Chocolate Rye Crinkle Cookies

I recently discovered Chocolate Crinkle Cookies and immediately wanted to try my hand at a version with rye. The flavor and texture of rye pair well with chocolate and to further compliment both the rye and the chocolate, in my version, I’ve added cinnamon. These cookies are typically coated in powdered sugar, but I added a granulated sugar dredge before the powdered surgar, as the rye has a more tender crumb so the granulated sugar provides a nice bite into this soft cookie. Full disclosure, as I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I did not grow up with Christmas cookies and I’ve never actually tasted a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie outside of my version, which I adapted fairly extensively from Savory Nothings. Regardless, this version tastes exactly how Id hope a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie would taste.

This recipe : Yield about 3.5 dozen

Ingredients

• 120 grams unsweetened super-dark Dutch-process cocoa powder (if you cannot find super dark, either regular Dutch-process or natural cocoa will work as well, just not as pronounced in flavor and hue).

• 240 grams Medium rye

• 1.5 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 112 grams butter softened

• 225 grams granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons vanilla

• 4 large eggs

• (OPTIONAL) ~ 45 grams dark chocolate (at least 65% cacao) wafers, large chips, or broken pieces

  For dredging :

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

• Combine cocoa powder, flour, ground cinnamon, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Set aside.

• Place butter, sugar and vanilla in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer until well combined.

• Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix on medium- until combined.

• Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and mix on low speed until incorporated.

• Cover the bowl and chill the dough for at least a couple hours or overnight.

• When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the dredging sugar(s) into small bowls. Scoop 20 gram portions of dough and roll the dough into tablespoon-sized balls. If you opt for the including the dark chocolate (which means your cookies will have a deeper chocolate center), then before rolling into a ball, place the dough in the palm of your hand and press a chocolate wafer (or chips or chunk ) into the center of the dough and then close your palm so that the chocolate in enveloped in the dough, then roll into a ball.

• Dredge ball well with the granulated sugar, then with powdered sugar.

• Place on a lined baking sheet about an inch apart and press down slightly with the pad of two fingers.

• Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until spread and crackled. Remove from oven and transfer to a cooling rack .