. :)
You are so funny! I love reading what you write under each picture–cracks me up :) For instance, when you said you taste tested the melted chocolate and you may have did it more than once. Comical! LOL
The last new thing I tried to make were Snickerdoodle cookies and they were a complete failure. They spread out like pancakes! Do you have a good Snickerdoodle recipe or any tips on getting them to work? :)
oh my heavens. these look AMAZING! my mother used to make them. they’re soooo good.
LOL I have been making these for years. They’re also called Earthquake cookies and they are my favorite!
taste testing the chocolate sure looks like FUN!
These look great my kids like crackle cookies, they love them so much that I even have a recipe to make them with a cake mix. http://createdbydiane.blogspot.com/2010/09/cake-mix-cookies.html
These have been included in my Christmas cookie platters for years – using the recipe in an old Betty Crocker Cookie cookbook. They’re called Chocolated Crinkles in there.
Last new things I baked were gluten free Snickerdoodles and Thumbprint cookies. Delish! Couldn’t even tell they were GF!!
I made chocolate cupcakes for my boyfriend’s daughter’s 2nd birthday. We used the extra Scharffen Berger chocolate from our entry into the Chocolate Adventure contest and it really makes all the difference. I never thought chocolate brand mattered much, but I’ll never go back now!
Whoaaaa coincidence or what , I had seen these cookies on Martha’s show a while back and had made them then and it was great to eat and so pretty to look at and right now I have just finished making them and gonna put it up on my blog.
Tey sound amazing, thank you for sharing!
I made youre mix up jars they where a sucsess
Thank you, big hugs from sweden
i made german chocolate cake pops, but dipped them into ANDES chocolate!!
By the subject line I thought you had branched out to try some Australian Treats!.
This is what chocolate crackles are here
http://allrecipes.com.au/recipe/8407/chocolate-crackles.aspx
one of my friends makes gourmet chocolate crackles and adds fancy things to the basic recipe…. Maybe you can try….
oh, and these cookies do look beautiful <3
I was surprised to see these cookies on the website because I just made them today! One of my favorite cookies for sure, they go fast… :)
I made your red velvet cake balls this weekend and they were amazing!! I don’t bake often, and I don’t think I’m very good at it, but I saw your post the other day and could not stop thinking about them. Thank you so much!
Also, these cookies look amazing and will immediately be added to my to-bake list!
ohh I thought they were going to be proper aussie chocolate crackles. Completely different thing lol
They look delicious though
Peanut butter truffles to put inside your edible heart box. For my BFF, she lost her job today and needed a pick-me-up.
I love them! I usually bake them for christmas, been baking them for 2-3 years.
http://kakabaka.blogg.se/2010/december/chocolate-crackers.html#comment
The last ‘new’ thing I made was your ‘mix it up’ cookie jars for my daughter’s friends for Christmas. I tied mini tinsel around red ginham over the lid and labelled them as ‘Santa Cookies’ with instructions to make them on Christmas eve and leave a couple out for santa’s visit! They were a big success – thank you for your inspiration!
I think I’m gonna have to try these cookies, they look fabulous!
I’m so gonna make these! Today I made a Bananas Foster cake for my friends 50th B-Day. It was super yummy!
hmm, looks delicious!
These look a treat! but like a few other Aussies here, I too thought they were the Chocolate Crackles we grew up on here …
I made a Pavlova on the weekend, another Aussie favourite which is a meringue dessert pie topped with fresh whipped cream and fruit… much loved for family parties and summer bbq’s…
These are my favorite all time cookie. To avoid the mess, I leave the dough in a bowl and refrigerate. I use a smaller sized ice cream scoop to get the dough into a ball shape, then drop into the powdered sugar. Also, you can add some peppermint extract into the mix! Yumm
I have made these before and they are so good! I also make a gooey butter cookie that looks like this too. All to die for!!!!
The newest thing I’ve made was chocolate gooey butter cookies by Paula Deen instead of my regular (yellow) version. They were still very good, but I still think the original is the best. :)
These Chocolate Crackles look amazing. I do want to try them and use the Scharffen Berger chocolate. Don’t cross them off your “to bake” list permanently! You know you need to make them again!
I want to learn how to bake rugelach cookies – the rolled dough with a jam filling. They are delicious but they seem to take more baking experience than I have so I have been dreaming of them for quite some time.
Angie,
I know that your book tour was a hoot for you and your mom but it is nice to have you back on the blog. I’m sure you have a hundred irons in the fire and are still ultra-busy but still – nice to have you back!
I have the Martha Stewart cookie book and they have always jumped off the page to me as well. But, I was always afraid they would be dry and my family wouldn’t like them. Now they MUST be tried. Thanks!
Well…..the last thing i made was a YUMMY condensmilk,berry,crispes,nut,and much more yummy things for our tummies.i would love to share to recipe with u bakerella oohh and by the way i live in south africa and was so excited when my order of your pops book landed here in SA.I am a huge fan by the way
OMG, please send some over! YUM! :)
Last thing I baked was a White Chocolate Layer cake with Rich white Chocolate icing. Last thing I made was peanut butter cup bars!!! (those aren’t technically baked!) But so darn good!!! I actually made several pans over the weekend!!!
i have baked these cookies several times but never knew about the 2 sugars…thanks so much for this tip!
i have been subscribing to martha’s cookie of the day & just love the look of her chocolate peanut butter shortbread squares with a basket weave of chocolate…so i sent away for the mat to produce the basket weave.
http://www.chineseclayart.com/mall/c110/s25729/r_ChocolatePeanutButterShortbreadSquares.asp
Made these as gifts for Christmas but added some instant coffee to the mix. Yumminess is all I can say!!! Folks here (in Eastern Europe) couldn’t believe they were homemade. I guess it was because they were not only yummy but beautiful as well. Glad you got to have a wonderful experience. Enjoying your blog! Have a great day!
Definitely have to try these!
Last thing I baked was a gooey butter cake! It was to die for.
On the same theme as you. The last thing I baked was chocolate waffles….yummy!
We also call them Chocolate Crinkles here. =) One of my faves! And the last thing I baked were cupcakes..but it’s really not something to cross off my “to bake someday”. list.. =)
I trust any recipe that starts with melted chocolate!
LAST THING I BAKED/MADE WAS MILK TART .. YUM
I tried an Italian Cream Cake that was yummy! It was on my “to-do” list.
oh yum, my mom has a recipe similar to these that she used to make for us every Christmas! beautifully done!
Yum! I made some similar cookies last year for Christmas and totally forgot about them. SOO delicious! Mine had a bit of cinnamon in there for a little warmth, too.
I just tried yet another vanilla cupcake recipe in search of that perfect one. I’ll achieve vanilla bliss yet!
The last new thing I baked was Carrot Cake Cheesecake and OMG it was delicious. How could it not be, cheesecake, carrot cake and cream cheese frosting. YUMMY! It’s huge though.
I’ve been making these since I was a kid – they’re called Chocolate Crinkles in the Betty Crocker cookbooks. Everybody loves them! I always cut the sugar down a little from the original, by about a third (the interior sugar, not the exterior confectioners sugar) – it makes the chocolate really sing.
Last thing I baked was Peanut Butter cookies. I added chopped peanuts and mini chocolate chips to the dough because I never seem to get them dipped before the kiddos finish them off. Thanks for the inspiration~ this one is definitely on my “to bake” list!
I want to try these. St. Louis is known for inventing the Gooey Butter Cake and then the Gooey Butter Cookies. (the Paula Dean recipe referred to in other comment is that cookie version). I love to make Gooey Butter Cookies but have always learned to make them using a cake mix and have made them with Chocolate cake mix. But this looks like a “from scratch” version. Want to make it and compare. Try Gooey Butter Cake from scratch! You will melt as it melts in your mouth!!! Try it!!!! I dare you! Or buy one in St. Louis… that is easier and what I do.
I love these cookies! They always make me smile. Occasionally I’ll change them up a bit by adding a little ground ginger, ground chile or some cinnamon. The last thing I baked was what I call purple cow cupcakes. I used grape juice concentrate as part of the liquid to give them a lavender color. They’ll be a great kids’ cupcake!
I made these using a Real Simple recipe. I might add some mini (or regular sized) chocolate chips when doing again, and probably try this recipe. It also only called for one sugar (powdered) and most of my cookies did NOT come out as white and gorgeous looking as yours did. I thought they were delicious, though I wanted them to be more fudgie. Will definitely try out the recipe you used next time! Thanks!
My mother-in-law makes the “chocolate crinkles” every year at Christmas. Her recipe only calls for one form of the chocolate. We made them in Colorado and they were crispy, not soft like the ones the MIL makes. I’ll have to compare this recipe. Thanks for the post.
The last new thing I baked were some muffins off the King Arthur flour website. Chocolate chips, cinnamon chips & banana. MMMM. They were so good. These cookies look so good. I’ve seen them too, but have never made them.
Those look delicious! Somehow they didn’t look as good in her cookbook, when I couldn’t visualize the melted chocolate going into the batter. I just love making the things you make on your blog, I’m even playing around with making my own donuts! :) I think you are fantastic!
Yesterday I made your football oreo truffles! they were a hit at the game I went to watch. Except I still dont have the piping down. Practice makes perfect!
Those look delicious! I love chocolate cookies :) The last thing I baked was a holiday cheesecake for a Christmas Day bake-off competition. I lost to my mom ;)
I’ve been making these out of my Betty Crocker cookbook for years. One of my favorites. I actually didn’t make them for Christmas this year (trying to scale back a little), but now I’m thinking I’ll have to make them soon. Maybe I’ll color the powdered sugar pink and make them for Valentine’s Day!
I make these every year, but Scharfenberger Chocolate isn’t in my budget so I use Ghiradelli. I made these Ambrosia Cookies this year. Yummy and delicious!
http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/2010/12/ambrosia-cookies.html
These look so good. Are they similar to crinkles? I’ve made chocolate crinkles and mint chocolate crinkles before. The mint ones are REALLY good.
I love these. I make them every year as part of my Christmas cookies. There is other ways of making them like with Devils Food cake mix that is a little easier for a beginner. But there is never a cookie tray in my house with out them.
Last thing I baked was authentic French Macaroons with Raspberry-Rose Buttercream from the January issue of Bon Appetit. They say it’s the “new cupcake”. I had some nail-biting moments, as they’re complicated, but delicious enough that I made promises to make them for Valentines Day.
P.S. If you don’t LOVE Raspberry…don’t make them.
The next big thing I’m looking for is a banana cake. I tried a Martha Stewart recipe, I thought it was great, but he’s not satisfied. So I’m still looking to try another recipe. These cookies you made look awesome. If they’re like brownies like you said, my husband is going to love it! We love brownies. I think I might make these for my daugthers bday to give as favors. yum!
While I love to bake sweet treats, I certainly do not need to eat them all by myself…so the last thing “new” I baked, was a beet. One of my patients told me she bakes them like a potato…so I had to try it. It was great!
These look great! I recently made marble brownies, and then I made them again the following week! They were better than I expected and I am so happy I tried them.
These have been a family Christmas staple for years! One of my favorites!! My mom’s uses mint chocolate instead of the bittersweet. It’s perfect.
I love these cookies…they are like brownies to me! Thelast new thing I made are orange madelines. I have been wanting to make them forever, and I finally got a chance yesterday! They are yummy too! My baking list keeps growing and growing & it’s hard to keep up :)
The last thing I baked was Alton Brown’s Parsnip muffins! (last night) :) They are so delicious!
There is a recipe for Crackle Top Cookies that calls for a box chocolate cake mix, eggs (whatever is on the boxed mix), and one container of whipped topping. Mix all together, roll into balls, roll in powdered sugar, bake. They look just like these cookies.