A Fail and a Success: Cocoa (Chocolate) Olive Oil Crinkle Cookies

Pinjing — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 15:57:37 +0000

In my ongoing quest to clean out my pantry, I had planned on using up a bag of vegan carob chips that I had bought; however, I had forgotten exactly when I had bought them (first sign of bad things to come?). I had bookmarked this lovely chocolate olive oil crinkle cookie recipe at Nook & Pantry to try; I measured out all my wet and dry ingredients, and was preparing to melt down the carob chips and found that they would NOT FRIGGIN MELT.

I had originally been patient and put them in a makeshift double boiler and after a good 10 minutes all I had to show for my efforts was a chalky, brown-grey, caulk-like paste that didnâ€™t look appetizing at all. Undaunted, I decided to throw it into the microwave and heat it in short bursts, and even when my chips continued to dry out I threw in a tablespoon of coconut oil in a half-hearted attempt to save the chips.

In the end, the carob chips remained dry and pasty (they probably had dried out a long time ago), so I ended up reverting to an old kitchen tip that had you substitute 3 tablespoons of cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon of oil for every ounce of chocolate in a recipe. It was my first time trying this technique and in the end, the cookies came out just fine!

These cookies are chewy, rich in chocolate flavor and keep quite well; after a week in the fridge they’re still chewy and delicious. Not to mention heart-healthy with the use of olive oil instead of butter. Here’s the recipe as I made it:

Cocoa (Chocolate) Olive Oil Crinkle Cookies
Makes 1 dozen cookies.

What you’ll need:

30 g (6 Tablespoons) natural cocoa
60 ml (4 Tablespoons) extra virgin organic olive oil
90 g (1/2 cup) raw cane sugar
1/4 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
75g (1/2 cup + 2 Tablespoons) whole-wheat pastry flour (can substitute all-purpose here)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
30 g (1/4 cup) confectioner’s sugar for decoration

The procedure:

Whisk together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk together the olive oil, sugar and instant espresso powder until well combined. Beat the egg with the vanilla extract lightly and add it to the olive oil mixture.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Place dough in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours to firm up; this makes rolling the cookie dough into balls easier.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Prepare a cookie sheet by lining with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Place confectioner’s sugar in a shallow bowl.

Roll dough into balls (about a tablespoon amount per ball); then roll each ball in the confectioner’s sugar, making sure all parts of the ball are covered. Place dough on the cookie sheet at least 2 inches apart. Use hands to lightly press down on the balls to flatten slightly.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, rotating the sheet halfway through. Cookies will crack open while baking and when done will still look a bit shiny in the cracks. Let the cookies sit on the sheet for 5 minutes to firm up slightly before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Cookies will keep at room temperature in a airtight container for a few days; after that, feel free to place in the fridge (if they last that long).

Too Much Food » olive oil

A Fail and a Success: Cocoa (Chocolate) Olive Oil Crinkle Cookies