Happy 4th of July everyone! Do you have any big plans for today? B.O.B. Bob and I will be staying home to enjoy the holiday this year. We’ll be throwing a pork butt on the Big Green Egg, making some deviled eggs and potato salad, and enjoying homemade ice cream, as well as these 4th of July Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies. We’ll have some friends stopping by to help us scarf everything down, and then we’ll head down the street to watch the local fireworks show at the end of the evening. After all that, we’ll head back home to play with sparklers, and hopefully not burn anyone or anything too badly. There’s nothing like that feeling of sparks hitting your skin as you twirl around the yard attempting to write your name in the air. Knowing B.O.B. Bob, there will most likely be some cheap fireworks to let off as well, whose sulfuric smoke will quickly become overpowering, causing everyone in the near vicinity to suffer from an asthma attack. We’ll all choose to deal with it though, because it makes him happy, and a happy B.O.B. Bob is just a wonderful thing.
Today, Brenna will be safely tucked inside, avoiding all visitors and displays of patriotism. I thank God that she isn’t one of those animals that is scared of fireworks, because we all know of someone who has that unfortunate fear to live and suffer through each summer. I’m sorry for those of you forced to deal with timid firework hating dogs or cats today. Just remember, cookies can make any experience better, especially when they are coated with sprinkles. These festive cookies taste like chocolate cake, only without all that disgusting icing to get in the way. So as you’re sitting on top of the bed, listening to your dog or cat whimper underneath it, as the sound of “bombs bursting in air” rings throughout your neighborhood, eat some cookies and pretend that your beloved pet is not currently trying to dig a hole to China to escape the current terror they are being threatened with. Once again, I thank God that Brenna only fears the dreaded Vaccoom and The Monster. It’s a rare thing for the crazy little girl to not actually make our lives more difficult, so I take great pride in her total ignorant bliss towards today’s festivities. For the rest of you who aren’t quite so luck, I hope you enjoy those fireworks!
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Sprinkles, Nonpareils, or Jimmies
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes, on medium speed.
- Add eggs one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla; mix 1 minute.
- On low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture; mix until just incorporated.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure out uniform amounts of cookie dough. Use the palms of your hands to roll the dough into balls, and then roll each ball into the sprinkles or nonpareils.
- Place the coated dough balls on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, before removing them a to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Suggestions:
- This is a great recipe to rid yourself of sprinkles that have overstayed their welcome in your pantry.
- Chilling the dough makes it easier to roll into balls. You can forego this step, but your cookies will not look as nice, and your hands will be covered with cookie dough.
- A little warning about nonpareils. They will roll everywhere. This is when having a dog is handy, because a dog will just lick them off of the floor, saving you a notable amount of time on clean up. A cat on the other hand, will just roll them around the floor, and make an even bigger mess for you to deal with.
Improvements:
- Add 1/2-cup of miniature chocolate chips to the cookie dough.
- In lieu of sprinkles, coat each cookie dough ball with finely chopped almonds or pecans.
RECIPE ADAPTED FROM: Chocolate Sprinkle Cookies from Created by Diane
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups Light Brown Sugar, Packed
- 2 Large Eggs, Room Temperature
- 1 Tablespoon Vanilla
- 3/4 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- 1/2 Cup Sprinkles, Nonpareils, or Jimmies
Directions:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar together for 3 minutes, on medium speed.
- Add eggs one at a time, and mix until incorporated.
- Add vanilla; mix 1 minute.
- On low-speed, slowly add the flour mixture; mix until just incorporated.
- Cover bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Use a cookie scoop to measure out uniform amounts of cookie dough. Use the palms of your hands to roll the dough into balls, and then roll each ball into the sprinkles or nonpareils.
- Place the coated dough balls on a Silpat or parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake for 11 minutes.
- Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 5 minutes, before removing them a to a wire rack to finish cooling.
ORIGINALLY POSTED 07/04/2014
