Lockdown day number… who knows? Have you, like me, lost count by now?
Most of the people who I’ve recently been in touch with say that they’re going through constant ups and downs at the moment. It seems that some days we all wake up dreading what the day ahead is inevitably going to bring – a deadly cocktail of worry, anxiety, tiredness and extreme irritability mixed with uncertainty and the general feeling of lack of control of our lives. Other days we greet the day counting our blessings, suddenly work (if we’re lucky to have a job still) seems to be easier, exercise helps us a lot, we get on with our families. We create, cook, bake, plant things, find pleasure in the little things. For a change we manage to get a good night sleep rather than wake up at 3 am and stay awake for hours on end.
We keep hearing that we’re in it together but as individuals we’re going through the pandemic very differently depending on our circumstances and both physical and mental health. Thankfully when some of us are low, others are doing OK, or OK-ish, and can lend us a helping hand.
A few days ago I had one of those up days. I woke up feeling unexpectedly inspired and decided to act on it immediately in fear of the flow of creative juices not lasting long. As you know my kitchen is my happy place. My comfort food is dark chocolate or anything made with it but you may also remember that I’m quite fussy and don’t like my treats too sweet. Encouraged by lots of recipes for crinkle brownie cookies I’ve recently seen all over the internet, I rolled up my sleeves and set to creating my own.
As usual, my goal was to come up with a simple and no-fuss recipe. By test round number three I knew that in order to achieve the mouth-watering crinkle on the outside as well as the right texture on the inside, shortcuts were out of the question and a bit more effort was required. Having said that, once you have all your ingredients weighed out and laid out on the counter, this recipe is actually surprisingly quick and easy. The only thing different to most of my previous “lockdown recipes” is that TIME is absolutely crucial here. Think of these cookies as a soft brownie cake type of mixture divided into smaller portions. This means that ingredients have to be mixed fairly quickly and the cookies have to go into the oven the moment they’re ready. Unlike most crunchy biscuits where dough is rolled into balls and time doesn’t play an important role, here it contributes massively to the final look and texture. In order words, don’t faff around looking for forgotten ingredients or get distracted by your phone! 😊 Prepare all your ingredients and your baking gear in advance, stick to the exact timeframe given and I promise you won’t regret it.
The recipe is a cross between Edd Kimber’s and Martha Stewart’s recipes. I’ve reduced sugar as I find these chocolatey babies rich enough. I’ve also slightly changed a couple of ingredients as well as proportions and I’ve added a bit of coffee.
If today is not your day, you’re feeling low and would do with a home-made pick me up type of treat, this one is for you. Right, let’s do it!
Makes about 16 cookies (you’ll need two baking sheets to be able to bake them all at the same time)
Spread the love if you enjoyed this recipe – give me a like, leave a comment or both. Tag me on Facebook @riseandshinebaking or Instagram @riseandshine_baking and don’t forget to use hashtag #bakewithriseandshine. Thank you and happy baking!
Download the recipe
Enjoy!
6 Comments
Made these little chocolate lovelies yesterday and they are incredible ❤️super easy and quick to make and soooo chocolateee that you won’t want to buy another bar of chocolate ever again..
Thank you Agnieszka for this recipe, I remember it by heart now ❤️😋😁
Thank you so much, that’s one of the best compliments I’ve ever been paid.
These are hands down the best cookies ever. I love the name “Cheer Me Up Crinkle Brownie Cookies” – I have made them twice now and the kids have demolished them very swiftly. The hampstead mums enjoyed the delicious cookie recipe too, we love baking with our children in London NW3
Thank you. Very happy you and family liked them so much!
Making these cookies again today. 4th time!
Brilliant! Enjoy every single of them.