Happy Anniversary!

Tuesdays with Dorie is 3 years old this week. THREE YEARS! I can hardly believe it. When I posted about doing a weekly recipe from Baking From My Home to Yours, it was basically to get myself blogging more. Which is still an issue for me. I asked for one or two people to join in, to keep me accountable. I never imagined that so many people would love the idea and jump on board. I certainly never imagined that three years later, the core of the group would be the very same. People have come and gone, but the core of the group remains the same. I thank you for that. Where I have slacked off because of personal circumstances, you have kept baking along week after week. You have kept the group going all this time. Now, I am not an emotional person. But, as I write this, I am tearing up a bit. Tuesdays with Dorie changed my life. Seriously. It did. I thank you for that, too. Quick shout out to my twitter pals. You know who you are. Love ya!

To Julie– You stepped up to help me when all the other staffers had fallen by the wayside. Thank you! I never would have been able to start French Fridays with Dorie without your help on this blog. It means more to me than you know. There are not many people who would help maintain a blog like this in their spare time. You have to be a special brand of crazy. I know. You are amazing and I appreciate all you do. Thank you. xo

To Dorie– Thank you for your continued support of this group. Not many authors would have been as involved with a group like this. I know we all appreciate you taking time to comment on this blog, and our personal blogs. As well as my many emails. Thank you, thank you.

Since Julie has been maintaining the weekly posts for me, I would like to give her an opportunity to say whatever she would like as well. xo~ Laurie

Wow, I am a bit speechless and tearing up myself.  It has been such fun just being part of the group and a real pleasure to be able to step in and help out a bit on the site.  And yes, I am certainly that special brand of crazy.  ;-)  We’ve all had the chance to stretch and grow a bit in terms of our kitchen comfort level (caramel, anyone?)  I’m excited for what 2011 has in store for me and my kitchen. — Julie

On to the recipe!

Midnight Crackles

1 stick plus 2 tablespoons (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 10 pieces
1 1/4 cups (packed) light brown sugar
10 ounces bittersweet chocolate, coarsley chopped
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs

Put the butter, sugar and chocolate, in that order, into a 2-quart saucepan. Set the pan over low heat and warm the ingredients, stirring occasionally, until melted and smooth. Scrape into the bowl of a stand mixer or another large bowl.

Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves.

Working with the stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer on low speed, add the eggs to the chocolate mixture one at a time, beating until they are well blended into the chocolate. With the mixer still on low, add the dry ingredients, mixing just until the dough is smooth and shiny; it will clean the sides of the bowl and form a ball. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and divide it in half. Wrap each piece in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour, or for up to 3 days. (If the dough is solid, leave it on the counter for 30 minutes before proceeding.)

Getting Ready to Bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment or silicone mats.

Working with 1 tablespoon of dough at a time, roll the dough between your palms into firm, shiny balls (if the dough breaks as you work, squeeze and knead it a bit, then reroll it between your palms) and place about 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Lightly press each one down a tad with your fingertips.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans from top to bottom and front to back at the midway point. The cookies should be delicately firm and cracked across the top. (It’s better to under- than overbake.) Remove the sheets from the oven and let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes, then, using a wide metal spatula, gently transfer the cookies to a rack. Cool to room temperature.

Repeat with remaining dough, cooling the baking sheets between batches.

Makes about 50 cookies.