chocolate blackout cookies

^{[1] [2] [3]}

happy first day of spring! we had a gorgeous spring-like weekend. of course i had a migraine and spent most of it in bed. now today, on the first day of spring, it is cold and rainy. we may not have spring weather, but we do have cookies. soft, fudgy chocolate blackout cookies.

i have had this major craving to pare things down. maybe its the start of a new season. but i seriously want to dig into every drawer and cabinet in the house and throw away all. the.things. maybe cleaning house is my excuse to skip working out.

i love throwing things away. clothes, books, old random candle bits. no problem. then, i get to the kitchen. do i need four sets of measuring cups? no. can i get rid of them? no. how can i part with my mismatched coffee mugs? and i have a teeny tiny kitchen. the cluttered cabinets cause me much stress.

i fully intended to clean out all the cabinets this week.

i made chocolate blackout cookies instead. i did use up the cocoa powder, so there’s one less container in that cabinet.

easy blackout cookies

Print Recipe ^[4]

Yield: 18-20 cookies

chocolate blackout cookies

Prep Time: 20 minutes pus chilling time

Cook Time: 10-12 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 4 Tbsp butter
• 1 1/4 cups flour
• 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/4 cups brown sugar
• 3 large eggs at room temperature
• 2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

• line 2 baking sheets with parchment or silpat mats
• in a small saucepan, set over medium low heat, melt the chocolate with the butter, whisk until smooth and set aside to cool slightly
• in a large bowl combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt, and baking soda
• in another bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer) beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla
• add chocolate and mix to combine
• add dry ingredients and stir until combined
• cover and chill dough at least 30 minutes (this makes scooping easier as the dough is very soft)
• preheat oven to 350°
• scoop dough ( i use this Cookie Scoop ^[5] )onto prepared baking sheets
• bake 10-12 minutes (edges should be firm but the centers will be soft)
• cool on baking sheets 15 minutes them move to a rack to complete cooling

  

adapted from bon appetit ^[6]

i keep both natural and dutch cocoa in my cabinet. but i almost always bake with dutch cocoa. i prefer the smoother taste. you can make these cookies with natural cocoa. keep in mind that the color will be lighter, and the extra rise from the cocoa will produce a drier cookie.

for moist and fudgy cookies, use a good quality dutch process cocoa. i love Droste Cocoa Powder ^[7] or Guittard ^[8]

do not skip the chill. the dough is soft and much easier to scoop when chilled.

spring cleaning is a lot easier when you have a plate of blackout cookies waiting for you to.

enjoy!