Mocha Cookies
Copyright 2010 by Condé Nast Publications, The Gourmet Cookie Book {buy it here}
The nineties were the chocolate decade in America. This recipe – from the Bakery on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles – has no subtlety: it revels in its rich chocolate decadence. The fact that it is remarkably easy to put together is a bonus. You begin with melted chocolate, a ton of chocolate chips, and a spot of espresso powder – and you end up with a cookie that everybody adores. Make these cookies once, and you’ll be making them for the rest of your life.
(Makes about 3 dozen cookies)
Ingredients
- 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
- 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, cut into bits
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon double-acting baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1½ cups sugar
- 1½ tablespoons instant espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
Directions
In a metal bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the unsweetened chocolate, 1½ cups of the chocolate chips, and the butter, stirring until the mixture is smooth, and remove the bowl from the heat. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, the baking powder, and the salt. Ina bowl, beat the eggs with the sugar until the mixture is thick and pale, and beat in the espresso powder and the vanilla. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, fold in the flour mixture, and stir in the remaining 1½ cups chocolate chips. Let the batter stand for 15 minutes. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoons onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper and bake the cookies in the middle of a preheated 350ºF oven for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they are puffed and shiny and cracked on top. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets, transfer them to racks, and let them cool completely.
Recipe Notes
- Err on the side of underbaking these cookies. They are meant to be soft and rich.
- Cool for one minute on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to racks.
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