Best Earthquake Cookies Recipes

JUDY'S EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt chocolate and butter in saucepan over medium heat. Stir often. In bowl, beat eggs. Add in sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture. Add in baking powder, flour, and salt and beat until very smooth. Place bowl in fridge and chill as long as 24 hours (Judy recommends 24 hours). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prep two cookie sheets with either butter or foil. Place confectioner's sugar in bowl large enough to roll out the fudge balls. Take a teaspoon of the cookie dough and roll into balls. Coat the ball with confectioner's sugar by rolling it around in the sugar many times. Place on baking sheet with enough room for each ball to "explode" open. Bake for approximately 10-12 minutes (depends on oven). Cool and then remove cookies to wire rack (make sure to place tin foil under rack as powdered sugar is very messy).

EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Mix cake mix, eggs, shortening, and water in medium size bowl; mix with a spoon. Chill for 1 hour.
• Shape dough into balls, roll in powdered sugar. Place on cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes; or until brown.

DIRTY CHAI EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Put espresso or coffee in a small metal bowl. Put butter in a small saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat, swirling and stirring occasionally with a rubber spatula, until nutty brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the butter to the bowl with the espresso and stir to combine. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally, while you prepare the rest of the cookie.
• Combine the flour, malted milk powder, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine thoroughly and set aside.
• Combine eggs and light brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until well combined and slightly paler, about 3 minutes, scraping bowl as needed.
• Add the vanilla and the butter mixture, then mix on low speed until combined. Add the flour mixture, then mix again on low until combined. Transfer dough to a resealable glass or plastic container, and chill thoroughly, at least 2 hours and up to 3 days.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put granulated sugar and confectioners' sugar into two separate bowls. Use a small cookie scoop to portion dough into heaping tablespoons (about 25 grams each). Roll into smooth balls and drop a few at a time into the bowl of granulated sugar, rolling to coat. Transfer to the bowl with the confectioners' sugar. Roll gently, coating well, then transfer to a parchment- or silicone mat-lined baking sheet, leaving at least 2 inches between cookies. Place in freezer until firm, about 10 minutes.
• Bake until cookies are golden underneath but still quite tender (they will firm up as they cool), 12 to 14 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on the baking sheets and transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for 1 week.

CHOCOLATE EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Melt chocolate and butter over low heat in a heavy saucepan until chocolate is almost melted, stirring frequently.
• Remove from heat and let chocolate finish melting, then cool.
• In a large bowl, whisk eggs until well beaten.
• Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture.
• Add flour, baking powder and salt, and whisk until smooth.
• Chill the mixture until firm, at least 2 hours, and up to 24 hours.
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly butter one or two baking sheets.
• Place powdered sugar in a small bowl.
• Using about a teaspoon of the cookie dough, roll it between your palms to shape into a ball.
• Roll the ball in powdered sugar to coat, then place on baking sheet, you should be able to get a dozen on a sheet.
• Bake for 12 minutes, switching placement of baking sheets at half point if you are baking 2 sheets at once.
• Cool slightly before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.

EARTHQUAKE COOKIES IN A JAR

Steps:

• Sift together the flour, baking powder, almond meal, and salt. Melt the chocolate and butter together in a stainless steel bowl over a pan of simmering water.
• In an electric mixer fitted with a whisk, whip together the eggs and sugar at high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until they become fluffy. Add the melted chocolate mixture and mix until incorporated. Add the dry ingredients slowly (better to take your bowl off the mixer for this part so flour doesn't fly around your kitchen) and mix until incorporated. Stir in the coffee, vanilla, and rum. Transfer to a small bowl and refrigerate for about an hour. It will become firm.
• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Put the granulated sugar in one bowl and the confectioners' sugar in a second bowl.
• Using a sturdy spoon, scoop the chilled dough into 1-inch scoops and place them 1 inch apart on the prepared cookie sheet. Roll each individual cookie between your hands until it is a smooth ball, dip in the bowl of granulated sugar, then in the bowl of confectioners' sugar, coating each one fully. Return them to the cookie sheet.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, or until the sugar cracks and the cookies just start to firm up. (They are especially delicious with a little softness in the center.) Allow them to cool on a rack, then store airtight.

EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Steps:

• Place the shortening and sugar into a mixing bowl and rub or beat with a spoon until the mixture is light and fluffy.
• Add the egg and the molasses and beat well.
• Sift flour before measuring, then sift again with the dry ingredients so that they are mixing well.
• Add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture and mix well.
• Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.
• Roll each ball in granulated sugar.
• Place the balls 2-inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake the cookies at 375° for 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.
• Remove from the oven and allow them to cool slightly (about 2 minutes).
• Remove from the cookie sheet to wire racks to cool completely.