Two- Bite Brownie Cookies

Delightful chewy chocolate cookies that remind me of the 'two-bite brownies' found in every supermarket in Canada and the US. I adapted this from http://www.recipezaar.com/The-Best-Oatmeal-Cookies-Ive-Found-113788 when i craved cookies but had no eggs. Surprise your allergic friends! They store well so can be made well in advance but they tend to disappear quickly. Edit: I have found that some brands of flour in North America take up moisture differently from the Australian flour I used when I developed this recipe. The cookies may flatten completely, in which case decrease the yogurt or increase the flour. The flat cookies are still delicious, and could be used like gingersnaps or cannolis, to be wrapped around something tasty.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 36 cookies

Ingredients

• 1 3⁄4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄4 cup  cocoa
• 1  teaspoon baking soda
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1  cup butter or 1  cup margarine, softened
• 1  cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1  cup white sugar
• 1⁄2 cup plain yogurt
• 1  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. preheat oven to 375°F
2. Put yogurt in a fine sieve or a coffee filter set in a larger strainer over a small bowl, and allow the liquid to drain away for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.
3. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
4. In a large bowl cream butter and sugar, then blend in drained yogurt and vanilla and beat until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in flour mixture. At this stage the batter should seem almost too thick, but persist and do not add more liquid. The dough should be soft but not stick to your fingers very much. If it is too moist the cookies will flatten. If possible, chill dough for 30 minutes.
6. Take a generous teaspoonful and quickly mould it into a ball with the palms of your hand, like making a meatball or rice ball, then place on baking sheet. They should not spread much so can be placed close together.
7. Bake for 6-9 minutes, or until outside is just set and cracks slightly. Do not over-bake--they are chocolate so you cannot judge by brownness, and they are best if slightly undercooked.
8. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes before removing from baking sheets.
9. Options: roll unbaked cookies in crushed nuts or finely shredded coconut, patting into surface; press down with thumb and fill hollow with jam, a chocolate chip or a generous piece of nut; mix chopped nuts and/or chocolate chips into the batter before rolling into balls; or omit cocoa and add coconut, a cup or more of rolled oats and 1 cup of raisins or chocolate chips, as in the original recipe.