Chewy Chocolate Cookie

In the past, I've harped on the benefits of clean eating.  And while I love eating whole-foods, I also have a major sweet tooth.  I feel like a good compromise is to make my sweet treats at home! They may have refined sugar in them, but they are also lacking in a lot of chemicals you find in store-bought treats. Plus, my kids LOVE to help whenever I bake (that is, lick the spatula…)!

One of my favorite sweets are these delicious chewy chocolate cookies.  They are super simple to whip up and they are positively delicious! Plus, it’s a pretty good bet that I always have the ingredients on hand in my baking cupboard.

Chewy Chocolate Cookies

1 cup plus 1 tbsp all-purpose flour

1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp cocoa powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

10 tbsp (1 stick plus 2 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar

1 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

sugar for dusting

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a bowl. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes).  Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat to combine.  Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the dry ingredients mixing until combined.  Place the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a flattened disk. Wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Shape the chilled dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll each ball in sugar and place on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake 10-12 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

My kids go NUTS for these cookies. They are especially good served warm with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Do you let your kids help in the kitchen? What's your favorite thing to make together?