Deep Dark Chocolate (5 page)

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or leave it ungreased.

In a small bowl, mix the semisweet, white, and milk chocolate chips until blended. In another small bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt until well blended. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the butter until creamy. Add the brown and granulated sugars and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg until well
blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the vanilla until blended. On low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients and beat until just blended, again scraping down the bowl as necessary. Beat or fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed.

Drop the dough, by tablespoonfuls, onto the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake until set and the tops have lost their sheen, about 12 minutes. (Since the dough is dark, the first batch will be the key to when the cookies are done.) Let the cookies firm and cool slightly on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining cookie dough, reusing the parchment paper.

Variation

For an out-of-this-world, grown-up chocolate chipper, try
Chocolate Chip Cookies That Have It All
. Follow the main recipe, adding
¹
/
₃
cup chopped slivered toasted almonds and
¹
/
₃
cup Red-Wine Raisins to the dough after the chocolate chips are blended. Beat until evenly blended and proceed as directed.

Bittersweet Chocolate–Caramel Cracker Cookies: An Assortment

makes
35 square cookies

WITH THEIR FLAKY CRUST, SMOOTH CARAMEL FILLING,
and bittersweet chocolate glaze, these scrumptious bar-style cookies are rich and habit-forming. They’re also just the ticket for sampling dark chocolate with a variety of new flavor partners. The additional step of garnishing the glaze with a series of toppings, sprinkled in parallel lines before the cookies are cut, makes it easy to create an array of assorted flavors.

The secret to the flaky crust? it’s not complicated pie dough or layers of transparent phyllo. No, this crust is made from supermarket saltine crackers. The crackers take on a taste and appearance that would impress the most discerning cookie or chocolate connoisseur. The secret is revealed only when the baker inverts the cookies to cut them.

This recipe requires a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan and a candy thermometer.

1¼ cups (2½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted, divided

35 saltine crackers, plus 7 to mark off the rows

1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

10 ounces premium dark chocolate, melted

About 1 teaspoon of one of the following toppings for each cracker row: fleur de sel or other sea salt colored or turbinado sugar finely ground espresso assorted pepper blends assorted spice blends or rubs Preheat the oven to 425°f. To make removing the finished cookies easy, line a 10-by-15-inch jelly-roll pan with a sheet of aluminum foil, shiny side up, leaving a few inches hanging over the long edges.
Drizzle ¼ cup of the melted butter onto the foil-lined pan and brush to cover the bottom. Arrange 35 crackers, side by side (5 by 7) and evenly spaced, so they completely cover the bottom of the pan (don’t worry if there are small gaps).

In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the remaining 1 cup melted butter and the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Boil until the mixture forms a thick syrup (248°f on a candy thermometer), about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the condensed milk until blended. Pour the mixture over the crackers, making sure all the crackers are covered.

Bake until the syrup layer bubbles, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and drizzle the melted chocolate over the top. Using an offset metal spatula, quickly spread the glaze with a few strokes. To fill in any gaps, using oven mitts, tilt the pan back and forth. Let the glaze set for 5 minutes.

To create a guide for garnishing the crackers with a single line of topping, prop the 7 extra saltines along the lengthwise inside edge of the pan. (Don’t worry, they’ll come out easily after you’re finished garnishing.) Using the saltines as guidelines, sprinkle a line of topping down the midsection of each cracker row. If necessary, using your fingers or the back of a spoon, lightly press the topping into the chocolate. Remove the saltine-cracker guides and freeze the pan until the chocolate sets, about 30 minutes.

Remove from the freezer and invert the pan onto a clean surface. Carefully peel back the foil to reveal the cracker underside of the cookies. Using a sharp knife, cut the cookies along the cracker outlines. This is easier to do when the cookies have begun to thaw slightly. If desired, invert the squares and cut each diagonally into 2 triangles for bite-size pieces.

Variation

For
Crunchy Nut Bittersweet Caramel Bars
, follow the main recipe, substituting 1 cup of your favorite toasted, chopped, or sliced nuts for the topping selections. sprinkle the nuts over the entire surface and proceed as directed.

Piedras Blancas

makes
about 2
¹
/
₂
dozen cookies

NAMED AFTER AN ARGENTINEAN GLACIER HIGH IN THE
Andes, these snow-capped South American cookies resemble classic chocolate crinkles. (Each cookie develops a crinkled white surface during the baking process.) But don’t let appearances fool you. Piedras Blancas are peppered with chili powder, a touch of mace, and delectable bits of cacao bean (also called nibs), for an exotic heat and earthy crunch. These are definitely adult cookies.

3 ounces premium dark chocolate, chopped

¼ cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 cup all-purpose flour

3 tablespoons premium unsweetened cocoa powder

2½ teaspoons chili powder or your favorite pepper blend, divided

½ teaspoon ground mace

¼ teaspoon salt

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, preferably Mexican

3 tablespoons premium cacao nibs, chopped into small bits

½ cup sifted powdered sugar

Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl and set in a wide pan or skillet of hot water. Set aside for 5 minutes, stirring 4 or 5 times, and let the chocolate melt completely. Stir occasionally until the mixture is smooth and cools slightly. In another medium bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa, baking powder, 1½ teaspoons of the chili powder, the mace, and salt until well blended. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or with a hand mixer set on medium speed, beat the eggs, sugar, and vanilla until pale, 2 to 3 minutes. Alternately blend the dry ingredients and the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture in increments. Stir in the nibs. Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350°f. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease it.

Sift, or sprinkle using a sieve, the powdered sugar into a shallow bowl and blend in the remaining 1 teaspoon chili powder. Shape the chilled dough into 1½-inch balls and roll in the powdered-sugar mixture to form a thick coat. Place the cookies about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Bake until set, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.