Michelle Darmody: Easy chocolate crinkle cookies that are fun to make with kids
Chocolate crinkle cookies
The name crinkle cookies is pretty self-explanatory as they have a lovely mottled, crinkled surface. You get this by adding a layer of icing sugar before baking. This causes the top surface of the cookie to dry out before the cookie is finished spreading and rising, it hardens, cracks, and pulls apart, producing a cracked and crinkly exterior. They are a very American-style cookie and are often given as gifts.
I have always liked the chocolate version but more recently came across the lemon variety and they won me over as well. There is a drop of lemon extract added which brings the lemon flavour to the fore quite strongly especially when combined with the zest and juice. The chocolate ones are handy if you want a chocolate hit but don't have actual chocolate to hand. The recipe uses cocoa powder rather than chocolate and it has a nice soft centre to counteract the crunchy exterior.
