Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies Food

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a bowl until combined.
• Beat together butter and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Add egg and vanilla, beating until combined. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until combined well. Add chocolate and nuts and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill dough until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 325°F.
• Roll 1 scant tablespoon of dough into a 1-inch ball, then flatten slightly with palm of your hand to form a 1/3-inch-thick disk and coat with confectioners sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.
• Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until they puff up and tops crack slightly, 8 to 10 minutes total, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely. Recoat cookies with confectioners sugar.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 to 3 baking sheets with parchment paper or re-usable baking sheets (silpats).
• Whisk the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a medium bowl, and set aside.
• In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugars with a hand held electric mixer, until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the vanilla. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir in the chopped chocolate.
• To form the cookies, scoop heaping tablespoons of the dough and roll by hand into balls. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Flatten the dough slightly with your fingertips. Bake until light brown, about 12 to 15 minutes. (If baking 2 sheets at a time, rotate the pans halfway through baking.) Transfer cookies to a rack to cool. Lightly dust the cookies with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE BLACKOUT COOKIES

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spray baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray.
• In large bowl of electric mixer, combine espresso powder and water, stirring to dissolve.
• To same bowl add half of cake mix along with butter and egg.
• Mix on medium high speed 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth.
• Stir in remaining cake mix and chocolate chunks.
• Drop by teaspoonfuls, 2" apart on prepared baking sheets.
• Bake 9-12 minutes or until edges are set at center when lightly touched.
• Cool one minute on sheets.
• Transfer to cooling racks using thin, flexible spatula.

GIANT BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE TOFFEE COOKIES

Steps:

• Combine flour, baking powder and salt in small bowl; whisk to blend. Stir chocolate and butter in top of double boiler set over simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool mixture to lukewarm.
• Using electric mixer, beat sugar and eggs in bowl until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in chocolate mixture and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture, then toffee and nuts (and optional chips). Chill batter until firm, about 45 minutes. (I spread the batter in a 11"x7" glass pan, and when firm divided the batter into 18 squares and fashioned balls by hand and then flattened them -- this made even sized cookies without using a scoop).
• Preheat oven to 350°F Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper. Drop batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto sheets, spacing 2 1/2 inches apart. Bake just until tops are dry and cracked but cookies are still soft to touch, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.).