Another favorite cookie.
I remember my mother making these as special cookies for her club–this was back in the fifites, when women’s clubs were a thing. I have her recipe for these cookies, which is similar to the on the Good Housekeeping website. However, the one here is based on Sam Merrit’s at Sugar Spun Run and John Kanelll’s at The Preppy Kitchen. I’ve added a few tweaks from other sources, and a couple of my own.
My tweaks include adding corn starch, cinnamon, and espresso powder to the dry ingredients. I almost always add corn starch to cookie dough because it absorbs moisture and thus inhibits gluten from forming dense networks. This makes the interior of the cookie chewier, while giving you crispier edges. It also helps prevent the cookies from spreading. The cinnamon and espresso add flavor notes that enhance the chocolate base.
I love almond flavor, and also often use almond extract in addition to vanilla extract in baking. Be careful, though, since a little bit goes a long way!
Another addition to this recipe is that I roll the soon-to-be-cookie balls in granulated sugar before rolling them in the powdered sugar. The granulated sugar helps the powdered sugar stick to the cookie, but it also gives you a crispy layger between the powdered sugar and the chewy interior for better mouth feel.
The other important note about these cookies is that the dough is really sticky. That’s because it has so many eggs–but the eggs are exactly what make these like cookie-sized brownies. In any case, the dough has to chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours to be usuable–don’t scrimp on this step!
I generally use nitril gloves when I make cookies–in fact, I use them most of the time when cooking. They are almost essential for these cookies, again because the dough is so sticky.
Of course, silicon baking sheets are an essential when making cookies.
Chocolate Pixies
Ingredients
- 170 g 12 TBSP unsalted butter softened
- 300 g 1.5 C sugar
- 100 g 1/2 C light or dark brown sugar tightly packed
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp Almond Extract
- 313 g 2.5 C all-purpose flour
- 100 g 1 C natural cocoa powder
- 1 Tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 TBSP Corn starch
- 1 tsp espresso powder
- 1 TBSP Cinnamon
- 1 cup mini M&Ms
- 1 C chopped almonds
- 1 cup 125 g powdered sugar for rolling
- 1 C granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to beat until light and fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, stirring until completely incorporated after each addition.
- Stir in vanilla extract and almond extract
- In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, corn starch, espresso power, cinnamon and salt.
- Gradually add dry ingredients to wet until completely combined.
- Stir in mini M&Ms and chopped nuts
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.
- After chilling, preheat oven to 350F (175C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Roll dough into 1 ½ Tablespoon-sized balls (about 38g) with your hands and roll thoroughly in granulated sugar, then in the powedered sugar.
- Transfer to prepared baking sheet and bake in center rack of 350F (175C)preheated oven for 10 minutes.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on baking sheet before enjoying.
Notes
- Roll the cookies in the granulated sugar first, which will create a layer between the cookies and the powdered cookies. This helps the powdered sugar adhere to the cookies and produces a crispier, better-looking crust.
- Adding the espresso powder and cinnamon enhances the chocolate flavor.
- The corn starch helps to keep the cookies from spreading and gives you a softer, chewier cookie with crisper edges.
Thanks for sharing the recipe too! Your recipe for these little delights is a bit different from what I make and I am looking forward to trying your recipe!