Another day, another chocolate dessert. A friend joked recently that she’s relieved I’m not posting healthy, New Year’s resolution–style recipes this month. To be honest, I never planned to — my resolution is much simpler: eat more chocolate. We do have a family goal to switch to a 15-year mortgage and pay off the house fast, Dave Ramsey-style, but you can probably guess which resolution I’m prioritizing.
I often find myself wondering about the vitamins and minerals in chocolate as I stand in the Trader Joe’s checkout line. Their Dark Chocolate Lover’s Bar always calls to me — sound familiar? But there’s room for chocolate in my routine. I’m the kind of person who makes most meals from scratch (yes, the bone broth might be simmering even now), so I can justify a few bites of chocolate most days. I also tend to assume that anything homemade is automatically healthier — even fried foods.
In case you’re curious: chocolate contains small amounts of vitamins A, several B vitamins, and even vitamins C and E. Kale has nutrients too, of course, but sometimes you just want cookies.
For these cookies I used the same special dark cocoa powder I used when developing another chocolate recipe. I originally bought it while testing recipes for my cookbook, but the extra alkalinity in that dark cocoa can interfere with leavening in some baked goods. After a few failed attempts I tucked the box away and rediscovered it months later. Since these cookies are meant to stay flat rather than rise, the darker cocoa is a great fit: flat means more surface for dipping, rolling, and — let’s be honest — faster snacking.
You can roll the dipped cookies in anything salty or crunchy: pretzels, saltines, popcorn, or crackers. I chose crushed Ritz crackers because their buttery, slightly salty flavor pairs beautifully with chocolate. Chocolate loves butter almost as much as I do.
Chocolate Cookies with Ritz Crackers
Chocolate heart cookies dipped in semisweet chocolate and rolled in crushed Ritz crackers for a perfect salty-sweet bite.
25 minutes
10 minutes
35 minutes
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup dark cocoa powder*
- pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the chocolate dip:
- 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil (or shortening)
- 10 Ritz crackers, crushed
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter and sugar until very fluffy, about 45 seconds.
- Add the egg yolk and vanilla; beat until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in two additions, beating well. The dough will be crumbly at first; continue until it comes together, scraping the bowl as needed.
- On a surface dusted with cocoa powder, roll the dough to 1/4″ thickness. Cut shapes with your favorite cookie cutter. Re-roll scraps as needed. A 3″ cutter yields about 10 cookies.
- Place the cut cookies on a lined sheet pan and freeze briefly.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
- When the oven is hot, bake the cookies straight from the freezer for 9–11 minutes, until they smell fragrant and the tops look dry.
- Let the cookies cool on the sheet pan for at least 5 minutes before moving them.
- Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely; moving them too soon may cause them to break.
- Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil in short microwave pulses, stirring between each. Remove before fully melted and stir until smooth (about 45 seconds on medium power total).
- Dip each cooled cookie into the melted chocolate, then sprinkle or press on the crushed Ritz crackers. Allow the chocolate to set before serving.
Notes
*You can substitute regular unsweetened natural cocoa powder if you prefer.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
10
Serving Size:
1
Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 150
Total Fat: 9g
Saturated Fat: 5g
Trans Fat: 0g
Unsaturated Fat: 3g
Cholesterol: 49mg
Sodium: 52mg
Carbohydrates: 17g
Fiber: 1g
Sugar: 8g
Protein: 2g