Chocolate Earthquake Cookies

Earthquakes in Oklahoma? Earthquakes in D.C.? I'm used to earthquakes in Northern California, but these 'other' locations took a lot of people by surprise. Did you know that the most powerful earthquake in Eastern U.S history was on the New Madrid Earthquake with the epicenter in Arkansas in 1812? Some sections of the Mississippi River ran backward for a short time. The shockwaves went through firm bedrock, with residents as far away as Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Norfolk, Virginia, awakened by intense shaking. Church bells were reported to ring as far as Boston, Massachusetts and York, Ontario (now Toronto), and sidewalks were reported to have been cracked and broken in Washington, D.C. The Oklahoma Quake over this past weekend  has been attributed to the New Madrid Fault.

Here in Berkeley, we've been having small quakes on the Hayward Fault. Largest so far has been 4, and I'm hoping that's it. Just to relieve a little tension on the fault and in my kitchen, I'm baking up some Chocolate Earthquake Cookies. Earthquake Cookies are called that because of the cracking on the top of these great chocolate cookies.

CHOCOLATE EARTHQUAKE COOKIES

Ingredients
8 tablespoons sweet butter
4 ounces dark high quality chocolate (75-85% cacao, freetrade)
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons Madegascar vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions
1 Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan on top of a saucepan with simmering water.
2 Remove from heat. Cool.
3 In large bowl, whisk eggs until well beaten.
4 Whisk in sugar, vanilla, and melted chocolate mixture.
5 Add flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk until smooth.
6 Chill until firm, 2-24 hours
7 When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
8 Butter one-two baking sheets.
9 Put powdered sugar in small bowl.
10 Using teaspoon or small cookie baller, take a lump of cookie dough & roll into a ball.
11 Roll ball in powdered sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet.
12 Bake 12 minutes.
13 Cool slightly before removing to wire rack to finish cooling.