• Choose a category
• All
• Classic-Fiction

Mound by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Gently flatten the mounds a little with your hand or a rubber spatula.

Bake until brown but still pliable and soft, 12 to 14 minutes.

To cool: Leave the cookies on the baking sheet for a couple of minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cool the baking sheet for at least 5 minutes and butter it again before baking another batch.

To store: The cookies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Variations: Add ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg or ground cloves with the cinnamon.

Substitute raisins, dried blueberries, dried cherries, dried currants, or chopped dried pitted dates for the dried cranberries.

Reduce the dried cranberries to 1 cup and add 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips with the remaining cranberries.

* * *

Cookies are actually quite fragile when first out of the oven; they should be cooled a bit on the baking sheet so the bottoms can harden for support. Lift them gently off the sheet with a thin, metal spatula and transfer them to a wire cooling rack, preferably one with a relatively small crosshatch for the best support. If you’ve used a nonstick baking sheet, make sure you use bakeware designed specifically for such surfaces.

* * *

Mocha Crinkles

Coffee and chocolate combine to create these crunchy-outside, taffy-inside wonders. The flour mixture needs to be sifted to ensure that the confectioners’ sugar and cocoa powder are evenly distributed throughout. Makes about 72 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

½ cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch process cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1½ cups packed light brown sugar

1/3 cup light corn syrup

1 tablespoon instant espresso powder

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

4 large egg whites, lightly whisked in a small bowl, at room temperature

Spread a sheet of wax paper on your work surface. Sift the flour, 1½ cups confectioners’ sugar, the cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt together, using a flour sifter or a fine-mesh sieve, allowing the sifted mixture to fall onto the wax paper. Repeat, making sure the cocoa powder is evenly distributed. Set aside.

Place the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler or in a medium bowl that fits securely over a medium saucepan. Bring about an inch of water to a boil in the bottom of the double boiler or in the saucepan; place the top of the double boiler or the bowl over the simmering water, reduce the heat but maintain a simmer, and stir until half the chocolate has melted.

Remove the top of the double boiler or the bowl from over the water—be careful of any escaping steam—and continue stirring off the heat until the chocolate and butter have fully melted and the mixture is smooth. Transfer to the bowl for a standing mixer or to a large, clean bowl if you’re using a handheld mixer; cool for 5 minutes.

Beat the brown sugar into the chocolate mixture, using an electric mixer at medium speed, until light and silky, about 1 minute. Beat in the corn syrup, instant espresso powder, and vanilla.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the egg whites all at once until smooth, a little less than 1 minute.

Remove the beaters and use a wooden spoon to stir in the flour mixture just until any trace of flour has disappeared. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and set in the refrigerator until the mixture becomes firm, at least 1 hour but no more than 8 hours.

Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat; set aside.

Place the remaining ½ cup confectioners’ sugar in a small bowl. Roll a small piece of the firm dough into a small ball about the size