Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Almonds and Sea Salt

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Almonds and Sea Salt

Sometimes when life hands you lemons….you make chocolate. In this case, deeply dark, intensely rich Swiss chocolate in the form of a cookie.  While I can’t speak for you, I can do with some chocolate therapy right now, and this cookie is just the antidote. In fact, it’s hard to find a more chocolate-y cookie. Nearly 1 pound of melted dark chocolate is reconfigured in an airy yet rich cookie with a crackly exterior and gooey center, all thanks to 4 billowy eggs and just a little bit of flour. The lemonade will have to wait for another day.

Dark Chocolate Crinkle Cookies with Almonds and Sea Salt

My chocolate mantra applies to this recipe: Choose the best quality dark (70-72%) chocolate you can lay your hands on.

Makes approximately 30 (2-inch) cookies.

14 ounces (400 g) dark chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup coarsely chopped almonds
Sea salt

Melt chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler over barely simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.
Beat eggs and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer until thick and very pale in color, 3 to 4 minutes. Add chocolate and vanilla. Mix to combine.
Whisk flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add to chocolate and stir to combine without overmixing. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Heat oven to 325° F (170° C). Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop heaping tablespoons of the cookie batter onto parchment, leaving 2 inches between cookies. Sprinkle each cookie with a few almonds and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Bake in oven until tops crack and cookies are set, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer parchment to wire racks to cool. Allow cookies to cool completely before removing from parchment (they will stick if they are still warm).