Chocolate Espresso Snowcaps Food

CHOCOLATE-ESPRESSO SNOWCAPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, espresso, baking powder, and salt. With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg until well combined; mix in cooled chocolate. With mixer on low, gradually add flour mixture; beat in milk until just combined. Flatten dough into a disk; wrap in plastic. Freeze until firm, about 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Pour confectioners' sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl; working in batches, roll balls in sugar two times, letting them sit in sugar between coatings.
• Place on prepared baking sheets, 2 inches apart. Bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, 12 to 14 minutes; cookies will still be soft to the touch. Cool cookies on a wire rack.

CHEWY CHOCOLATE SNOWCAPS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Whisk together sugar, cocoa and salt. Stir in chocolate and pecans. Beat egg whites until slightly stiff, then stir into chocolate mixture until just until incorporated. (Do not overmix.) You can use a stand mixer on low or a sturdy spoon and a large bowl.
• Crush sugar cubes and place in a shallow bowl. Using a small ice cream scoop or a melon baller, spoon up dough to create a scoop about the size of a golf ball. Lightly dip the top of the cookie into the sugar and then place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake until cookie tops are dry and crackled, about 12 to 15 minutes. Rotate sheets if using more than 1 at a time. The cookies should be dry and crunchy on the outside, chewy on the inside and capped with a nice sprinkling of chunky sugar.
• Transfer sheets to wire racks and let cookies cool completely. Can be stored in an airtight container for 3 days.

CHOCOLATE-ESPRESSO SNOWCAPS

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, sift the flour, espresso, cocoa, baking powder and salt.
• Don't skip the sifting process.
• If you are using instant coffee, be sure to press the coffee pieces through the sieve so they become smaller grains that are totally incorporated into the cookies.
• With an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy.
• Beat in egg until combined; mix in cooled chocolate.
• With mixer on low, add flour a little at a time.
• Then beat in milk until just combined.
• The dough will be very wet-- flatten it into a disk and wrap it in plastic wrap, then freeze until firm.
• That takes about 45 minutes, but you can freeze it longer if you want to make the cookies the next day.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees farenheit.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment or foil.
• Shape dough into one-inch balls.
• The dough is still messy, so it helps to roll very fast, and sprinkle a little powdered sugar on your hands between cookies.
• Pour powdered sugar (about 1/2 cup) into a medium bowl.
• Working with a few cookies at a time, roll the balls in sugar two times.
• Make sure they are completely coated and no dark dough is visible.
• Place on baking sheets 2 inches apart, and bake until cookies have spread and coating is cracked, about 12 minutes.
• Cookies will still be soft to the touch, but do not overbake.
• Cool cookies on a wire rack.

GLUTEN FREE CHOCOLATE ESPRESSO SNOWCAPS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine melted chocolate and instant coffee. Stir until coffee is dissolved.
• In medium bowl, cream butter, sugar, chocolate-sugar mixture and the eggs.
• In large bowl combine dry ingredients. Stir into butter mixture.
• Refrigerate for several hours.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Scoop out dough, and shape into 1/2 inch balls.
• Roll into icing sugar. Set aside and roll in icing sugar again. (Be sure to do it twice or all the sugar will just melt into the cookie when you bake them).
• Arrange at least 3 inches apart on a baking sheet. (They spread while baking.).
• Bake for 10 minutes. Cool on wire racks.