Do you ever make a recipe over and over, then all but forget about it?

Somehow, that happened to me with this cookie recipe. Five years ago or so, I remember making batch after batch. The cookies are a chocolate-lover’s dream: moist, slightly chewy, intensely chocolatey. My family and coworkers loved them.

I found the recipe on www.penzeys.com, and the key to its success is Penzey’s natural cocoa powder. It has a higher fat content than most supermarket cocoa powders, so substituting what you may have in the cupboard will not yield the same results.

Penzey’s, for those who have not yet discovered it, is a wonderful spice shop that started in Wisconsin and has been opening stores across the country. You can order online or by phone, 800-741-7787, or stop by the local shop, at 7338 Manchester Road in Maplewood. The shop has samples of its 250+ herbs and spices in apothecary jars, allowing customers to lift the lids and inhale the wonderfully varied fragrances.

I remembered this recipe when I spotted a similar one while paging through a new cookbook. With Valentine’s Day approaching, this seems like a good week to bake chocolate cookies. And with today’s nasty nasty weather, what could be more appropriate than Cocoa Snowflakes?

COCOA SNOWFLAKES

Penzeys Spices

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

6 tablespoons natural cocoa powder (see note)

1 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 large or extra-large eggs

1 cup finely chopped nuts, optional

1/2 cup powdered sugar

Sift flour, baking powder and salt into medium bowl; set aside.

In small, heavy saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add cocoa powder; blend well with a fork or a small whisk until smooth. Remove pan from heat; stir in granulated sugar until combined. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla, then add eggs, 1 at a time, stirring well with a wooden spoon or hand mixer after each addition. Add flour mixture and nuts; mix well. Cover dough with plastic wrap, refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours. (Dough never gets really stiff, but it won’t roll into nice balls if it’s warm.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a cookie sheet or line sheet with parchment paper. Remove a handful of dough, enough for the cookie sheet, leaving the rest in the refrigerator. Pinch off small pieces of dough; roll each into 3/4-inch ball, then roll in powdered sugar. (It is easier to roll the dough into balls if you coat your hands with powdered sugar. )

Place sugar-coated balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet. Bake cookies for 8 minutes for a soft, chewy cookie (9 minutes for a crisper cookie, but be careful not to burn the bottoms). Let cool 1 minute, then remove from pan. Store in an airtight container.

Yield: 40 to 60 cookies.

Approximate nutrition information per cookie: 75 calories; 3.5g fat (43 percent calories from fat); 15mg cholesterol; 1g protein; 10g carbohydrate; trace fiber; 43mg sodium; 8mg calcium.

Note: Penzeys’ natural cocoa powder can be purchased at the retail store, 7338 Manchester Road in Maplewood, online at www.penzeys.com or by calling 1-800-741-7787.