Fudgy Cocoa Drops

There’s nothing that I don’t love about these little morsels that I found over at Taste of Home website. They come together super fast, are brownie like in both taste and texture, and make a small batch – which is perfect when you’re only baking for one!

Okay, I may have one issue with them: they dry out really, really fast.

Luckily, it’s easy to prevent this from happening by popping them in an airtight container and freezing them the instant they cool down after baking.

A few notes:

1. 1. If you prefer flat, chewy cookies over soft, puffy ones, simply flatten the dough balls slightly using the bottom of a glass, a fork, or, in a pinch, the palm of your hand, before baking.
   2. Most of us don’t have much use for ground almonds (and you can get away without using them here) but I highly recommend purchasing a small bag. Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months, which is great since you’ll have them ready for the next time you want to bake these cookies, and, trust me, you will want another batch!
   3. Be careful not to overbake. As mentioned, these cookies are suppose to have a fudgy, brownie-like texture which will be lost if overbaked. Start checking for doneness around the 12-minute mark.
   4. For an extra special treat, wrap the dough balls around whole almonds!

I just love all those little specks of almonds!

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3 ½ TBS. milk, room temperature
3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. natural ground almonds

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in milk and vanilla until well mixed. In another bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, soda and salt; mix into the butter mixture along with the ground almonds until well combined.

Use a 1-Tbs. cookie scoop to measure out dough and roll into balls (you should get about 1 dozen). Place two inches apart on the prepared cookie sheet, flatten slightly if desired. Bake until cookies are set and the tops begin to crack, approximately 15 minutes. Let cookies stand on the baking sheet a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Nutritional Information:
Calories (per 2 cookies): 182
Fat: 8.8g
– Saturated Fat: 4.9g
– Cholesterol: 20.7mg
Sodium: 155mg
Carbohydrates: 26.8g
– Fibre: 1.9g
– Sugars: 12.3g
Protein: 2.9g