(Unexpectedly Worthwhile) Dark Chocolate Cookies

Despite an unwritten policy to not try any of the cookie recipes in Death by Chocolate, I made an exception when I attempted Chocolate Pumpkin Cheesecake (coming soon). The crust for it required crushed Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies, which I suspected were just basic chocolate cookies gussied up with a decadent-sounding name. I considered cutting corners by mashing up some Oreos and calling it good, but as my rule is to stay as faithful to the recipes as possible, I dutifully set about making them. And although I didn’t think the crumb-crust cookies would be notable enough for a separate write-up, they unexpectedly, and decidedly, were.

Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies

Rating: 4

Here’s why:
An untainted dark chocolate flavor dominates in this moist, chewy, perfectly sized cookie. Most chocolate cookies don’t really do it for me, usually because they’re too dry or full of distractions (chocolate chips, nuts, small children–just kidding on that last one–etc.). But these make for the perfect finale to a light dinner, bookends for French vanilla ice cream, and sweet afternoon snack.

Highs:
Frankly, if I’m going to have chocolate, a cookie is not the best medium. Skip the flour, butter, eggs, etc. and just get straight to the good stuff. It’s difficult to get a chocolate-y cookie without it being too dry from the cocoa, or burdened with chocolate chips.

Which is why I think this one turned out so well: its primary source of chocolate is a ganache rather than cocoa or chips (the latter of which are optional in the recipe, and I opted out). I’ve actually tried to come up with an excuse to make them again, which I can’t say for any other dark chocolate cookie recipe I’ve tried. More importantly, they got rave reviews from several chocolate connoisseurs who taste-tested them and then even took some home. (Let’s be honest. When I make something and people come up with the classic, “Oh, I really can’t have those lying around my kitchen, delicious as they are!” excuse, it’s probably because they’re thinking Betty Crocker could've done the job just as well.)

Lows:
The only drawback is that all the starting and stopping, and ticking off 10 seconds here and 30 seconds there, while mixing the batter is enough to make even the most fastidious baker a little crazy. Oh, and don't freak out if the dough doesn't seem dry enough to you: this stuff mixes up more like thick cake batter, and explains why the cookies are so moist.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ c. all-purpose flour
• ½ c. unsweetened cocoa
• 1 t. baking soda
• 1 t. salt
• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, broken into ½-oz. pieces
• 4 oz. unsweetened chocolate, broken into ½-oz. pieces
• 1 ½ cups tightly packed brown sugar
• 12 T. butter
• 3 eggs
• 1 t. vanilla

Instructions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt onto waxed paper. Set aside.
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium heat. Place the semisweet and the unsweetened chocolates into the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir until smooth. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Place the light brown sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Scrape down the bowl and heat on high for an additional 30 seconds. Scrape down the bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, while beating on medium, and stopping to scrape down the bowl after incorporating each addition. Add the vanilla extract and beat on medium for 30 seconds.
Add the melted chocolate and beat on low for 10 seconds more. Scrape down the bowl and beat for an additional 30 seconds. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat on low until thoroughly combined, about 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix thoroughly with a rubber spatula.
Portion 6 to 8 cookies per baking sheet by dropping 2 level tablespoons of batter per cookie onto each of the 2 baking sheets. Place the cookies on the top and middle shelves of the preheated oven and bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom about halfway throughout the baking time. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 to 6 minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to thoroughly cool before storing in a sealed plastic container. Repeat this process until all the cookies have been baked.