Chocolate Snickerdoodles

 I love playing hostess. One of my favorite things to do is to make a meal and enjoy it with friends and family. Usually, I end up going a little overboard as the host- I start to feel like dinner isn't enough on its own, and then I start making drinks and desserts and bread. I start looking for quick recipes that I can throw together with pantry items to share with my guests.

These cookies appeared this weekend when we had some guests stop by for dinner. If you keep your pantry stocked with the baking basics- flour, sugar, butter, chocolate, etc- these will come together in a flash. Even faster if your butter is already at room temperature!

When these cookies first came out of the oven, they were crisp; but after a day resting in a container, they got a little softer. I liked them both ways with a big glass of milk. If you want to make sure they are a chewier, bake them for 8-10 minutes instead of 12-14. If you are looking for a really chewy cookie with similar flavors, try these Nutella chocolate chip cookies (they look a lot alike but taste different, trust me).

If you aren't sold on the cinnamon (they are snickerdoodles, after all), you can roll these in plain sugar. I am a big cinnamon fan, though- I think next time I'll add cinnamon to the cookie batter as well. 

Next time you're playing hostess on short notice, you can look to this recipe for help. Your guests will thank you!

Chocolate Snickerdoodles
via Food & Wine (Grace Parisi)

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, sift the flour with the baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter with 1 cup of the sugar until creamy. Add the melted chocolate and the egg and beat until smooth. Beat in the dry ingredients until incorporated.
2. In a shallow bowl, mix the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar with the cinnamon. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the cinnamon sugar. Transfer to 3 parchment paper–lined baking sheets and flatten to 2-inch rounds. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracked. Transfer to racks and let cool.