#70 Chocolate Sparkle Cookies from h3

Best cookies E.V.E.R!!!

These are from a recipe I got from the Times awhile back; it appeared again on their "Best of 2002" list. It originates from a bakery in Vancouver called Senses Bakery and is flourless.

Ingredients (I double the recipe because the 1X is small):

* 1 pound bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, preferably 70% cocoa (I'm using a pound plus here)
* 6 tablespoons butter
* 4 eggs
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1 1/2 cup ground almonds (I used 1.5 cup preground hazelnut meal, from Trader Joes)
* More sugar, and powdered sugar for garnish

>>71 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:57 UTC

217 view(s) First, melt the chocolate. A double boiler would be ideal, of course, but I opted to use a fondue thing that I got as a gift that works quite well (though 1 lb of chocolate is pushing it's capacity).

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>>72 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:57 UTC

248 view(s) Now whip the eggs. The secret, according to the recipe, is in the beating. Beat till ribbons form, it says. So I beat the hell out of 'em, for like 15 minutes or more, on medium speed, adding the sugar along the way.

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>>73 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:57 UTC

231 view(s) After awhile, it starts to look like this. The chocolate wasn't done melting yet, so I then just left it on low just to keep it from settling too much.

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>>74 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:58 UTC

293 view(s) The overcapacity bit.

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>>75 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:58 UTC

348 view(s) I cut the butter into pats, about 1 tablespoon each, before tossing into the chocolate.

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>>76 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:58 UTC

364 view(s) OK, once that's all melted, fold into the egg mixture. I switch to the paddle attachment and slowly add the chocolate while mixing on low.

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>>77 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:58 UTC

345 view(s) Taking color...

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>>78 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:59 UTC

347 view(s) Once finished mixing in, throw in the ground nut and mix thoroughly. It should look like this. Put this into the fridge overnight.

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>>79 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:59 UTC

331 view(s) Now for the messy part: take a small scoop, about 2 tablespoons, and roll into a ball (should be about the size of a ping pong ball). Roll in granulated sugar.

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>>80 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:59 UTC

333 view(s) Place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Bake at 325F for 10-12 minutes.

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>>81 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:59 UTC

373 view(s) This is what they look like out of the oven. The cracks are cool.

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>>82 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:51:59 UTC

386 view(s) Messy part. I tried dunking my hands in ice water periodically, I don't think it helped much. Also not helping much is the heat wave we're currently experiencing.

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>>83 Name: h3

<h3+//guvoW> 2005-08-30 07:52:00 UTC

370 view(s) Sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar when slightly cool.

All told, I get a yield of about 24-30 cookies from a double batch. The original recipe says it makes about 36, so I must make them large or something.

These are excellent with coffee.

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>>142 Name: fghfgh

<0DzQe8YjtI> 2008-12-29 12:57:43 UTC

C-C-C-COMBO BREAKER

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