Tag Archives: chocolate

The Nation Has An Appetite

Triple-Threat Cookies

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Lest y'all think I haven't picked up any sports lingo in the nearly 4 years I've been hanging around here . . .

In this case, the recipe's name refers to the fact that these cookies contain three kinds of chocolate. Yeah, baby.

from The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern by Claudia Fleming, via Epicurious

1/4 (1 1/8 oz.) cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 (4 2/3 oz.) granulated sugar
1/2 tablespoon brewed espresso*
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 ounces extra-bittersweet chocolate, chopped**
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
3/4 cup (4 3/4 oz.) mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, briefly whip the eggs to break them up. Add the sugar, espresso, and vanilla and beat on high speed for 15 minutes, until thick. (Yes, that's really 15 minutes.)

Here's how your batter should look at the end of that time:
triple2

While the eggs are whipping, place the butter, extra-bittersweet chocolate, and unsweetened chocolate in the top of a double boiler, or in a medium-size metal bowl suspended over a pot of simmering (not boiling) water. Heat until the butter and chocolate melt. Remove the boiler top from over the water and stir the butter/chocolate mixture until smooth.

Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture until partially combined (there should still be streaks). Add the flour mixture to the batter and carefully fold it in. Fold in the chocolate chips. If the batter is very runny, let it rest until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.

Here's my finished batter:
triple3

Drop the batter by heaping teaspoonfuls (yes, these are tiny cookies!) onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 8 to 9 minutes, rotating sheets on top and bottom racks halfway through. When done, the cookies should be puffed and cracked on top. (You don't want to overbake these or you'll miss out on the cookies having a gloriously fudge-y center.) Remove baking sheet from the oven and transfer cookies a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight plastic container or ziplock bag for up to 1 week.

*I'm no coffee drinker, but I keep a jar of instant espresso (e.g. Medaglia d'Oro) in the freezer and brew it when needed for a recipe.
**The chocolate flavor really comes through in these cookies, so if you're making these, I recommend springing for the good stuff.

The Nation Has An Appetite

Heart of Darkness Brownies

10 Comments

These brownies are quick to make and require very little in the way of equipment. (No mixer!) Plus they're dark enough to satisfy the most serious chocolate craving. Any type of cocoa powder will work—either natural or Dutch process. The latter will give you darker brownies. My cocoa powder of choice is Valrhona.

from Cocoa Brownies recipe in Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy by Alice Medrich

Ingredients
11 tablespoons (5.5 oz) unsalted butter [or Earth Balance]
1 1/4 cups (8.75 oz) granulated sugar
1 scant cup (3 oz) unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, cold
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon (1.75 oz) unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions
Preheat oven to  325°F. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch square pan with foil. (There's no need to grease the foil.)

Melt the butter in a medium heatproof bowl set directly in a wide skillet of barely simmering water.

brownies 1

Add the sugar, cocoa, and salt. Stir with a spatula until ingredients are blended and the mixture is hot. Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is warm (not hot). Mix in the vanilla. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing vigorously with a spatula after each addition.

brownies 2

When the mixture looks thick and glossy, add all the flour at once and stir until you cannot see any streaks. Then mix vigorously for 40 strokes. Spread evenly in the lined pan.

brownies 3

Bake 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly dirty looking. (Note: This, to me, is the trickiest thing about baking brownies. When you're baking a cake, you want the toothpick to come out clean. But brownies baked to that level of doneness will be too dry. You want these to be set but still moist in the middle.) Cool on a rack. Lift the edges of the foil liner and transfer the brownies to a cutting board. Cut into 16 or 25 squares. Store in an airtight container for 3 to 5 days. If they last that long.