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Chile Crinkle Cookies

Here’s an old favorite turned just a little edgy, thanks to the addition of ancho chile powder. Ancho chiles (dried poblanos) have a sweet undertone that combines well with chocolate. For the freshest flavor, grind your own chile powder as directed in the Tip following this recipe. Be advised, though, that some anchos are spicier than others. Taste your ground chiles to check their heat levels and add or subtract the amount added accordingly. (Pictured page 204, bottom left.)

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 4 dozen 3-inch cookes

Ingredients

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup powdered sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a metal bowl set over a saucepan filled with 2 inches of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Stir in the granulated sugar. Remove from the heat and cool for 5 minutes. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the chocolate mixture on medium speed until blended; stir in the vanilla. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and chile powder and beat on low speed just until incorporated. Stir in chips. Refrigerate dough several hours or overnight.

    Step 2

    Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners or grease generously with butter or cooking spray. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls, then roll in powdered sugar. Place at least 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until visible crinkles have formed and the cookies have puffed and spread slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.

  2. do it early

    Step 3

    The cookies can be baked and stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or freeze for up to 3 weeks. Alternatively, make the dough up to a week in advance and refrigerate in a covered container. Bake them a day or two before you plan to serve them.

  3. tip

    Step 4

    To make chile powder from dried chiles, toast the chiles in a 250°F oven for about 3 to 4 minutes, or in a heavy skillet over medium heat until they soften slightly and become fragrant, 3 to 4 minutes. Stem and seed the chiles. Grind to a powder in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Four ancho chiles makes about 4 tablespoons powder.

Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved. A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances. Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.
TagsCookieDessertAmericanAncho ChileChileVegetableChocolateNut FreeVegetarianMake AheadBakingElectric MixerChristmasCookbooks
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