deep dark chocolate cookies

Let me introduce you to my newest favorite thing among my many teenage fads.

Last week when I visited my friend Katherine's house we made brownies; you know, just for a thursday night. We were really having a heart to heart when I professed my love for dark chocolate over milk chocolate; something that usually makes people reprimand me with disdain, was mirrored by her nodding, and showing me her chocolate closet. I don't exaggerate; a complete cabinet filled with chocolate chips; semisweet and bittersweet, Nestlé and Ghirardelli, and all different types of chocolate bars, and powders.  I swear my heart skipped a beat. 

Yes, the brownies were delicious, out of the oven, and during school the next day as I ate them greedily and refused to share, but I couldn't get over that closet. Why couldn't I have a closet of chocolate? My only problem might be that I would tear into it before actually using the chocolate for baking; I seem to have no willpower lately, especially concerning the jar of Peanut Butter & Co's Dark Chocolate Dreams in my refrigerator. 

Because I was in the mood for chocolate but didn't think it wise to have another brownie, I somehow reached the conclusion that I would be better off making cookies. These cookies were the most delicious little morsels I have ever eaten. They aren't like any other cookies; they are not too sweet (my mom didn't like them, for she's more of a milk chocolate person), and they stay chewy. Forever. But don't take my word for it because they were gone within two days and quite frankly I don't know what I'm going to do without them. Perhaps I'll plan out my own Manhattan-downsized chocolate drawer (you know, we can't afford a chocolate closet with the rent up here). I will definitely make these again, and again, and probably soon, because it's taking quite the effort to shoo my sister away from the computer screen, as she keeps staring at the pictures of the cookies, and angrily complaining about how she should have deferred college for a year to get to have eaten them. And did I mention there's no butter, oil, or flour in them? 


Deep Dark Chocolate Cookies
From Bon Appetit, June 2008


Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips (about 9 ounces), divided
3 large egg whites, room temperature
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray 2 large baking sheets with nonstick spray. Melt 1 cup chocolate chips in glass bowl in microwave, stirring twice, about 2 minutes. Cool slightly.

Using electric mixer, beat whites in large bowl to soft peaks. Gradually beat in 1 cup sugar. Continue beating until mixture resembles soft marshmallow creme. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cocoa, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. On low speed, beat dry ingredients into meringue. Stir in lukewarm chocolate and 1/2 cup chocolate chips (dough will become very stiff).

Place 1/2 cup sugar in bowl. Roll 1 rounded tablespoon dough into ball; roll in sugar, coating thickly. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until puffed and tops crack, about 10 minutes. Cool on sheets on rack 10 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool.

hot fudge

Have you ever made pizza? Like, from scratch? I'm a big admirer of those who do but for some reason I find it incredibly intimidating. I have a big supply of pizza dough from my Grandma in my freezer that I have yet to use, mostly because I'm afraid the cold has killed the yeast (which already have a "thing" against me and refuse to rise). So I decided to make it from scratch. Everything that could have went wrong, did. The yeast I used must have expired, because the dough had yet to rise after numerous hours, and then I accidently cooked it when I put it in a warm oven. Then it went into the trash along with my day's ambitions.


Now you know why you're reading about hot fudge instead of pizza. Because eventually, I had to give in, and there's a fairly decent pizza place downstairs from my building that served its purpose quite well for yesterday's dinner. For now.

This weekend just wasn't my cooking weekend, probably because I was preoccupied with the AP European History Exam that is coming up next week that I'm completely unprepared for. The hot fudge that was suppossed to make 2 1/2 cups of chocolate glory made a half cup of a runny (but delicious) mess that I left in the refridgerator for tonight. It wasn't as silky as I would have liked, so I'll keep looking for a recipe (maybe one that has cream in it to smooth it out), but it will certainly do for now. It's awfully good on ice cream, the cupcake I had last night, and quite frankly, right from the container.

lacy oatmeal nutella cookies

        As a child, I spent a good amount of time a few floors down in the apartment of my mom's best friend Lisa. Her daughter Anna and I were roughly the same age, and we passed countless afternoons pretending we were at the Zoo, and dumping all of her toys in the tub so they could "swim."Before they moved I had some pretty good memories there, from shattering their life size mirror as an infant to getting caught attempting to put mascara on my 6 year old friend. Lisa used to always make the most delicious, buttery, just something so perfect and not ordinary at all oatmeal cookies in the whole entire world. And who knows what was in them, since her kids were strictly allergic to dairy and eggs and nuts and unfortunately many other things, but you can't feel too bad, because they got to have those cookies in their house.

          Only after I grew to love cooking did I wake up one morning, and I mean this as literally as possible, the memory of Lisa's oatmeal cookies- no, drops, since they never ever flattened out (that was the glory of them, you see)- popped into my head. I bothered my mom to ask for the recipe for weeks and weeks until finally did she comply, and days later I got to baking.

           They flattened; and my face accompanied them as the image of the perfectly round and puffed cookies I snuck from the kitchen years ago (the truth finally comes out) faded. Maybe I built my expectations to high? Or, maybe it just wasn't the right recipe that she thought of? Of course I was so absent minded that when I saw the name of the recipe, "Lacy" Oatmeal Cookies, I was ignorant enough to think that the cookies had some long history and that Lacy was a person. And then my mom informed me, as I took them out of the oven, that Lacy, simply, is a type of cookie. Though they were good, I could not help but feel disappointed because I do love my cookies more on the ooey-gooey brownie side, and these were more crispy and delicate. So I dipped them in melted Nutella.

Don't judge.

hazelnut brown butter cake

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday- though most kids would probably prefer Christmas. But when you think about it, where has the Christmas spirit gone? My sister and I are too old to set cookies out on the table (after we caught our parents eating them, our spirit began to go downhill), we don't put up many decorations around the house, and we no longer dare to lay out our light up village houses in the fear that our cat will devour the artificial snow- covered figurines. But really, we're not that unique. What children don't leave out requests for Santa Clause's photo ID these days?
But see, Thanksgiving requires no let downs, or wondering if you'll wake up with coal in your stocking. Instead, I always visit my family, and in a nutshell, eat a colossal meal. You know, the kind where there is a serious amount of food, and you eat way too much because you know, when you're back to eating a plain old PB&J for lunch tomorrow, that you'll regret leaving that once a year thanksgiving taste behind? So you see, this thanksgiving was another chance to contribute to the table. What to make? Oh, that could take days, even weeks, to choose.

I think I flipped through over 15 cookbooks, and was unable to find even inspiration. With only two days left until thanksgiving, I could have slapped myself on the head- I hadn't checked Smitten Kitchen. After taking a quick browse through the listed recipes, I found the recipe for a hazelnut brown butter cake. Despite how much I hate peeling hazelnuts, my feelings could not tarnish the outcome of this cake. It was good.
Hazelnut Brown Butter Cake
From SmittenKitchen
Adapted from Sunday Suppers at Lucques

5 ounces (about one heaping cup) hazelnuts, blanched to remove dark skins
1/2 pound unsalted butter (plus 1 tablespoon melted extra for greasing the pan)
1/2 vanilla bean
1 1/3 cups powdered sugar, plus extra for dusting the cake
1/3 cups all purpose flour
5 extra large (or 6 large) egg whites
3 tablespoons granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 300ºF.
Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet, and toast 12 to 15 minutes, until they're golden brown and smell nutty. Let them cool.

Cut out a circle of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of a 10 inch round cake pan.
Brush the pan with a little melted butter and line the bottom with the paper.

Place the rest of the butter ina medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center, and using a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla coated knife through the butter. Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook the butter until the butter browns and smells nutty (about 6 to 8 minutes). It helps to frequently scrape the solids off the bottom of the pan in the last couple minutes to ensure even browning. Set aside to cool. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.

Grind the hazelnuts with the confectioners' sugar in a food processor until they're finely ground. Add the flour and pulse to combine. Transfer to a large bowl.

Place the egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Add the granulated sugar and mix on high speed 4 to 5 minutes, until the mixture forms very still peaks. When you turn the whisk upside down, the peaks should hold. Transfer the whites to a large mixing bowl.

Alternate folding the dry ingredients and the brown butter into the egg whites, a third at a time. Remember to scrap the bottom of the brown butter pan with a rubber spatula to get all of the little brown bits.

Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour**.
Cool on a rack 30 minutes. Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan, and invert the cake onto a plate. Peel off the paper, and turn the cake back over onto a serving platter. Sprinkle it with powdered sugar or chocolate Ganache (below)

**My cake was ready at 30 minutes so keep an eye on it (SmittenKitchen's was done at 40)

Draping Ganache for 10-inch Cake

4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or finely chopped chocolate
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occassionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

devil's food cake

My sister's birthday just passed and for it, she wanted chocolate cake. "Any type, as long as it tastes good." I got this recipe from the magnolia bakery cookbook and it made a gigantic 3 layer cake with tons of icing. It was quite the labor of love. 

But mostly just labor.