Since Easter, which was cancelled, I have been craving chocolate; specifically Cadbury mini-eggs. Seems like after the toilet paper, lysol wipes, hair dye and flour shortages the obvious next things to go were Cadbury mini eggs of course! Weird. Anyway, this post has nothing to do with mini-eggs but it does have a lot to do with chocolate cravings.
These cookies are decadent and chocolatey and are just what the doctor (psychologist) ordered. You know when you NEED chocolate?? If so, then these will be your salvation and you can make them any old time you feel like it. The dark chocolate, just the right amount of sweetness and a tiny hint of salt gives you everything you need.
In quarantine or isolation, whatever you want to call it, it is imperative that you get into an active & healthy routine to lift your mood. For me it’s exercise! Exercise has kept me sane. It’s my happy pill and it makes me feel strong, fit and slim (even if I ate 3 pieces of pizza the night before. It’s like a mental and physical reset & It changes my thoughts from “I’m never going to see my family again & I’m going die as a result of going grocery shopping” to “I’m so happy to be alive! I feel great! and What can I learn to make now?! Home made sour dough bread!? Why the heck not?!”
Working from home and daily chores keep me occupied too. Yup, part of my salvation is acting like I’m going to go into the office. Meaning, I wake up, have coffee, workout, shower, get dressed (comfortably. I’m not a psycho), grab my purse..(no just kidding) put on some makeup and get on with it. Then, there are the little things that we look forward to, like afternoon cookies and coffee. My husband and I work for our company, side by side at the kitchen table every single day and we’ve developed a ritual of having a 3PM coffee with a cookie. It gives us something to look forward to and my husband who is so busy, will turn away from his screen for the first time all day, at around 2:30PM and ask, “is it time for cookies and coffee?” Then I always say, “No, not yet”. Making sure we wait until 3PM, is key. You can’t have cookies whenever! What’s next? You’re gonna have cookies at 1PM?? Before lunch?? Breakfast cookies?? Don’t be preposterous! No but seriously, having a set time creates anticipation and it stops you from eating cookies at any old time. I’m not gonna come out of this looking like a Thanksgiving Day parade float, I’ll tell you that much.
So basically because we need a steady supply of cookies to keep us happy, I have been making various cookie recipes, mostly from Bon Appetit. Most of the cookies recipes on there don’t require me to take out my mixer which I like. I like to use a whisk, a rubber spatula and that’s it!
I hope that if you try this recipe, it’ll add a little positivity to your day, that it’ll help you relax & curb that seemingly insatiable chocolate craving!
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Cookies
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- 2 large eggs
- 10 oz bittersweet chocolate (in bar form) preferably 65%–75% cacao
- 1 cup unsalted butter 2 sticks
- 1 2/3 cups all purpose flour 235 g
- 1 tsp baking soda 5 g
- 1/3 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder 38 g
- 3/4 cup dark brown sugar 170 g; packed
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50 g
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt 6 g
- 1 tbsp vanilla paste or extract 22 g
Ingredients
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- Your 2 large eggs need to be at room temperature for this recipe. If they aren’t, put them in a small bowl and cover them with hot tap water. This’ll bring them up to speed quickly.
- Coarsely chop four 2-oz. chocolate bars. You want them to be bigger than normal chocolate chips (aim for 3–4 times the size)—this creates the chocolate puddles. Set aside. Chop remaining 2-oz. chocolate bar into 20-ish pieces (you’re going to place one or two pieces atop each cookie).
- Cut 2 sticks unsalted butter into large pieces. Cook in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often, until it foams, then browns, 7–9 minutes. (Watch carefully since browned butter goes from brown to black in the blink of an eye.) Immediately scrape into a large bowl and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- While butter cools, whisk 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour and 1 tsp. baking soda in a medium bowl to combine. Press ⅓ cup cocoa powder through a fine-mesh sieve into bowl (this eliminates those pesky lumps), then whisk again to combine.
- Add ¾ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup granulated sugar, and 1½ tsp. kosher salt to browned butter. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, stir vigorously to combine. Add 1 large egg and whisk vigorously until incorporated, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining 1 large egg, then whisk in 1 Tbsp. vanilla paste.
- Switch back to your spatula or spoon to stir in dry ingredients just to combine. Mix in the 4 chopped chocolate bars you set aside. Let dough sit at room temperature at least 1 hour to let flour and cocoa hydrate. The dough will thicken as it sits.
- Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 375°. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into ping-pong sized balls (about 3 Tbsp.). Arrange on prepared baking sheets, spacing about 3″ apart. Lightly press a chunk or two of remaining chocolate on top of each dough ball.
- Bake cookies, rotating pans top to bottom and front to back halfway through, until edges are just set but centers are still soft, 8–10 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully tap pan on stovetop to deflate and flatten cookies. Let cool on baking sheets 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- Transfer cookies to a platter. Serve and enjoy!
Do Ahead: Dough can be made 3 days ahead; cover and chill. Let dough come to room temperature before baking.
Notes:
I always use the weight measurements whenever possible when I bake. This ensures that the recipe comes out as it’s meant to .
3 tbsp. scoops make very large cookies. I prefer the size of 2tbsp cookies. If you do this, make sure to reduce baking time. 3 tbsp took 10 mins, 2 tbsp took 8 mins but oven temps vary, so keep your eye on them.
