As a cupcake baker, cracked tops scare me; I want that elusive smooth, round dome. Baking cookies designed to crack feels like purposely singing off-key. In the case of these chocolate absinthe crinkle cookies, however, the results are beautiful – the cracks are freeing. Chocolate crinkle cookies are soft and fudge brownie-like on the inside with a crispy, sugar-coated exterior. The absinthe adds a bouquet of botanical flavors to the chocolate and a tinge of the unmistakable taste of alcohol.
This is not the first time I have baked with absinthe – that was back in 2008 when I made absinthe cupcakes and dressed up like a green fairy for the photo. Yeah, I did that.
The Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen Cookie Lover's Cookbook: Gooey, Chewy, Sweet & Luscious Treats (Good Housekeeping Cookbooks)
My dark chocolate absinthe crinkle cookies are a variation of the chocolate sambuca cookies from Good Housekeeping’s cookie cookbook. You could experiment with making the cookie using any kind of flavored liqueur. I think that a fruity liqueur like raspberry would work great!
This cookbook comes in a spiral binder, which makes it easy to add your own favorite recipes or to add pages of notes. It has 250 cookie recipes! Not every recipe has a photo, but a large majority of them do. I see this book as a nice starter cookie book. It has every basic cookie that you might want, plus some unique cookie ideas. The chapters are broken up by cookie type: cookie jar favorites (where I found the chocolate sambuca cookies), easy-to-shape-cookies, brownies and fudgey bars, blondies and bars, health-conscious bars, fun and fancy cookies, and holiday cookies.
Bob's Red Mill Almond Meal/Flour, 16 Ounce
When you read through the recipe, you’ll see that it contains almond meal. I didn’t mention this when I was describing the cookies because you really can’t taste it at all. I can’t say for certain why it was added to the recipe (I assume that it lends to the earthy taste), but I wouldn’t suggest leaving it out either; these cookies are too good to mess with!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces dark chocolate
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 4 large eggs
- 1/3 cup absinthe
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup powdered sugar
Instructions
- In a small saucepan on low heat, melt chocolate and butter, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and let cool until you can touch it without burning yourself.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together eggs, absinthe and sugar.
- Mix in chocolate mixture.
- Mix in almond meal, flour, and baking soda until just combined.
- Cover and refrigerate for four hours or overnight.
- Mix sugar and powdered sugar in a small bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350 F.
- Use a one tablespoon scoop to scoop out dough and roll with your hands to form balls.
- Roll balls in topping and place 2" apart on a parchment- or Silpat-lined cookie sheet.
- Bake until cookies are just set and look puffed and cracked (about 10-12 minutes), rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through.
- Set cookie sheets on wire racks to cool for one minute.
- Transfer cookies to racks to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days, or freeze up to three months.
These are so going on my holiday baking list! They look so yummy!