Chocolate Snowflakes
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Dessert
- Features: Holiday (Christmas)
Summary:
These cookies, which have a deep chocolate flavor, have been the favorite Christmas cookie of food historian Shirley Cherkasky since she found it in a 1955 cookbook.
Store the cookies in an airtight container for about 10 days, or freeze them, well wrapped, for up to 1 month.
Makes about 60 cookies
Ingredients:
- 3 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- 2 tablespoons Dutch-process cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions:
In a double boiler or in the microwave, melt the chocolate and butter together. Set aside to cool slightly.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and chopped walnuts.
Transfer the cooled chocolate-butter mixture to a large mixing bowl. Using a stand mixer or electric hand mixer on low speed, beat for a few minutes to mix well. Add the sugar, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs 1 at a time, mixing to incorporate after each addition. Add the flour-cocoa mixture and combine until incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Place the confectioners' sugar in a small, shallow bowl.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls; roll them in the confectioners' sugar and place them, spaced about 2 inches apart, on the baking sheets. (The cookies will spread.) Bake for 15 minutes, until the cookies are cracked on top and slightly firm to the touch. Transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from Shirley Cherkasky, with a few tweaks by her daughter, food stylist and writer Lisa Cherkasky. Original version appeared in "Suggestions for Making and Decorating Christmas Cookies and Breads, Fruit Cakes and Plum Puddings," produced by the Home Service Bureau of her then-local electric company in Wisconsin in 1955.
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