Chocolate Peppermint Crinkle Cookies

– 8 oz semi-sweet chocolate (either chips or chopped baking chocolate)
– 4 oz unsalted butter
– 1 TB whole milk
– ¾ c brown sugar, packed
– 2 tsp espresso powder (optional)
– 2 large eggs
– 1 TB + 1 tsp peppermint extract
– 1 ½ c flour
– 1/2 c unsweetened dutch processed cocoa powder
– 1 ½ tsp baking powder
– 1 ½ tsp salt
– ½ c or more granulated sugar for coating
– ¾ c powdered sugar for coating

1. Bring 2 cups of water in a medium pot to boil. Combine semi-sweet chocolate, butter and milk in a large glass bowl, and set the bowl over the pot as the water begins to boil to create a double-boiler. (The bowl should be bigger/wider than the pot so that the bottom of the bowl is well above the boiling water.) Melt the chocolate mixture together and stir until it is smooth, about 3-5 minutes.
2. Add brown sugar (and optional espresso powder) to the mixture and stir until it is incorporated.
3. Whisk the eggs into chocolate mixture one at a time until each is well blended. Stir in peppermint extract.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
5. Slowly fold the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture, combining both with as few strokes as possible, just until there are no white streaks of flour visible.
6. Cut a 12″ x 12″ piece of plastic wrap onto your counter, and scoop the dough onto plastic wrap. Wrap tightly into a ball, and refrigerate for 30-40 minutes to harden.
7. Preheat oven to 375° F. Move the oven rack to the top third portion of the oven. Remove dough from refrigerator.
8. Place granulated sugar and powdered sugar for coating into separate bowls. Scoop approximately two tablespoons worth of dough, and use your hands to roll the dough into a ball. Drop and roll the dough ball into the granulated sugar for an even coating. Don’t shake off any of the sugar. Remove the dough ball from the granulated sugar, and do the same with the powdered sugar. Drop and roll the dough ball into the powdered sugar for an even coating. Each dough ball should be completely covered with a coating of granulated and powdered sugar.
9. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Space each coated dough ball on the baking sheet about two inches apart from each other. Bake for 12 minutes, and remove from oven. Cool on cookie sheet for 20 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.