I have my grandmother's recipe, but a few things I couldn't decipher, due to the old terminology she used, and she is no longer around to verify the info with. So, I searched high and low for other crinkle recipes, and found one on Joy of Baking, which had high reviews. Here is that recipe:
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons(56 grams) unsalted butter
8 ounces (225 grams)semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated white sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
Topping:
1 cup (110 grams) confectioners (powdered or icing) sugar, sifted
Directions:
In a stainless steel bowl, placed over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and set aside.
In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), beat the eggs and sugar until thick, pale, and fluffy. (When you slowly raise the beaters the batter will fall back into the bowl in slow ribbons.) At this point beat in the vanilla extract and then stir in the melted chocolate mixture.
In a separate bowl whisk together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Add dry ingredients to the chocolate mixture, stirring just until incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm enough to shape into balls (3-4 hours or overnight).
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Place the confectioners sugar in a shallow bowl. With lightly greased hands, roll a small amount of chilled dough to form a 1 inch (2.5 cm) ball. Place the ball of dough into the confectioners sugar and roll the ball in the sugar until it is completely coated and no chocolate shows through. Gently lift the sugar-covered ball, tapping off excess sugar, and place on prepared bakingsheet. Continue forming cookies, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart on baking sheets. (If you find the dough getting too soft for rolling into balls, return to the refrigerator and let chill until firm.)
Bake cookies for 8 to 10 minutes or just until the edges are slightly firm but the centers are still soft. (For moist chewy cookies do not over bake. Over baking these cookies will cause them to be dry.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
These cookies are best eaten the day they are baked.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
So, as there is a first time for everything, my first time baking the Chocolate Crinkles, I had a few came out just the right way, crackled on top. However some didn't turn out as perfect as I wished, but the most important was the taste, and it was right on point, and amazing! Tasted just like grandma's! I highly agree with letting batter chill overnight, and lightly getting your hands a little dirty with some butter, to roll the cookie dough into little balls. I used a small melon ball scooper to scoop out the dough.
Serve these with hot cocoa and you'll have loved ones coming back for more year after year! Perfect to leave some for Santa as well!
Happy holiday baking!