It was one of those days.  I woke up and my hair had this huge swoosh about it.  The kind of swoosh that if I let it grow out, it will soon resemble the hair swoosh made famous by Hermey the Elf, who wants to be a dentist and was featured in “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” the stop motion television classic.  Yes, my hair was that bad.

Dave and Hermey…  Separated at birth?

Eager to correct the situation, I took a shower and applied plenty of corrective hair gel.  Now, I felt ready to go about my day, which included dropping off some toys that we had cleaned out of our shed.  It was a cute collection, including the little basketball hoop that young Jacob used to spend hours playing with, two tiny toy lawnmowers, and two small kiddy scooters.  It was a drop off that symbolized my children getting older, but it was also necessary to free up some space in the shed.

Pulling into a charitable thrift store, which will go unnamed but usually has some “Good” products I “Will” consider purchasing, I began to unload the car.  That is when I experienced something new, a not so “Good” feeling that “Will” haunt me.  One by one, they began rejecting my shipment of toys.  Either they did not accept wheeled riding toys or they just did not like the looks of our well used, but fully functional toys.  The basketball hoop that my boy so loved especially hurt, when she said, “We’ll pass on that.”  What in the Hasbro?  You’ll pass on it?  So this beloved toy that we are finally ready to part with is not “Good” enough?  If only I could “Will” you to accept it.  So sad, they only took one tiny lawnmower.  The rest were deemed to be misfit toys.  Sad, so sad.

Now, since Santa will not come for a few more weeks and I don’t have a sleigh with little toy parachutes, our trashcan will become of the “Island of Misfit Toys.”  So if you would like a fun little toy, that apparently no longer qualifies as “Good” and I could not “Will” it any other way, feel free to take one home.  They will be out by our trashcan, until Monday morning, when the toys will end up in the rear of the trash truck, the only place willing to accept them.  Now, time to get my hair cut.  Goodbye, Hermey swoosh.

The original Misfit Toys.

My head a in a newly christened Misfit Toy.  I look upset enough to appeal the ruling.

Need to rid a bad taste from your mouth?  I have just the thing for you.  These rich Chocolate Crinkles turn out chocolaty and delicious.  Rolled in an extra layer of sugar, these sweet treats will be just the thing to turn your day around and at 3 inches across, they are guaranteed to fill your belly with cookie happiness.  Enjoy.

DOUBLE SUGAR EXTRA LARGE CHOCOLATE CRINKLES

4 ounces Unsweetened Chocolate

4 tablespoons Butter

1½ cups Brown Sugar

3 Eggs

4 teaspoons Espresso Powder

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 cup Flour

½ cup Cocoa Powder

1 teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Salt

½ cup Sugar

½ cup Powdered Sugar

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop unsweetened chocolate.  Combine with butter and melt in the microwave.  Set aside.

Mix together the brown sugar and eggs.

Mix in the espresso powder and vanilla extract.

Mix in the melted “chocolate butter mixture.”  Set aside.

Combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Gradually, mix the “flour mixture” into the “brown sugar mixture.”  Set aside for 10 minutes.

Place ½ cup sugar and ½ cup powdered sugar in separate dishes.

Take 2 tablespoon size balls of dough, roll first in the regular sugar, then in the powdered sugar.

Place balls of dough on parchment paper lined baking sheets.

Bake for 12 minutes or until the edges have begun to set.

 

Makes about 20 cookies.

Revised Sources:  Cook’s Illustrated “Chocolate Crinkle Cookies” and fellow cookie baker extraordinaire, Mary LaPatka.