Gather your mise en place; get together all of the equipment needed for the recipe and gather your ingredients.

In a mixing bowl, combine the cocoa powder, granulated sugar, and oil. Stir until a smooth paste forms.

Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.

Stir in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking powder, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients gradually, stirring until a thick, sticky dough forms.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for a few hours or overnight. Chilled dough rolls much easier.

To prepare the coating, place some granulated sugar in one small bowl and icing sugar in another. These will be used to coat the dough balls before baking.

Scoop the chilled dough into 1 tablespoon sized portions and roll each into a ball.

Roll each dough ball first in granulated sugar, then in icing sugar, coating them generously.

Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between cookies to allow for spreading.

Bake for 8 – 10 minutes. The cookies should puff, crackle beautifully, and remain soft in the centre.

Cool on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack.