Chocolate n' Salt Cookies
The Washington Post, December 9, 2009 https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/my-favorite-chocolate-cookies/
Summary: These are a cross between French pastry chef Pierre Hermé's Korova Cookies and Cape Cod baker Terri Horn's salty chocolate oatmeal cookies, with additions of cinnamon and melted chocolate.
MAKE AHEAD: The logs of dough need to be refrigerated for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days. They can be frozen for up to 1 month.
Frozen dough can be sliced and baked right away; allow for 1 or 2 extra minutes in the oven.
Makes about 8 dozen cookies
Ingredients: The original recipe makes a LOT of cookies, measurements for a half recipe are in ( )
- 2 1/2 cups flour (1 1/4)
- 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder (3/8)
- 1 tablespoon baking soda (1/2)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, add about half as much mace too! (1/2)
- 1 cup coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate (preferably 85 percent cacao), (1/2)
- PLUS: 1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate (1/2)
- 11 ounces - 2 3/4 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature (1 stick + 3 tbsp)
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (3/4)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (1/2)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/2)
- Fleur de sel, for sprinkling
Directions:
Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and cinnamon in a medium bowl.
Fill a small saucepan with an inch or two of water and heat over medium heat. Place the coarsely chopped chocolate in a bowl just large enough to cover the top of the saucepan.
When the chocolate begins to soften, stir until completely melted, then remove from the heat.
Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer or a hand-held electric mixer; beat on medium speed until soft and creamy.
Add the sugar, salt and vanilla extract; beat for about 1 minute, until incorporated.
Reduce the speed to low; add the flour mixture in several increments, mixing after each addition until incorporated; the dough will look crumbly.
Add the melted chocolate in a steady stream.
Then add the finely chopped chocolate, mixing until just combined.
Turn the dough out onto a smooth work surface; divide it into 4 pieces for easier handling.
Working with 1 piece at a time, shape the pieces into logs 1 to 2 inches in diameter.
Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1 hour (and up to 2 days) to firm the dough for easier slicing.
When ready to bake, position oven racks in the middle and upper third of the oven; preheat to 325 degrees.
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners.
Use your sharpest chef's knife to cut 1/4-inch rounds of the dough. Because of the chopped chocolate and because the dough is on the dry side, the cookies may crumble at times. If they do, just piece them back together on the baking sheet.
Space the slices about 1 inch apart on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them with the fleur de sel.
Bake for 5 to 6 minutes, then rotate the baking sheets top to bottom and front to back. Bake for another 5 to 6 minutes; the cookies will not change much in appearance; they will set as they cool.
DO NOT OVERBAKE
Let the cookies cool for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.
Recipe Source:
Adapted from “Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition,” by Barbara Lynch (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2009). 64 calories, 4g fat, 3g saturated fat, 7mg cholesterol, 62mg sodium, 8g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 4g sugar, 1g protein.