Zebra Cookies

Ingredients:

8 ounces dark chocolate
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cocoa flour
2 teas. baking powder
1/4 teas. salt
1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/3 cups light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs
1 teas. vanilla extract
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1 )  Heat oven to 350 degrees. Chop chocolate into small bits and melt over medium heat on a double boiler. Set aside to cool. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.

2)  In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and 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. Chill dough in refrigerator until firm, about 2 hours.

3)  Using your hands, roll dough into 1-inch diameter balls, then roll in granulated sugar, then in confectioners’ sugar until completely coated. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until cookies have flattened and the sugar splits, 12 to15 minutes.

Parley

Suzanne spotted these cookies on a Martha Stewart website and wanted to give them a try (Martha Stewart calls them something like "Chocolate Crinkle Cookies" but when I peeked in the oven their dark brown and white pattern elicited a comment something along the lines of "ohhhhhh...look at the pretty zebra cookies" and so I've renamed them, really now, what could be more appealing that stripped equine cookies)?  Not only are they quite eye catching but rich, decadent, and oh so chocolatey !  In fact, upon eating one hot off the cookie sheet, James declared they might be his new favorite cookie...but we'll wait for the final verdict tomorrow as he was under the influence of a rather intense barley wine at the time of tasting...