My son has an affinity for the old-timey soft chocolate cookies made by Archway that I find in the grocery store. They are pretty delish.
But, I thought I could do better with a homemade variety. And I was totally correct. Grammy's Chocolate Cookies by Martha Stewart are soft, intense and chocolatey good. The flavor is so much deeper than those I buy at the grocery store.
These use a lot of sanding sugar. Definitely plan for a cup, but I probably used even more. The recipe doesn't have a measurement for the sanding sugar. I would have a few bottles on standby. I made mine blue and red. I thought they were fun colors to celebrate the Phillies returning to play!
Be sure to chill the dough, but expect it to be very soft. Rolling is a messy process but just go with it. I used a small cookie scoop so that my balls of dough were consistent in size.
I only baked 8 at a time on each baking sheet. I thought they needed a lot of space to spread out.
I brought these cookies to a pool party, and they were definitely a hit. I feel like they would be amazing with a scoop of ice cream.
Makes about 3 1/2 dozen
From "Martha Stewart's Cookies"
By Martha Stewart
2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
Sanding sugar, for rolling
Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt into a bowl.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs and vanilla, and beat to combine. Reduce speed to low, and gradually add flour mixture; beat to combine. Form dough into a flattened disk, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Shape dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Roll each ball into sanding sugar. Place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until set, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating halfway through. Transfer to a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies from baking sheet to wire rack. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.
