I’ve been meaning to post these for a few weeks now, but other activities have gotten in the way of me sitting down at the computer. I made these cookies both as a thank you gift and for Scott to share with a group of people that he was training. I’m glad that everyone liked them because I was a bit late picking up Scott from the metro the night that I made them. He was staying in town for dinner and that meant that I could read a book while I ate my dinner. I don’t remember exactly what I was reading since that was a few books ago, but let’s just say it was Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival since I know that I read that book around the time I made these cookies and it is the kind of book that could get between me and baking since it is so captivating. Regardless, I started baking later than I intended and still had two trays of cookies to put in the oven when Scott called to say he was going into the station to catch the train. When it came to leave to get him, I had a difficult decision to make: pick him up on time and have two trays of half-baked cookies, or finish baking the cookies and pick him up late. This time, the cookies won. The good news is that I ended up being only 10 minutes late, and Scott was very understanding, especially once he tried one of the cookies. If you like dense chocolaty cookies, then these are for you!
 |
| Don't forget to press the stray coconut back into the cookie or the edges will be ragged like this cookie. |
Don’t forget that the chocolate chunks or chips are a divided use. You’ll need to melt ½ cup (71 g) and leave the other ½ cup (71 g) as chunks or chips to stir into the dough. When you melt the chocolate, don’t leave it to sit around for forever or it will become cold and make it harder for you to scoop the cookies. If you are a slow measurer, sifter, and butter creamer, you may want to sift the dry ingredients first and then melt the chocolate. Just make sure the chocolate isn’t hot when you add it to the butter mixture or it may cook the eggs. I chopped up a Trader Joe’s 72% dark chocolate bar for these cookies. My "regular" cocoa powder is Natural High Fat Cocoa from Penzeys Spices, and the black cocoa powder is from King Arthur Flour. If you don’t have black cocoa powder, you can use your regular cocoa powder, but the cookies won’t be as dark or chocolaty. I chopped the nuts, measured them, and then toasted them. Toasting them before you add them to the cookies will bring out their flavor. If you really like coconut, you can try adding a bit more shredded coconut (¼ - ½ cup more) to make the flavor more prominent. The coconut can leave the edges of your cookies looking a bit ragged once you’ve scooped them, so if you’d like nice edges, gently press any stray coconut flakes back into the cookie.
Adapted from Slightly Salted Soft Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
¾ cup (91 g) chopped pecans
1 cup (142 g) dark chocolate chips or chunks, divided use
1½ cups (209 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (48 g) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons (15 g) black cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon (2 g) salt
½ teaspoon (2 g) baking powder
1 cup (224 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup (111 g) light brown sugar
½ cup (94 g) granulated sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon coconut flavor
1 cup (84 g) shredded sweetened coconut
Melt, Sift, Cream, Beat, Stir, Scoop, Bake:
Adjust the oven racks to the upper and lower thirds of the oven, and preheat to 350ºF. Place the chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer, and toast until fragrant, about 3-6 minutes, stirring every few minutes. Once toasted, immediately transfer the nuts to a plate so they do not continue to cook on the baking sheet. Keep a close eye on them since they are easy to burn. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or Silpat mats, and set aside. In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt ½ cup (71 g) of the chocolate chunks, stirring regularly. Reserve the remaining ½ cup (71 g) of chunks or chips to stir into the dough later. Once the chocolate has melted, remove it from the heat, and set it aside to cool slightly while you prepare your other ingredients. In a medium-sized bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, cocoa powders, salt, and baking powder, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter with both sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the egg, and beat until incorporated. Add the vanilla and coconut extract and beat until combined. Add the slightly-cooled melted chocolate, and beat until incorporated. Add the flour mixture in thirds, scraping the bowl and beater between each addition. Beat until no more flour streaks remain. Beat in the reserved ½ cup (71 g) chocolate chips or chunks, cooled toasted nuts, and shredded sweetened coconut. Use a tablespoon-sized cookie scoop to scoop the dough out onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8-9 minutes at 350ºF until the cookies are set but still soft. Allow the cookies to rest on the pan for 5 minutes, and then transfer the cookies to a cooling rack. Once fully cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature between layers of wax paper.
Pin It
No comments:
Post a Comment