the gd kitchen: crisp chocolate wafer cookies

I saw this picture in a magazine for these delightful looking wafer cookies. I didn’t have time to look at the recipe (as I was in line at the hardware store) but I thought I’d try to recreate them with my own twist.

Now, I am, hands down, a chewy cookie lover. I love the gooey, chewy, goodness of a freshly baked cookie. None of those wafers for me. Nothing crunchy, crispy, or the like. But these beckoned to me. To make a crispy cookie? This is new territory for a I’ll-take-the-inside-of-the-brownie sort of gal. This has to be wafer-thin and ultra light. So after much experimentation, I came up with these. They are crispy and crunchy and oh-so-chocolatey. They are good with a big bowl of chocolate ice cream, or stuck decoratively in a New York style cheesecake, or just for a midnight snack. Enjoy!

(These might not look wafer thin but take another gander at the cooling rack bars. These are some pretty thin cookies, people.)

Crisp Chocolate Wafer Cookies

Makes 24 wafer cookies.

Store the cookies between layers of waxed paper in an air-tight tin or plastic air tight container.

4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter, softened

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large egg whites

¾ cup Dutch process (alkalized) cocoa powder

¾ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

More sugar for finishing the cookies

Combine butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until light, about 5 minutes, scraping bowl and beaters occasionally. Beat in the egg whites, one at a time, beating smooth after each addition.

While the mixture is beating, sift the cocoa with the flour and salt. Stop mixer, scrape down bowl and beaters and add dry ingredients. Mix on low speed until incorporated.

Scrape the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap. Cover with another piece of wrap and press the dough into a rough disk. Refrigerate the dough until it is firm -- several hours or overnight.

About 20 minutes before you intend to bake the cookies, set a rack at the middle level of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Divide the dough into 3 parts and roll one at a time on a lightly floured work surface into a 6-inch square.

Cut the dough with a fluted or plain round cutter into nine 2-inch cookies and place them on the prepared pan. Continue with the remaining dough. After rolling all the dough, press the scraps back together and make about 9 more cookies. Pierce the cookies several times with a fork and sprinkle them lightly with granulated sugar.