These chocolate sparkle cookies will make you happy

Sometimes you run across a recipe that’s the perfect intersection of great flavor, very little effort and only a handful of ingredients. And, in this case, chocolate. It’s no wonder this recipe has consistently been rated one of the top entries in our recipe database. What’s in them? Semisweet chocolate, butter, eggs, ground almonds and sugar, which create little cookies that are chewy and crisp, and also truffle-like, encasing a rich chocolate interior. The flourless cookies are from Thomas Haas, former executive pastry chef of Senses Bakery in Vancouver, British Columbia.

CHOCOLATE SPARKLE COOKIES

Total time: 1 hour, plus 8 hours chilling | Makes about 36 cookies

1/2 pound semisweet chocolate
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1/3 cup sugar, plus more for rolling
3/4 cup ground almonds
Powdered sugar, for garnish

1. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler set over, but not touching, simmering water. Remove from the heat. Cut the butter into a few pieces and mix into the chocolate until melted.

2. Beat the eggs with an electric mixer, gradually adding the sugar until ribbons form. Fold in the chocolate-butter mixture. Gently add the ground almonds. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

4. Use a cookie scoop to form the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in granulated sugar, place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart and immediately place in the oven.

5. Bake until the center of the cookies is no longer wet, 9 to 12 minutes. When slightly cool, lightly dust the cookies with powdered sugar.

Each serving (one cookie) : 64 calories; 15 mg. sodium; 14 mg. cholesterol; 4 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 6 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram protein; 0.62 gram fiber.

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FOR THE RECORD

Feb. 16, 3:01p.m.: An earlier version of this post implied Haas is still executive pastry chef at Senses Bakery. Haas is now chef-proprietor at Thomas Haas Chocolates & Patisserie, also in Vancouver.

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