Bittersweet Decadence Cookies Alice Medrich Food

BITTERSWEET DECADENCE COOKIES

Steps:

• Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees.
• Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper.
• In a small bowl, mix flour, baking powder and salt thoroughly; set aside.
• Place 8 ounces of chocolate and the butter in a large heatproof bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water and stir frequently just until melted and smooth. Remove the chocolate from the skillet and set it aside.
• Leave the heat on under skillet.
• In a large heatproof bowl, whisk eggs, sugar and vanilla thoroughly.
• Set the bowl in the skillet and stir until the mixture is lukewarm.
• Stir the egg mixture into the warm (not hot) chocolate.
• Stir in the flour mixture, then the nuts and chocolate chunks.
• Scoop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets.
• Bake until the surface of the cookies looks dry and set, but the center is still gooey, 12 to 14 minutes.
• If you used parchment or wax paper, carefully slide the cookies, still on paper, onto racks, or set the pans on the racks. Otherwise, let the cookies firm up on the pans for a minute, then transfer them to the racks with a metal pancake turner.
• Let cool completely.
• Store in a tightly sealed container.

BITTERSWEET DECADENCE COOKIES (ALICE MEDRICH)

Steps:

• Directions: Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350℉. Line two cookie sheets with parchment or wax paper. In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt together thoroughly. Set aside. Place the 8 ounces of chocolate and the butter in a large heatproof bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water and stir frequently just until melted and smooth. Remove the chocolate from the skillet and set it aside. Leave the heat on under the skillet. In a large heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar and vanilla together thoroughly. Set the bowl in the skillet and stir until te mixture is lukewarm to the touch. Stir the eggs into the warm but not hot chocolate. Stir the flour mixture, then the nuts and chocolate chunks. Scoop slightly rounded tablespoons of batter 1 1/2 inches apart on to the cookie sheets. Bake until the surface of the cookies looks dry and set but the center is still gooey, 12 to 14 minutes. If you used parchment paper, carefully slide the cookies, still on the parchment, onto racks or set the pans on the racks. Otherwise, let the cookies firm up on the pans for a minute, then transfer them to racks with a metal pancake turner. Let cool completely. Store in a tightly sealed container. http://slowlikehoney.net/2009/12/28/a-sweet-return/

GLUTEN-FREE BITTERSWEET DECADENCE COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350*F.
• In a bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt, set aside. Place 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate chips and butter in a medium microwavable bowl and heat for 1 minute. Stir the chocolate butter mixture and microwave again for 30 seconds. Continue to microwave and stir until the chips have melted and the mixture is smooth, set aside.
• In a heatproof bowl, whisk the eggs, sugar, and vanilla thoroughly and set the bowl over a pot of just barely simmering water using it as a double broiler. Continue to whisk everything until the mixture is lukewarm.
• Combine the egg and chocolate mixture (should be lukewarm) stirring until they are well combined.
• Add the flour mixture, 6 ounces chocolate chips, and pecans. The batter will look like thick cake batter. Don't worry, after they bake they will look like and taste like cookies!
• Scoop the dough (it will look wet and sloppy) into rounded tablespoons on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, 2 inches apart.
• Bake 14 minutes until the surface of the cookies looks dry and set. With the cookies still on the parchment paper, slide them onto racks to cool. Gently peel the parchment paper back after cookies have cooled for at least 30 minutes.

INTENSELY BITTERSWEET CHOCOLATE SOUFFLES

Steps:

• If you're baking the soufflés right away, position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 375 degrees.
• Butter the 6oz ramekins and dust the insides with sugar.
• Place the chocolate, butter and milk in a large heatproof bowl (preferably stainless steel) in a large skillet of barely simmering water.
• Stir until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
• Remove the bowl from the water bath and whisk in the egg yolks.
• (Don't worry if the mixture stiffens slightly or is less than perfectly smooth at this point.) Set aside.
• In a medium, dry bowl, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar with an electric mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted.
• Gradually sprinkle in the 1/3 cup sugar and beat at high speed until the whites are stiff but not dry.
• Fold 1/4 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining egg whites.
• Divide the mixture evenly among the prepared ramekins, filling each 3/4 full.
• (The soufflés can be prepared to this point, covered, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Bake directly from the refrigerator.) Place the soufflés on a cookie sheet.
• Bake until they rise and crack on top and a wooden skewer plunged into the center emerges very moist and gooey (but the centers should not be completely liquid), 14 to 16 minutes, perhaps a minute or so longer if the soufflés have been refrigerated.
• Meanwhile, make the topping: Beat the cream with the vanilla and sugar until it holds a soft shape (or stiffer, if you like it that way).
• Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready serve.
• When they are done, remove the soufflés from the oven and serve immediately, with a little powdered sugar sifted over the top, if you like.
• Pass the whipped topping separately.
• NOTES: You can substitute a lower-percentage bittersweet or semisweet chocolate if you prefer a sweeter, less intense chocolate flavor; or reduce the sugar to 1/4 cup to partially compensate for the sweeter chocolate, if desired.
• There is no need to make other changes in the recipe.
• After you have buttered the ramekins, the easiest way to dust sugar on the inside is to put the 2 tablespoons of sugar in one of the buttered ramekins.
• Tilt and hold that ramekin over another as if you were going to transfer the sugar.
• Rotate the ramekin containing the sugar, allowing the sugar to coat the sides as you slowly pour the sugar into the other ramekin.
• Repeat.
• Room temperature eggs are best because a cold egg might cause the chocolate to seize, which means it gets too stiff to work with.
• If you do not have eggs at room temperature, you can hold the egg yolks in a mixing bowl over medium heat (hold the bowl over but not on the burner) to warm them up.
• Underbeating egg whites is always better than overbeating them.
• You want to beat the whites until they're no longer yellow and translucent.
• To get a bigger rise, fill the ramekins higher than suggested.
• This will mean that you will have one or two fewer soufflés.
• Don't worry about underbaking or overbaking this recipe- The souffles will still taste good.