If you love chocolate, then these Chocolate Crackle Cookies are for you. Deep, dark chocolatey taste with powdered sugar-sweetness. A little chewy, a little crunchy. While these are good any time of year (or any time of day!), the crackle effect makes them perfect for holiday time.
So many cookies are easily veganized with a few simple substitutions. In this recipe, I substituted vegan butter for dairy-based butter: I used Earth Balance sticks which measure out the same as regular sticks of butter. The original recipe called for eggs and I just added 3 tablespoons of coconut milk per egg. Coconut cream and coconut milk can provide the richness that eggs contribute to a recipe. Eggs also can be used for binding, but because we're using flour that has gluten, the dough binds together without eggs.
No butter, no eggs, no harm. The perfect recipe, and you'd never know the difference. Never.
Melt the chocolate chips using the double-boiler method (Use a double boiler or a small pot with a glass or stainless steel bowl that fits the pot’s circumference. Fill the pot with enough water so that the bowl or double boiler is above but not touching the water. Place the chocolate in the bowl over the pot and bring water to a gentle simmer. Stir as the chocolate melts. Remove from heat when chocolate is nearly 100% melted. Any remaining chips will melt from the heat of the melted chocolate. Let cool slightly.).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, instant espresso, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and the brown sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat the mixture again. Carefully add the melted chocolate, and gently mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter-chocolate mixture, alternating with the milk. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour or overnight. You’ll be rolling balls between your hands, so the colder (not frozen) the dough is, the easier it will be.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Form the dough into 1-inch balls.
Roll the balls of cookie dough in the plate of sifted, powdered sugar to generously coat them. Place them on the baking tray, about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies have crackled on top and flattened out a bit. Let cool slightly on the baking tray before transferring the cookies to a wire rack.
Melt the chocolate chips using the double-boiler method (Use a double boiler or a small pot with a glass or stainless steel bowl that fits the pot’s circumference. Fill the pot with enough water so that the bowl or double boiler is above but not touching the water. Place the chocolate in the bowl over the pot and bring water to a gentle simmer. Stir as the chocolate melts. Remove from heat when chocolate is nearly 100% melted. Any remaining chips will melt from the heat of the melted chocolate. Let cool slightly.).
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, instant espresso, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
Cream together the butter and the brown sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat the mixture again. Carefully add the melted chocolate, and gently mix until combined.
Add the flour mixture to the butter-chocolate mixture, alternating with the milk. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for an hour or overnight. You’ll be rolling balls between your hands, so the colder (not frozen) the dough is, the easier it will be.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a baking tray with parchment paper. Form the dough into 1-inch balls.
Roll the balls of cookie dough in the plate of sifted, powdered sugar to generously coat them. Place them on the baking tray, about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes, or until the cookies have crackled on top and flattened out a bit. Let cool slightly on the baking tray before transferring the cookies to a wire rack.
The coconut milk is not mentioned in the directions? Please advise.
Hi Kathy, thanks for your interest in trying the chocolate crackle cookies! The milk is mentioned in the step where you combine the flour with the butter-sugar-melted chocolate mixture.
“Add the flour mixture to the butter-chocolate mixture, alternating with the milk.”
I’m sorry that wasn’t clear and hope there’s still time to give these a try!
Let me know if you have any other questions! Linda
You are so kind to get back to me. Thank you!
I actually saw it after I left my comment. I was looking for the word coconut and missed the milk completely! I tried to retrieve my comment but couldn’t figure out how to do that. But I did make them and they are delicious!
I look forward to visiting the sanctuary again and hope to meet you. Many blessings to you and everyone at the sanctuary this Christmas and New Year!
Best regards,
Kathy