I have an undying love for chocolate. That’s no secret. It’s not the first time I proclaim my love for what is indisputably coursing its way through my veins.
Forget blood, what flows is chocolate.
60.5 % bittersweet…
I eat some form of chocolate EVERY single day. No stranger to digging into my buckets of baking chocolate, I munch on at least 2, perhaps 3 lbs. of bittersweet baking chocolate in the course of a year – Along with the stray pound of milk chocolate. This does not include chocolate desserts, chocolate I purchase for personal (and private) consumption, and the occasional chip (or 15) I stuff in my mouth as I’m baking. My overall chocolate consumption is staggering – And the reason I say chocolate flows through my veins.
I go through over 30 lbs. of chocolate a year. That’s a lot of chocolate cake, mousse, cookies, puddings, buttercream and ganache.
But who’s keeping track, right?
Chocolate is my “go to”. It makes me feel instantly amazing – something to do with endorphins - So I hit chocolate desserts first, hard, and often.
A few days ago I was minding my own business, when I spot a Fine Cooking e-letter titled: Chocolate Mousse Cookies… “Hello, gorgeous – Where have you been all my life?” I clicked the link, coming face to face with a recipe for double dark chocolate thumbprint cookies.
Translation: It’s a chocoholic’s sexy dream.
An indented chocolate, chocolate, chocolate cookie with chocolate filling? Again… Hello gorgeous! I had to bake these – The fate of my world depended on it.
I think I need a cold shower…
These cookies call for both melted chocolate and cocoa powder. I. Was. SOLD!
A slight (ish) note on baking chocolate:
Purchase the highest quality you can afford, please! It makes all the difference in your baked goods.
Seriously…
I’m partial to the Callebaut brand of bitter and semi-sweet chocolate. It’s very affordable and great tasting. I can’t bake without it. Their chocolate comes in small pellets, which I use in my chocolate chip cookies. It has a well balanced chocolate flavor with a great viscosity for enrobing chocolate truffles and such. I buy the 56% or the 60% bittersweet. Just don’t tell the crew – They think I use milk chocolate in everything!
Cocoa powder – I use Dutch processed Callebaut. You can’t go wrong with a product that was proclaimed “Best Overall” by Cooks Illustrated. I’ve baked pound cake with this cocoa powder and the flavor is unbeatable. Don’t skimp on good quality cocoa powder. Trust me, ok?
Milk chocolate – I use Belcolade – Amazing stuff. Their milk chocolate is smooth with vanilla and honey-like tones. I have to hide this stuff in the basement. Wanna know a secret? My first 11 lb. bag of Belcolade milk chocolate went straight to my hips – Maybe 4 lbs. of that made it into baked goods.
Um, maybe…
I purchase my chocolate here. Feel free to go for Valhrona, which is still too rich for my blood.
Back to the cookies! I left these cookies slightly under baked, because I lo-hove soft cookies. Just make sure you let them cool a bit, or else you’ll be scraping cookies from your parchment. You can bake them longer, at least 15 minutes and your cookies will still be yum. The recipe calls for bittersweet chocolate for the filling, but my crew won’t go for anything bittersweet chocolate filled.
Wusses…
You’ll go for it, won’t you? If not, a milk chocolate filling works amazingly well with this cookie, imparting a sort of sweetness that’s not too cloying.
Your only problems with these cookies will be:
A) Sharing – You won’t want to
B) Sharing – You probably won’t
C) Sharing – You’ll probably set booby traps to make sure no one gets to these cookies
Me
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Double Dark Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies
Source: Slightly adapted from: Fine Cooking.com
Yield: About 54 cookies with a #70 cookie scoop
For The Cookies
• 6 oz. (1-1/3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
• 3 large eggs • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled
For the chocolate filling:
• ½ cup milk chocolate – You can use bitter or semi-sweet
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Cookies: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Line 3 cookie sheets with parchment or silpats. In a medium bowl, whisk together your flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugar, and cocoa powder on medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the bowl. Add your eggs one at a time, mixing until blended after each addition. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and mix until just blended, and stir in your vanilla.
Add the flour and mix on low speed until just blended. Scrape the bowl. Using # 70 cookie scoop or a 1 tablespoon measuring spoon, drop spoons of cookie dough about 2 inches apart on your cookie sheets. Place your dough in the fridge for about 10 minutes to firm up.
Remove 2 sheets from the oven and bake, until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10-11 minutes. I like my chocolate cookies slightly under baked, but feel free to bake them a bit longer.
Remove your cookies from the oven – As soon as your cookies are out, use the rounded side of a ½ teaspoon measure to make a small, deep well in the center of each cookie. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes, about 7 will do – and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
You can fill the cookies at this time, or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3-4 days. The cookie dough can be frozen up to one month.
Filling: Melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave or in a medium bowl set over a sauce pan with simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat and set aside until cool and slightly thickened.
Assembly: Spoon or pipe the chocolate mixture into the wells of the cooled cookies. Set aside until the chocolate firms up, about 30 minutes to an hour. Try not to eat all the cookies. Oh, and share – It’s the Holidays! These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
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