Well friends, Christmas is officially 1 week away! Since Thanksgiving was a week later this year, I have been trying my best to fit in every Christmas related activity I could in the  3 1/2 short weeks we have this season. I’ve been listening to Christmas music nonstop and watching every holiday movie I can. I even got a chance to attend quite a few holiday shows through my job. We got tickets to Cirque Du Soleil’s Christmas show and Elf the Musical. Both were fantastic but Elf was definitely my favorite. I was surprised how reminiscent it is to the movie! But as much fun as these Christmas activities have been, the one thing I have been slacking on is my holiday baking. My mom and I didn’t have our traditional marathon day of baking this year because we didn’t have as many holiday parties to bring them to. However, I couldn’t let Christmas pass by without baking at least a batch or two of Christmas cookies. I always try to bake a new recipe each Christmas and this year was no different. I have seen tons of recipes for the classic Chocolate Crinkle Cookies but hadn’t yet tried them myself. But boy am I glad I finally did. The cookies have a short ingredient list and do not take too long to whip up. The result is a rich chocolate cookie that is reminiscent of a brownie, which just so happens to be my favorite dessert. So here is my new favorite cookie recipe just in time for my favorite holiday!

Ingredients: Makes 24 cookies

• 2/3 cup flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar

Preparation:

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; set aside
2. In a large bowl, combine cocoa powder, granulated sugar, vegetable oil, egg and vanilla extract
3. Slowly add flour mixture to cocoa mixture until just combined
4. Lightly spray a piece of tin foil with cooking spray and place dough in foil. Wrap and chill for 4 hours
5. Once dough has chilled, use a teaspoon to divide dough into 24 portions, roll into rough balls
6. Roll dough balls in powdered and place on greased cookie sheet
7. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes