AUNT ANA: DAY 10 OF 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS COOKIES
It’s finally the week of Christmas!! I’m so excited to celebrate this time of year with my family even though I know it will go by in a flash!
Growing up one of our German Christmas traditions was that whenever my grandpa spent the night we would leave our shoes out when we went to bed. If we had been good that day then we got some chocolate but if we were bad we would get something bad like “coal” which was usually some kind of fruit or vegetable we didn’t like! I saw these cookies a few months ago and knew I had to try them this year! These are a great cookie for those that love crunch cookies (Like my roommate)!
LUMP OF COAL COOKIES
Adapted from Cupcake Rehab
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips
- 3 large egg whites
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder- preferably dark
- 1/2 teaspoon black food coloring
- 2 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover your cookie sheets with parchment or a Silpat.
- Measure 1 cup of the chocolate chips into a glass bowl. Microwave for 1 minute, stir, then zap for another minute while watching closely. When things start to look really shiny, pull it out and stir again until the chips are completely melted. Stir in the black food coloring. Set aside.
- Beat the egg whites to soft peaks with an electric (or stand) mixer. Leaving the mixer running on medium, sprinkle in the sugar in three or four additions so you work it in gradually. Crank it up a notch and keep beating until it looks thick and creamy.
- In another medium bowl, stir together the remaining sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt. Crank the mixer to low and add the dry ingredients in a few batches until fully incorporated.
- Stir in the (now slightly cooled) melted chocolate and the remaining chocolate chips. If the dough seems stiff at this point, proceed to the next step. If not, set it aside for 10 minutes or so – it will continue to gain body as it sets up.
- Scoop them on the cookie sheet, 2″ apart. Bake 10 minutes, until they are puffy and the tops have cracked. (They will look like normal baked cookies at this point)
- Once you pull them from the oven, let them cool on the cookie sheet for 5-10 minutes (until cool to the touch). Then, take each cookie and squish them into a “coal shape” (basically a rough, uneven, lumpy ball).
