Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies

I know, I know, no posts for a week, then two back to back.  What can I say?   Emily decided she needed to bake so she had lunch box treats for the coming week and since I rarely write about her baking I figured it was a fine idea.  In truth she was baking cookies, and making the occasional cake mix or banana muffins long before I had her making dinner on a weekly basis.  Learning how to make her favourite chocolate chip cookies was an easy first step.
She was looking for something new to try today so I suggested a couple of chocolate cookies in my little notebook where I write down recipes I have tried and decide are worth keeping.  She didn't like the sound of the Chocolate Crinkles because of the peppermint extract, although they are a lovely option for Christmas (note to self!).  I was a little surprised when she opted for these because of the corn flakes in the mix.  When I have made them in the past she has balked about eating them.  But I said nothing and let her start measuring and mixing.
She did need help with a few things; combing the cocoa with sugar & warm water to make a chocolate syrup to flavour the cookies, and with stirring in the corn flakes, as the batter is very thick.  She left out the nuts-she doesn't care for them, and they are verboten at school (which also precludes all our favourite peanut butter recipes)
We wound up with 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies, about 4cm in diameter (give or take, precision is certainly not her thing when it comes to spooning out cookie batter, but they do keep well.
They are chewy and chocolaty and should be a lunch time treat.

Chocolate Drop Sugar Cookies

1 cup butter, creamed                              1 teaspoon vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar                                       2 1/2 cups flour

2 beaten eggs                                           1 teaspoon baking powder

6 tablespoons sugar                                 1/2 teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons cocoa                                 2 cups corn flakes

6 tablespoons hot water                           1 cup chopped nuts*

Preheat oven to 350 F. Add first amount of sugar and eggs to creamed butter gradually.  Dissolve second amount of sugar and cocoa in hot water and add to the creamed mixture.  Stir in the vanilla.  Sift together flour, baking powder and salt, add to creamed mixture.  Blend well.  Stir in corn flakes and nuts.

Drop by heaping teaspoonsful onto a greased cookie sheet.  Bake 10 minutes.

*Emily was going to substitute white chocolate chips for the nuts, she thought the colour would be a nice contrast, but we were out.  She stirred in about 3/4 cup of regular chocolate chips instead.