Would You Have An Appendectomy For This?

Sunday night we got word that a friend of Emma's had had an emergency appendectomy that morning.  He had spent the previous day playing two baseball games, slept over at a friends and by 9am the next morning was under the knife getting his swollen and enlarged appendix out.  We saw the pictures.  I told his mom to scrapbook those pics.  That is something this kid could be proud of.  In the course of a bishops visit in the hospital we came to find out how this young man loved cookies from girls.  I told him all he had to do was mention he liked cookies and I'm sure he'd find some on his doorstep.  He didn't have to go to such extreme measures for cookies:)  Needless to say, when Emma found out about her poor friend she was more than happy to oblige.  She enlisted a favorite friend and the next day they were cooking.

These girls didn't go the simple route.  They decided to jazz up the offering by adding two selections of cookies instead of just one.  What nice gals!  (They even passed off a Personal Progress achievement during the process.  Hurray!)  The brunette cookie in the picture above is the cookie I wanted to highlight.  I loved these cookies as a kid.  We never made them.  Not even my professional cookie making sister ever made these at home.  Again-  Thanks to the lunch ladies at dear old Lomond View Elementary I had these Chocolate Crinkles at least once in a blue moon.   Maybe it's the fact that they have a little resemblance to brownies that I love them so much.  Emma seems to have followed in my footsteps.  She found this recipe in the Martha Stewart Cookie book, and never looked back.

I'm proud of Emma's fearless tackling of her cooking endeavors.  She can make lots of things I never dreamt of at her age.  Let alone as seasoned 25 or 30 year old.  So I'm sure our little neighbor boy is thinking now that maybe the tummy ache from hell may have been worth it.  I mean if you can get two beautiful girls to bring you cookies (2 different kinds) in bed, what other body part could he part with?

Chocolate Crackles

from Martha Stewart's Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup Dutch cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/3 cups light-brown sugar, firmly packed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup milk

1 cup confectioners' sugar, plus more for rolling

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop bittersweet chocolate into small bits, and melt over medium heat in a heat-proof bowl or the top of a double boiler set over a pan of simmering water. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and light-brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat until well combined. Add melted chocolate. With mixer on low speed, alternate adding dry ingredients and milk until just combined. Divide the dough into quarters, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill in the refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

On a clean counter top, roll each portion of dough into a log approximately 16 inches long and 1 inch in diameter, using confectioners’ sugar to prevent sticking. Wrap logs in plastic wrap, and transfer to a baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Cut each log into 1-inch pieces, and toss in confectioners’ sugar, a few at a time. Using your hands, roll the pieces into a ball shape. If any of the cocoa-colored dough is visible, roll dough in confectioners’ sugar again to coat completely. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a Silpat-lined baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.

Transfer from oven to a wire rack to let cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.