Thin and Crispy Chocolate Cookies Recipe

Thin and Crispy Chocolate Cookies Recipe

    Prep time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
    Cook time: 15 minutes
    Yield: Makes 3 to 6 dozen, depending on size of cookie

Although the prep time is stated as 1 hour 45 minutes, an hour of that is the resting time for the dough.

If using salted butter, skip the added salt in the recipe.

When you measure out flour, if you don't have a kitchen scale, gently scoop the flour using a spoon into the measuring cup, leveling the top off with a knife. Do not pack down the flour.

Ingredients

    1 1/2 cups (195 g) all-purpose flour
    3/4 cup (70 g) natural, unsweetened cocoa
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
    1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    1/8 teaspoon cayenne
    8 Tbsp (1 stick, 110 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
    3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
    1 egg (size large)
    1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
    1 teaspoon molasses

Method

1. In a large bowl, vigorously whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and cayenne.

2. In a stand-up mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy, a couple of minutes on medium speed (start on low speed or else the sugar will fly out). Beat in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. (The mixture may look a little curdled, don't worry about it.)

3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a third at a time, beating after each addition. When well mixed, remove the dough from the mixer, form it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and chill it in the refrigerator for an hour (or up to two days).


4. When you are ready to roll-out the dough, preheat the oven to 350°F (175° C). Break off a chunk of dough from the ball of dough (about a quarter of it) and place it between two pieces of parchment paper. (If the dough has chilled for more than an hour and a half, let it rest at room temp for 10 minutes before rolling.) Use a rolling pin to roll the dough out to an even 1/8-inch thickness.


5. Use a cookie cutter or the rim of a small glass to cut out cookie shapes from the rolled out dough. Place on a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking sheet, allowing at least 1/2 inch between cookies on the cookie sheet. (If you are making different sizes of cookies, don't mix them on the baking sheet or the smaller ones will be done before the larger ones.)

6. Bake in the middle rack for 8 to 10 minutes, less or more, depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. (I recommend doing a test batch of a few cookies to see what is the optimal time for your batch of cookies in your oven.) The cookies should bounce back when you press on their centers, and some of them should be a little dark around the edges. When cool, they should be crispy, but not burnt.

7. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes before removing the cookies from the tray to cool completely on a rack.