Chocolate Crinkles

By Paul Briand

This is another Christmas cookie favorite in our family. This one comes from my sister Ella in Syracuse, N.Y.

So deep is the tradition of these cookies in the family she had to pass it along to my brother David's wife Pamela out in Phoenix because he had a hankering for this cookie, one of his personal holiday favorites. If he can't have the Christmas snow from his years as a kid in upstate New York, at least he can get the cookies.

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil
4 squares (2 ounces) unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
powdered sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven 375, grease cookie sheets,
2. Stir together flour and baking powder,
3. In mixer bowl stir together sugar, oil, melted chocolate, and vanilla,
4. Beat in eggs,
5. Add dry ingredients to chocolate mixture and beat till blended,
6. Cover and chill (I sometimes freeze, this is a really gooey batter for rolling),
7. Using 1 tsp dough for each, roll into balls,
8. Roll in powdered sugar,
9. Place on greased cookie sheet, bake in 375 oven for 10 to 12 minutes or till done.

Makes about 48 cookies.

My sister Margaret recently contributed a recipe for Bird's Nest Cookies. All the cookie recipes originated with our mother, Marge.