(Adapted from Betty Crocker’s 1963 Cooky Book)
Warm from the oven, these cookies are slightly crisp on the outside, and chewy on the inside. Bake off just as many as you plan to eat in a day and keep the rest of the dough refrigerated until you’re ready for more. For an added touch of flavor and texture, try stirring in a handful of cocoa nibs, the roasted, crushed and otherwise unrefined cocoa beans from which chocolate is derived.
1/2 cup canola oil
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ cup cocoa nibs
1 cup powdered sugar

1.) Melt the chocolate in a stainless steel bowl set over barely simmering water. Mix in the oil and granulated sugar. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition, then stir in the vanilla extract.
2.) In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. With a rubber spatula stir the flour mixture into the chocolate mixture just until the ingredients are all combined. Cover the dough securely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours or overnight.
3.) Preheat oven to 350 and line a baking sheet with baker’s parchment. Drop teaspoonfuls of dough into the powdered sugar. Roll the dough in the sugar and shape into balls. Place the cookies at least 2 inches apart on the lined baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes. Do not over bake. Serve warm with cold milk.

Copyright, Greg Atkinson, 2006