Tripple Chocolate Cookies
By Gleek
blished September 1, 1999.
The secret of a chocolate cookie with the intensity of hot fudge sauce is a combination of the right kind of chocolate and cocoa powder.
The Problem
Our experiences with chocolate cookies have always fallen short of expectation. We have created large, dense cookies that were rich and decadent, but the chocolate flavor was dull. We have also experimented with thin, crisp cookies (nice but not intense), chewy cookies (good but not showstoppers), and cakelike chocolate cookies, which tend to be dry and uninspiring.
The Goal
Our goal in this recipe seemed more like a fantasy: the first bite of the cookie would reveal a center of hot fudge sauce, the texture would call to mind chocolate bread pudding, and the overall flavor would be of deep and complex chocolate. Was it possible? After weeks of testing, we finally found out.
The Solution
In the end, the fulfillment of our fantasy relied on basic ingredients (chocolate, sugar, eggs, butter, flour, baking powder, and salt) put together in a very particular way. Technique (a modified creaming method) and proportion (1 cup sugar and 1 cup flour to 8 ounces of chocolate) were all-important. And so, it turned out, was the nature of the chocolate we used. The more highly processed semisweet chocolate tasted smoother and richer than unsweetened, and Dutch-processed cocoa, which many bakers find superior in flavor to regular cocoa, further enriched the chocolate flavor.
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Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon table salt
- 16 ounces semisweet chocolate , chopped
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso powder
- 10 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/4 sticks), softened but still firm
- 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
Details
Servings 42
Preparation
Step 1
1. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in medium bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in medium heatproof bowl set over pan of almost-simmering water, stirring once or twice, until smooth; remove from heat. Beat eggs and vanilla lightly with fork, sprinkle coffee powder over to dissolve, and set aside.
2. In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or with hand mixer), beat butter at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 5 seconds (15 seconds with hand mixer). Beat in sugars until combined, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer); mixture will look granular. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in egg mixture until incorporated, about 45 seconds (1 1/2 minutes with hand mixer). Add chocolate in steady stream and beat until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Scrape bottom and sides of bowl with rubber spatula. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture and mix until combined, about 40 seconds (1 minute with hand mixer). Do not overbeat. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature until consistency is scoopable and fudgelike, about 30 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, adjust oven racks to upper- and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Leaving about 1 1/2-inches between each ball, scoop dough onto parchment-lined cookie sheets with 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop.
4. Bake cookies until edges have just begun to set but centers are still very soft, about 10 minutes, turning cookie sheets from front to back and switching from top to bottom racks halfway through baking.
5. Cool cookies on sheets about 10 minutes, slide parchment with cookies onto wire rack and cool to room temperature; remove with wide metal spatula.
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