Gluten Free Casually: Gluten Free Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Chocolate Crinkles! Deep, rich chocolate cookies with a light sprinkling of sugar. Decadent! These have a lightly crisp outside with a soft fudgy brownie texture in the center. They resemble a brownie but not overly sweet. The light powdered sugar coating gives them a festive snow-topped appearance. These are one of my holiday favorites because they go together pretty easy and the "snow cap" top makes them festive enough for my Christmas cookie plates yet satisfies my husband's chocolate needs. He won't eat traditional Christmas cookies. He prefers chocolate chip, brownies or M&M cookies. However, since these are similar to brownies....these are one he will eat. Most chocolate Crinkle cookies are rather bland or dry...but these bad boys are moist and have a nice, rich flavor. (Even Darth Vader and the dark side would love these! Geek alert!)

I like this particular recipe because it doesn't contain flour so no recipe adjustments were necessary. It does have ground nuts but if you have a nut allergy then you can easily substitute gluten free flour. Of course if you don't have gluten allergy you can use regular flour instead of nuts or gluten free flour.

I decided to make a batch for our dear friend Armando's birthday. He loves chocolate and I thought these would be perfect plus I had all the ingredients. I love the smell of dark chocolate and butter in my kitchen! The smells coming from my oven are heavenly! These cookies can be tweaked with spices if you want to customize them. If we are having a Mexican themed dinner, I will add one tsp. ground Chipotle chili powder or ground cinnamon to give it the Mexican flare. You can add a teaspoon or two of instant coffee or espresso granules for a European flare. Add a teaspoon of peppermint extract for a minty twist or a Hershey Kiss or Brach's Chocolate Star immediately when you remove from the oven for a "Kiss Cookie". This recipe is so versatile and the possibilities are endless!

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie Recipe:

1 cup ground almonds (you can grind yourself or look for almond flour or almond meal)
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine (that contains 70% fat), I used real butter today. You can also substitute Crisco vegetable shortening or Coconut Oil if you have a dairy allergy.
1 1/3 cup brown sugar (this makes a nice soft cookie)
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract or butter vanilla extract
1 cup dark chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips (please read your labels carefully. Some chocolate chips are made in a facility that processes wheat and some European chocolates use wheat flour as a thickener! The Guittard brand I used today is labeled GLUTEN FREE on the front of the package). Most Bittersweet chocolate chips don't contain milk or you can buy special dairy free chocolate chips if you have a dairy allergy.
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar (confectioner sugar)

Whisk ground almonds, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl. Set aside. Beat butter, brown sugar, and eggs until fluffy. Add vanilla extract. Melt chocolate chips in microwave or double boiler until smooth.

Stir the cooled melted chocolate into the butter mixture. Fold in almond mixture until just combined. Don't over mix. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate about 10 minutes. This will make the cookies easier to work with. Scoop dough with a teaspoon and roll into balls. If you have a cookie scoop it will make perfect sized cookie balls. Roll each dough ball first lightly in granulated sugar then roll into powdered sugar. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets. (I used to not use parchment paper since it isn't absolutely necessary but it really does make the cookies easier to remove and they seem to bake more even). Bake in pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10-13 minutes. My cookies were perfect after 11 minutes. Oven temperatures and altitude can vary cooking times, always check at the lowest cooking time and adjust your recipe accordingly. Cookies may look undercooked but will firm up slightly when cooled so don't over bake!

Dough balls rolled in sugar and ready to put in my pre-heated oven

Store in airtight container up to a week or freeze for 4-6 weeks.

Like I mentioned earlier, I like this recipe because I can add Chipotle chili powder or cinnamon for a Mexican twist or since this cookie resembles a brownie in flavor and texture ....I can use the individual cookies to make mini brownie trifles in wine glasses. Layer a cookie or two, pudding, chopped candy or fruit, whipped cream = single serve trifles. Elegant and fun but great for my casual entertaining style. I just love desserts that are so versatile!