The dough does really well refrigerated after mixing and will roll into these balls better after a quick respite in the cool air. This will get your hands dirty, not to mention your dishtowels, counter, and anything else you might come in contact with while shaping the cookies. I always laugh when I go to my favorite pizza place in San Diego because the have their tv remote control wrapped in plastic wrap. I should probably do that at home. Not sure how well it would work on the phone, but that should probably get wrapped too!
Once they are shaped, you roll them in powdered sugar to coat. A generous coat is required to get the crinkly look you are going for.
Once baked, they spread out and look like this. Good luck keeping them around for long afterwards! If you can't find Dutch Process cocoa powder, the best bet is unsweetened baking chocolate. It's good stuff, I usually use Baker's brand because it's what my store carries and I think it tastes great. I am sure that there are other gourmet brands out there, but I usually have a box or two on hand. Inside, the baking squares are wrapped in paper and each square is 1 oz. of chocolate. You can substitute this for 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and supposedly a little of the fat (the chocolate has cocoa butter in it where the powder does not). I never have been able to figure out exactly how much fat to cut out of the recipe, so I usually just substitute the chocolate for the cocoa powder and leave the butter or oil the same as what the recipe calls for. I have never noticed a problem, or even a difference.
If you don't have a double boiler, or if you don't want to get yours dirty that day (ahem... I certainly fall in that camp most of the time) melt your chocolate in the microwave. To temper the chocolate (for example if you're melting it for a recipe that calls for a shiny chocolate coating, like chocolate covered strawberries) melt 2/3 of the specified amount in the microwave, then add the rest, stir and the melted chocolate will melt the reserved third leaving you with perfectly tempered chocolate. If it's still a tad on the sticky side after it has set, a half-hour in the fridge or freezer works wonders.
Bittersweet/ Semisweet / Milk Chocolate- what's the difference? Bittersweet usually covers the range from milk chocolate to unsweetened chocolate. I have found that when my recipes call for bitterweet however, that usually this means a little more cacao content than the amount in my bag of semi-sweet morsels that I always have on hand for chocolate chip cookies. I usually buy both kinds, and in my opinion, you need at least 60% cacao content for it to truly be 'bittersweet'. While most of us like milk chocolate on it's own, it is too sweet for chocolate chip cookies. I have tried all kinds of variations with double chocolate chips and the only combination that I have found to be worth it is half semi-sweet and half bittersweet. Semisweet is probably around 40-50% cacao, but it can be as little as 35%. Try a few different brands and you will get a feel for what you like and where they differ. I ususally buy 60% cacao Ghiradelli chips for my bittersweet equivalent, and Nestle Toll House morsels for my semisweet. I would probably go up to 70% if the cookies were just for me, but with my sweetheart around the 60% works well for both of us. The Nestle toll house semisweets are the total classic flavor.
If you are making a recipe that calls for bittersweet chocolate and it needs to be melted, you can mix a couple of unsweetened squares in with your semi sweet baking squares or chips. It will bring that chocolatey content up and probably improve the flavor. Keep in mind however that unsweetened chocolate has to be mixed with sugar at some point, otherwise it just doesn't taste good at all. It can be very deceiving- especially once melted, you are going to want to lick the bowl, and I promise, even though it looks good, it doesn't taste good!
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