Yes, I know you’re tired.
We’re all tired.
It’s the holidays.
You’re in the kitchen the whole time, you’re entertaining, you’re cleaning, no one is giving you backrubs. I get it.
But it’s not over.
Somebody is coming for tea. Or dinner. You forgot the postman’s holiday thank you for remembering to sometimes deliver the mail addressed to you and not your neighbor six houses down who doesn’t even have a remotely similar name. And there’s that last minute open house whose invite said, just bring something for the nibbles table.
Fine.
You need caffeine and you have to bake.
I have the answer and you can thank me later when you’ve caught up on some sleep.
Salted Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies (adapted from Alice Medrich’s Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy)
Ingredients
10 oz fine quality bittersweet chocolate
3 ½ tablespoons coconut butter
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (feel free to substitute AP (all purpose), but I like the extra nuttiness)
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs—room temperature
1 cup sugar (I’m using 1/2 cup coconut sugar crystals and 1/2 cup raw)
1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sea salt flakes (I’m using espresso sea salt, but go wild with whatever you can find in your store.)
Cookin’
Chop up 6 oz of your chocolate and melt either in a double boiler set over simmering water or carefully in the microwave along with the coconut butter—stirring every 30 seconds until melted. Set aside and cool to room temperature. Chop up the remaining 4 oz of chocolate and set aside.
Stop eating the chocolate.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
Seriously, stop eating the chocolate.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, espresso powder and vanilla extract. Beat on medium high until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes). Fold in the flour, then the cooled melted chocolate and finally the remaining chocolate chunks, should there be any left. Cover and refrigerate until firm (1 hour).
Set oven to 350° and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop the balls of dough (1 ½ inch in size) 2 inches apart from one another. Sprinkle them with your specialty salt flakes. Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, rotating half-way through.
Do your best to let the cookies cool before you scarf them down with another cup of joe. Make sure you give some to the postman (who’s just as tired) or bring them to your holiday feast get-together.
Happy Holidays!
Now don’t forget to head on over to the main post (here) to see what I’m bletherin’ on about this week. And check out what we’re talkin’ bout down at the pub (here) too!
Shelley Sackier 