Little Chocolate Cookies
I've made these cookies many times over the last year and each time I was blown away by the ratio of deliciousness to the ease of preparation--truly these are one of my favorites--but for some reason or another, none of which seem valid or important now, I kept bumping them from the blog queue which is how I'm only sharing them come today. Sorry for holding out on you guys!! These are intensely chocolate and slightly cakey and come together in a snap--perfect with a cold glass of milk or a cup of tea or just on their own. Totally irresistible!! And I know they're not red, white and blue or even very summery at all--totally un-PC, but I guarantee that wherever you bring them on this holiday weekend--the beach, a picnic, a backyard barbecue--you will not return home with any left. I promise you these will spread happiness and goodwill which is part of what makes America so special, so think of these as my little non-traditional patriotic gift to you--there's some sort of logic in there, just nod and smile at the crazy lady and make these cookies--you're gonna love 'em!!
Little Chocolate Cookies
Makes 24-36 cookies
Prep Time: 12 minutes; Bake Time: 10-14 minutes
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 5 tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 1 1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder (not Dutch-processed)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks
The Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF and line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. Use an electric mixer to beat the butter, eggs granulated sugar and brown sugar together until the mixture is light and frothy. Add in the vanilla and beat until the mixture is totally smooth and combined.
3. Place a sieve directly over the mixing bowl and into the sieve place the confectioners' sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt and sift the mixture right into the batter in the bowl. Remove the sieve and run the mixture on low speed, mixing well, until there is no flour mixture visible. With a large spoon, stir in the chocolate chips.
4. Use a rounded tablespoon for smaller cookies and 2 tablespoons for larger cookies and drop them onto the baking sheet at least an inch apart.
5. Bake for 10-14 minutes, reversing the sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking process so that the cookies cook evenly, until the edges are crisp and the centers of the cookies are no longer shiny. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets on a rack for at least 20 minutes. The remove from the baking sheets and finish cooling entirely on the racks.
6. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for about 5 days at room temperature, but who are we kidding--they'll never last that long!!
Note: Recipe adapted from The Fat Witch Bakery Cookbook by Patricia Helding.
